Artwork Guidelines
We have prepared the following guide to assist you with your electronic file preparation and submission. If you have a specific problem that is not covered in this guide, or have other questions, please feel free to contact us. Improperly prepared files can cause delays in manufacturing.
Quick Checklist
All fonts are included.
►Type is legible and crisp.
►Page layout is correct.
►Margins are set.
►Artwork matches the specified dimensions.
►All linked files, images, and fonts are placed in separate folders.
►Colors in CMYK mode.
Bleeds
A 2mm border must be added to pictures and designs bleeding to the edge, so that there is no white space or border showing around the artwork. It is also important to keep text at least 5mm (3mm for business cards) away from the paper edge or the trim line to prevent accidental cropping.
Colour Specifications
Colours in the on-screen preview will vary depending on your hardware setup and calibration and so should be used as a guide only.
If specifying colours as CMYK, you should use ISO coated V2 or FOGRA39 as your colour profile. If specifying colours as RGB make sure they are tagged with the correct profile. For full colour printing we do not recommend specifying colours as PANTONE as many cannot be printed accurately in CMYK.
For one, two or three colour jobs printed in Pantone spot colour, make sure your colours are specified as spot colour and they separate correctly. You can test this by printing separations on your laser printer.
To achieve the desired colour on press, digital files must reflect accurate colour models and percentage.
Image Resolutions
►All images and pictures should be 300-600 dpi.
►Rasterized text or logos should be 1200 dpi.
Guidelines by Application
The following outlines the specific file requirements by application. If you have any questions, please contact our graphics department.
Adobe Photoshop
►Files should be 300 dpi at 100% of actual size for quality offset reproduction.
►Files should be saved in PDF format (embed all fonts and set the screen value to 133 lpi.)
Digital Proofs
We provide PDF files as electronic soft proofs. These digital proofs intend to show you the layout and design elements of your job, but cannot be a guarantee of colour accuracy. If colour accuracy is of extreme importance to you, please ask for a hard copy proof. Scan all transparencies and line art at 100% of final size unless data size is prohibitive. If such a case occurs, scan at 1/4 or 1/2 of final size. Scan all transparencies and line art at 100% of final size unless data size is prohibitive. If such a case occurs, scan at 1/4 or 1/2 of final size.