Frequently asked questions:
What is print ready artwork?
Print-Ready is a term used to describe a file that has all the specifications necessary to produce high-resolution printed output, without requiring any additional alteration or intervention. In other words, a commercial printer can use the file "as submitted" to successfully create the desired print materials.
How should I prepare a file for printing with you?
The basic and easiest answer to this question is that you supply a PRINT READY .PDF file. We recommended a minimum of 300dpi, converted to CMYK color space, all fonts outlined AND embedded. Specify your trim area with crop marks (Do not place crops in mark side the work area).
Make sure you have a minimum of 1/8" (0.125") BLEED on all edges of your job, and a 1/8" (0.125") SAFE area that has all critical design element such as text, pulled away from trim.
What file format do you accept?
Accepted File Types Index
.AI - Adobe Illustrator Document
.JPG - Joint Photographic Experts Group - a lossy image format widely used to display photographic images.
.JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group - a lossy image format widely used to display photographic images.
.PDF - Portable Document Format
.EPS - Encapsulated Postscript
.TIFF - Tagged Image File Format
How should I set up my bleed and crop marks?
We require a minimum of 1/8" (0.125") bleed on all projects, pass the cut line.
Please keep all text at least 0.125" inside the cut-line.
This will add 1/4" (0.25") to your overall image area, on both dimensions. Below are some example layout files incorporating our templates available in our Product Templates section.
In this example, if you wanted to print a 3.5" x 2" standard business card with image all the way to the edge, you would need to submit a file 3.75" x 2.25".
Color types: 4/0, 4/1, 4/4
4/0
4/0 is a trade designation for a printed piece with four colors (full color) printing on the front side and no printing on the back side.
4/1
4/1 is a trade designation for a printed piece with four colors (full color) printing on the front side and one color printing on the back side.
4/4
4/4 is a trade designation for a printed piece with four colors (full color) on the front side and four colors (full color) printing on the back side.
What resolution should my file be?
For all Off-set printing services (business cards, postcards, flyers, brochures, etc.) we require a minimum of 300 DPI resolution.
For all large format printing services (banners, car magnets, roll-ups, etc.) we require a minimum of 150 DPI resolution.