Supplying us with Artwork

Preparing press-ready artwork can be confusing, especially if this is your first time. Please use this checklist as a guide before uploading your artwork, as it may help you save valuable time and avoid any unnecessary printing delays

Before submitting your artwork, please check that:

  1. Your artwork contains 3mm external bleed (See below).

  2. Your artwork is set using CMYK colours.

  3. All fonts are outlined (converted to curves) or sent with your artwork.

  4. All links are embedded or sent with your artwork.

  5. Total ink coverage in your artwork does not exceed 300%.

  6. All lines in your artwork are at least 0.3pt wide (all text at least 8pt).

  7. All images in your artwork are 300dpi.

  8. Your artwork is the correct size.

Your artwork must be submitted as a PDF file. Please do not submit your artwork as low quality JPEG or PNG files, or inside a Microsoft Word or Apple Pages file.

EXTERNAL BLEED

Make sure all backgrounds/elements that meet the trim edge extend to the edge of the external bleed line so you won’t have any white edges.

 

Getting our team to design your artwork?

IMAGES

Images must be supplied as high quality .jpg .tiff or .png files.

If you have a collage or images layered over each other the images must be supplied individually.

Please note that images off a website, screen shot or facebook will become half the size when converted for print specs as ink dots are smaller than pixels on a screen.

TEXT

Text can be supplied in any format as long as the text is selectable like in Microsoft Word or email.

 

Glossary

1-up – When artwork is supplied 1-up it is un-imposed. Each printed page is a separate page within the artwork file. When two pages are supplied on the same page in an artwork file, this is considered as being imposed or 2-up.

Bleed –  When an illustration, background or image is extended beyond the trim edge of the page. This allows for a small amount of movement that may occur when your order is being cut to size. We require 3mm of external bleed on all files. On the odd occasion, 2mm bleed may be require

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)
These are the colours used for full-colour printing.

Coated Paper - Printing papers that have had a surface clay coating to give a smoother, more even finish with greater opacity. This paper is not recommended for overprinting.

Colour Mode – This is the colour setting used to create your artwork. Depending on the software you are using the default colour mode may be either RGB or CMYK. For full colour printing we require all artwork to be in CMYK colour mode.

Crop Marks – These are the black marks in the corners of your soft proof. These crop marks show where the job will be trimmed to size. Anything outside of the crop marks will be trimmed off.

Finish Size – This is the final size that your artwork will be trimmed to, e.g. the finish size of a DL flyer is 99x210mm.

Finishing – Any process that occurs after printing. This includes but is not limited to: trimming, folding, stitching, binding and laminating.

Greyscale - A range of grey shades from white to black, as used in a monochrome or single colour printing.

Half Fold - A method of folding where the paper is folded in half down the center of the page.

For additional information about folded print jobs please click here.

Imposed / Imposition - The arrangement or layout of pages on a printed sheet.

Laminate - This is a plastic film heat bonded to printed products such as booklet covers, business cards and postcards. This provides protection, as well as a matt or gloss finish. It can be applied to one side, or both sides of a printed item. Also sometimes referred to as celloglaze.

Low-resolution Images – If you have been advised that there may be low-resolution images in your artwork, this means that some or all of the images in your artwork are less than 250ppi. We recommend that all images be supplied at 300ppi for optimum print quality.

Perfect Binding – A form of booklet making in which all pages are glued along the spine using special adhesive (all of our perfect bound books are created with PUR adhesive). PUR adhesive offers a distinct performance advantage in comparison to regular glues.

Pixel – The coloured dots that make up the images on a computer or television screen.

PMS (Pantone Matching System) – PMS colours are standardized colours listed in the Pantone Colour Matching System. Each Pantone colour has a specific code which different printers and manufacturers can refer to in order to ensure colour consistency.

If you have ordered full colour printing but you have upload files that contain Pantone (PMS) Colours, these PMS colour may not be automatically be converted to CMYK. For this reason, artwork should always be supplied using CMYK colour mode.

PP (printed pages) – When we refer to PP (printed pages), we mean the actual number of printed pages not the number of sheets of paper. For example, an 8pp A4 magazine is 2 x A3 sheets, double sided, folded and saddle stitched to A4.

PPI (pixels per inch) – For printing we recommend all artwork is supplied at 300ppi (300 pixels in every square inch). E.g. if you are printing a postcard that is 150x100mm (6x4 inches) you need 1800x1200 pixels for optimum print quality at 300 pixels per inch.

Pre-flight - In digital prepress this is the procedure used to analyse or evaluate every component needed to produce a high quality print job.

Rasterized Fonts - If you have been advised that there may be rasterised fonts in your artwork, this means that some or all of the text in your artwork is made up of pixels rather than vectors.

When creating text in desktop publishing software (e.g. Microsoft Publisher / Adobe InDesign), or vector software (e.g. Adobe Illustrator / Corel Draw), the text is made up of shapes which can be scaled indefinitely without losing quality. However, if a design is saved to an image file format (e.g. JPEG / Tiff), the text automatically becomes rasterised (it is no longer made up of vector shapes, it is now made up of pixels). This means that if you enlarge text it will lose quality.

High resolution rasterised text may look the same as vector text when printed. However if rasterised text is low-resolution it may appear blurry, jagged or pixelated. If the rasterised text is very low resolution it may appear so blurry and pixelated that it is no longer legible.

RGB (Red, Green, Blue) – This colour mode is the language of computer monitors and TV screens and is not suitable for printing. RGB is based on additive colours – combine red, green and blue light, and you get white light.

If you upload RGB files they may not be automatically converted to CMYK. Automatic conversion can slightly change colours. For this reason artwork should always be supplied using CMYK colour mode.

Roll Fold - A method of folding in which the two panels on the edges of the page fold in over the center panel.

Saddle Stitched - A form of binding commonly used to create magazines and booklets from 8pp to 72pp (printed pages). The magazine or booklet is stapled through the middle fold of its sheets using two wire staples.

Soft Proof – A digital PDF file created from the customers supplied artwork. A soft PDF proof is supplied for every order. The soft PDF proof allows the customer to confirm we are printing the correct file and that the trim marks are in the correct location. For every order the soft proof must be approved prior to printing.

Trim Edge – The edge along which the job will be cut to size.

Trimming Variance – Due to automated systems, there may be a small amount of movement during the printing and trimming of your job. This can result in your job being trimmed 1-2mm either side of the trim edge. For this reason we require 3mm for most items (5mm of bleed for magazines/booklets and presentation folders).

Uncoated Paper - Printing papers that have had a surface without clay coating, also called bond or laser bond. An example of an uncoated paper would be a letterhead.

Vector Text and Graphics - Text and graphics created using mathematical equations that define geometric shapes. You can enlarge vector text and graphics indefinitely without losing quality.

Z Fold - A method of folding in which each fold opens in the opposite direction to its neighbor, giving a pleated effect.