We have made a checklist to help ou customers submit proper files for print. We make every effort to help our customers with their files, however many problems are unable to be repaired. If you have any questions or concerns about your files, please contact us .
Is The File Type Correct?
We accept .jpg, .tif, and .pdf files. PDFs and tiffs should be flattened with all text converted to outlines (curves). Orders submitted in another file format will incur an additional file repair fee.
Quark, Indesign, Illustrator, Freehand or Other Vector Programs:
Most page layout and illustration programs allow you to export as a pdf. Please convert files from these programs to pdf before submitting them for print. Be sure to convert all fonts to outlines (curves) and save as a Press Quality pdf.
Word, Publisher and other Microsoft programs:
We DO NOT recommend using Publisher or other Microsoft programs for your print files. Microsoft programs do not output professionally. Please contact us for a detailed explanation, or trust us, and do not use Microsoft Office programs for your documents.
If you must use a Microsoft Office program: Please use distiller to generate a PDF or when using Publisher please “Save As” a commercial print (300 dpi) tiff.
Please note: If you are using images off the Internet for your design, your images will not output correctly. Additionally, you may be violating copyright laws. We have access to a large resource of royalty free images available to our customers. Please contact us for more information. Also, files output from Publisher will reproduce text as 4 color black and will not print as clearly as files created in other programs.
Illustrator, Freehand or Other Vector Programs:
Please convert ALL fonts to outlines (curves). This insures your fonts will be objects and will prevent text outputting incorrectly if we do not have your fonts on file. This is a very important, and often overlooked step.
Overprint:
Our workflow automatically traps your file. However, it will retain any overprint settings in the original file, i.e. yellow text overprinting a blue background will print green, white text overprinting any color will disappear. Don't set any elements to overprint. If you have any questions regarding overprinting, please contact us and we will explain further.
Is your final print document at the correct size and 300 dpi?
Your print files should be 300 dpi at final size. This means every inch of art should be composed of 300 pixels. For a 10 inch document, it should be composed of 3000 pixels (300 dots per inch x 10 inches = 3000 dots/pixels) this is a proper and detailed resolution.
Note: You can always “reduce” your resolution but never “increase” your resolution. Converting files that are 72 dpi from the Internet to 300 dpi does NOT make them high resolution. This is a sure way to have blurry, unprofessional images in your document. Printing works with the “garbage-in = garbage-out” rule. This means, if you give us low-resolution files to print, they will absolutely print unprofessionally. We simply cannot make something bad look better. If you have any questions regarding image resolution, please contact a representative to review your files.
Are your files CMYK (and not Pantone or RGB)?
Our commercial printing equipment uses process color. Process color utilizes Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black to reproduce the full color spectrum. CMYK is different than how your monitor displays colors. Monitors use RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color space. RGB files converted to CMYK will shift considerably and we do not want you to be surprised with your colors output. Additionally, Pantone is a mixed color system used for spot colors and cannot be reproduced accurately with the CMYK process. Many Pantone colors will convert to CMYK with close representation, however accuracy is not guaranteed.
If you require a spot color please contact us. Our printing press can output a 5th color for your spot color requirements. The cost is $75 per side for spot inks.
Color Matching: Colors you see on your monitor will NOT accurately reflect colors on your final printed piece. If you are concerned about color, purchase a color proof from us to review before we go to print. When using our digital services we can output a proof for you on the exact paper you request.
We'll do our best to match colors but because of variations inherent in the gang-run printing process we cannot guarantee an exact match.
Remember: PDF proofs are not made for color matching, only for content. If we see something that will not output correctly we will contact you, however we cannot be held responsible for color differences.
Check Your Bleeds and Safety Area
A bleed is the extra area that extends past the edges of your document. For example, if you have a 4.25"x5.5" print document, you should design your image as 4.5"x5.75" leaving the extra 1/8" on all sides for bleed. Your background should run off the edge and into your bleed. The bleed will be cut off. It is important that you do not keep any active content such as text or images that are important to the document in the bleed or safety areas. Active content in this area risks being cut off.
Safety area is 1/8" inwards from the document edge. Please keep all words and images away from this safety area to ensure proper cutting.
Although our cutting staff is extremely precise, we cannot guarantee any cuts without the added bleed. There are no exceptions. Also, please keep your text at least 1/8 " away from the edge of the piece. This way your text is in a "safe" area. If you have any questions regarding this policy you may call us, or use our design templates located on our website.
Are your files named correctly?
We prefer files submitted to our website to have the order number in the name of the file. If this is not possible, please name the file something unique, which reflects your company name or job specifics. Please do not name your files generically such as front.tif and back.tif or postcard1.jpg and postcard2.jpg. If those files are mixed with other jobs, you risk your files being output incorrectly. Also, if you are using the same image for both sides, or if your document is 1 sided, please let us know. If not, we may assume that if we have 1 file, it is truly one sided.
Convert your fonts to outlines (Are you using live fonts?)
If you are using a program that uses live fonts such as Illustrator or Indesign, please convert your fonts to objects/outlines/curves. If a file has live fonts and the fonts are not embedded in the file, the fonts can default to less desirable font. This will affect formatting and create an unusable print job. Please make sure your fonts are not live. Rasterized images such as flattened TIFs or JPGs do not have this issue.
Are your blacks built correctly?
Small text (under 16pt) and hard lines should utilize 1 color black (100% black) to ensure crisp reproduction. If you build your blacks with 4 colors on small text areas they will produce blurry and at times unreadable. This is because paper slightly shifts during the printing process (+/- .00001 inch) and results in registration problems. It is only noticeable in small detailed text.
Alternatively, 1 color black will actually reproduce dark grey if used in larger type or large rules and backgrounds. Please use a “rich” black such as cyan: 40%, magenta: 20%, yellow: 20%, black: 100% when using black in large areas.
Lastly, please do not use any color combination that totals more than 280% coverage (i.e. a rich black build of cyan: 40%, magenta: 20%, yellow: 20%, black: 100% is 180% coverage. 40+20+20+100=180). Ink coverage greater than 280% will not dry properly and may present picking, and offsetting on your final product.
Did you read and understand our terms and conditions?
We try very hard to make clear what our clients should expect of the printing process and how our company works. Printing is an intricate and detailed science. Please read over our policies and if you have any questions about them please contact us directly. We want to make sure that you understand how our company works before your place an order so you will be completely satisfied through the entire production process.
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