Below are just a few tips on creating artwork for print designed to help you produce your artwork so we can use it. If you are going to do the artwork yourself please take into account these points to save our time and your money!
Table of contents:
- Sending the files
- File Formats
- Client Proof Copy
- Layouts
- Bleed and 'Quiet Border'
- Fonts
- Colour Matching
- Photographs and Graphics
- Pre Print Checking
- Proofs
- Don't Forget
We like to think of our relationship as a partnership and, as with any partnership, a great outcome depends on partners working together. Please check the Artwork guidance notes on the following pages which will ensure that your work proceeds quickly and efficiently to a successful outcome to the benefit of everyone.
You can send your files to us by email (up to 10MB)
We recommend compressing your files before sending them as this not only makes the upload faster but also more reliable, especially for the Mac, since important hidden files are then included automatically.
Free trial versions of excellent compression programmes are available: visit: www.pkware.com for PKzip which is best for the PC and www.stuffit.com/mac/deluxe for Stuffit which is designed for Mac.
We can, if necessary, accept files sent on CDs/DVDs Recordable and Re-recordable.
Please Note:
Orders not placed through our online ordering system are subject to an additional handling charge of £4.50 + VAT per order.
Also due to the high cost of postage and the low value of media we no longer return media unless specifically requested. Where media is to be sent back we make a small charge for carriage.
Ideally you should send your files to us as a PDF. The PDF should be prepared at press quality.
Alternatively we can accept files in flattened Tif (Tiff) or Jpg (Jpeg) format. The files should be at the correct size for print. The disadvantage of sending files in this format is that all text and graphics will be Bitmap rather than Vector quality. If the file is sent at 300dpi resolution then in our experience the results are generally considered acceptable.
We are also pleased to accept other file formats. We list here the most common formats which we receive. The list is not exhaustive. If your application is not listed please check with us.
- Adobe Illustrator - upto version 10
- Corel Draw - upto version 12
- Microsoft Word & Publisher - upto 2003
Please note: We make a nominal charge of £15.00 + VAT to work with files which are not supplied as PDF, Tif or Jpg.
3. Client Proof Copy ::
Unless we are specifically requested we do not send proofs of jobs prior to print. In the electronic world sending hard copy proofs by post causes major delays and sending digital proofs is little more than returning the file sent to us back again!
In our workflow the Client Proof Copy is a key element. It may be defined as a master, which is correct in all respects, against which we can check all that we do.
It is vital that the Client Proof Copy is a perfect representation (content-wise) of the job to be produced. We strongly recommend checking it carefully before sending it to us.
When a high resolution (Press Quality) PDF, Jpg or Tif file is provided as the origination for printing then this file can also serve as the Client Proof Copy - CPC.
With a CPC to refer to when our designers work on your files they can be confident that the text is all present, that the fonts are correct, that the photos have not moved etc.
As mentioned on the previous page we are happy to accept your design in the format of the programme you used to create it. In this case the CPC needs to be sent as a separate file.
You may choose to send it as a low resolution PDF, Jpg or Tif along with your High Resolution file.
Alternatively it is possible to produce one by simply opening the page you would like us to print so it fills your screen and performing a ‘Screen Grab' (On a PC press the Print Screen button to the right of F12, on a Mac press buttons Shift and 4 together). Paste the clipboard into a Bitmap programme such as Paint and save the file.
Whichever programme you use there are some common guidelines which may be helpful in preparing your Artwork.
4. Layouts ::
Please supply everything ‘one up'. It is more successful if you leave us to sort out the imposition for printing. e.g. Provide one business card on a 90mm x 50mm or 85mm x 55mm page.
Booklets should either be in separate files for each page or number order pages (we will sort out the printers pairs).
We are pleased to accept ‘ganged up' jobs. This means that several individual elements are arranged on a larger sheet. We regard the ‘job' as being the larger sheet size and charge accordingly. The only additional cost is for the extra cutting to create the individual elements at the end of the production process. ‘Ganging' of jobs can be exceptionally cost effective.
For example:
You may have a requirement for four sets of Business Cards for four different people at the same time. Rather than sending an order for four sets of cards you may choose to order an A5 Card. The cost is then just the cost of an A5 plus four cuts.
Please note: If you would like your ganged up job to be sent to a number of different locations once it has been cut down we make an additional charge of £20.00 + VAT & Carriage per location (after the first). 
In the example above, if the cards are to be sent to four different addresses then there is an extra charge of £60.00 + VAT & Carriage. If all four cards are sent to one address there is no additional charge.
Also ganged jobs should always have a double gutter between them. Do not have a single cut gutter as this means one side being cut by the burr edge of the guillotine blade leading to a rough edge.
5. Bleed and 'Quiet Border' ::
Understanding the need for 'Bleed' and a 'Quiet Border' is vital if, as partners, we are going to achieve our joint aim of an excellent finished print job.
We require Bleed to allow for the tolerance of our guillotines (the machine used for cutting your job after printing). Even with our 'State of the Art' equipment there is a margin of error in the operation.
If your image finishes exactly at the edge of your required finished size then these small deviations may produce unsightly white flashes at the edge of your print. By extending your background colour or image beyond the edge of your finished job the consequences of such a deviation are not perceptible.
We recommend that elements intended to go to the very edge of your finished job should extend 3mm beyond the edge.
A ‘Quiet Border' is the distance you should allow from the edge of your finished page size to text or diagrams etc. The reason for this border is again the tolerance in cutting. If you have a design where the text runs to the very edge then a cutting deviation will actually cut off some of your text! A very small ‘Quiet Border' can result in a finished job looking very uneven.
We recommend a ‘Quiet Border ‘where there is no text, etc. of at least 5mm around the edges of your job.
6. Fonts ::
We carry all the most popular PC fonts, please confirm at the time of ordering.
Where you have used a rare font outside the 'normal' range we recommend converting the text created with this font into curves. This means that we no longer require the original font when we print your job.
Where you are supplying your work as a PDF it should always be produced with fonts embedded. With a Tif or Jpg, fonts are much less of an issue since these formats effectively embed the fonts required to print.
7. Colour Matching ::
There are a large number of variables which can affect the colour produced in Full Colour Printing. Simply looking at the appearance of colours on a monitor, especially if no monitor calibration has been carried out), is unlikely to produce predictable printed results.
In just the same way an un-calibrated desktop printer, such as a laser or inkjet may well produce very different colours to those produced on a professional printing press.
Please Note: Where you have a particular colour issue, for example a requirement to match to a specific company colour or a previously printed job, this MUST be brought to our attention at the order stage. Simply specify the colour to be matched to or the fact that the job has been printed previously in ‘Special Instructions' during the online ordering process.
If you have a swatch of the colour required please send us a hard copy of that. We cannot be held responsible if your printed work does not match your requirements unless those requirements are brought to our attention before we print.
8. Photographs and Graphics ::
Photographs should be scanned size for size at 300dpi and saved as CMYK images (the only exception to the CMYK rule is images for Hexachrome Printing which should be sent as RGB).
We can re-balance photos scanned by you for £6.00 + VAT per scan. Please send the original photo for us to match to. We can also re-touch photos, cut out backgrounds, make good blemishes, etc. The cost of these additional services would be fixed prior to ordering.
We charge an optional £2.50 + VAT to carry out extensive Pre-flighting of your job. We would strongly recommend that you ask us to carry out the Pre-flight because then your job will be carefully checked by an experienced designer and also our proof readers prior to print.
Should we find potential issues with the files you have provided we would work with you to resolve the problems. It may be that a new file is required or alternatively we can often correct the issues.
Before sending your job please make sure that the artwork is centred within the selected document size. Should your job be double sided then a 2 page pdf will need to be supplied with the artwork central on the page.
Please Note: If you decide not to have your job pre-flighted we will simply print what you have sent! If the corrections which you want us to do are excessive there may be an additional charge.
Our normal service does not include proofs. We simply check your files against your Client Proof Copy provided and proceed to print. The system is fast and efficient. However, in some circumstances proofs are desirable and we are pleased to produce proofs from your Digital Artwork prior to printing. This will add extra time to your order.
We produce three different types of proofs:
PDF Proof: These are sent digitally via Email. They are ideal for checking layout and content but are not colour accurate and so are of little use when there are issues of colour, such as matching to a House Colour.
Laser Proof: These are sent by post and provide something tangible to look at. Again these are not colour accurate and their use is limited to content and layout proofing.
Wet Proof: These are an exact match to the job which will eventually be printed since they are a small run of the finished job on press. We would always recommend a small run of print (to be used as a wet proof) prior to any very large run of print.
When preparing your artwork please remember the following
- 3mm Bleed
- 5mm 'Quiet Border'
- All Images should be CMYK 300dpi
- Please include any additional instructions when ordering
