Artwork Guidelines
The following guide will 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 production.
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.
Colours are set to CMYK.
Bleed
A minimum 3mm 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 a 6mm away from the paper edge or the trim line to prevent accidental cropping.
Colour Specifications
Print previews are not a safe and sure measuring tool for colour accuracy. Colours on the file might be effected by monitor calibration, screen resolution and lighting. Many Pantone colours show a marked colour shift when converted to four colour process.
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. Please make sure all colours are in CMYK mode for colour accuracy and a better quality output.
Image Resolution
All images and pictures should be 300 dpi.
Rasterised text or logos should be 1200 dpi.
Screen values should be between 133 lpi and 150 lpi.
Large format signs may allow 150dpi at final size.
Guidelines by Application
The following outlines the specific file requirements by application. If you have any questions, please contact our prepress 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.
