FAQS
What can you print on a same day service?
Due to cost and materials there’s a limit to what can be printed the same day. The most urgent print is produced digitally and is more suited to short runs or a temporary supply. These are some examples; business cards, leaflets, brochures, reports, dissertations, manuals, tickets, posters, banners, temp signs, invites, cards, order of service, flyers, booklets, programmes, notes and menus.
How do you supply artwork for a printer?
The most widely accepted file format for printing is an adobe PDF. This should be supplied with 3mm bleed and printers crop marks. Your images should be in the Cmyk colour format not RGB and be 300 dpi. If you are unable to supply a Pdf then the next best alternative would be a Jpeg in Cmyk and 300dpi at 100% size saved at maximum quality. Remember to make sure your email does not compress the jpeg when emailing. It’s best to upload files to a printers server.
I’m not sure if my artwork is correct, what should I do?
We are here if you are in any doubt or have any questions. Please contact us and we will be delighted to help you. Alternatively email your artwork and tell us in the email what you are unsure about so we can advise you. We have the experience and expertise and are happy to help.
CMYK and RGB what's the difference?
CMYK refers to Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black - the colour process used in Lithographic and Digital Printing.
RGB refers to Red, Green and Blue - the colour process used to make the millions of colours you see on your computer screen.
CMYK colours tend to be more dull compared to RGB. As an example if you require a clean fresh light blue the closest in CMYK may seem dirty compared to a Pantone or RGB alternative. When designing for print there are a few boundaries and settings you need to apply, as each production method gives a slightly different result.
Why does the colour look different on some materials?
Digital Print generally comes in 2 forms, Indigo which uses liquid ink and Production Digital machines like Xerox which use dry toner. Dry toner ink sits on the top of a sheet and will be fairly consistent to all materials. Indigo uses special materials that are coated this also helps keep the colours to be consistent.
Lithographic uses oil based inks which absorb into the materials the less coated the more absorbing the material creating a duller result. An uncoated/recycled paper takes longer for the ink to dry so the volume of ink is limited on this to 220% whereas silk or gloss is 300%. As the volume of ink is less, the colour on an uncoated material will appear much lighter and slightly dull.
There will always be a variation in colour from machine to machine. We colour match our print to limit this as much as possible and advise when the differences are too wide apart. Alterations to artwork would be recommended to hide this.
Top tips for for a perfect print project.
Always decide on the print specification before the design process. This ensures your designer can follow the recommended allowances to achieve the highest quality print.
Avoid costly mistakes, be thorough when proof-reading your files.
Test your marketing material with short run digital before committing to the final quantity.
Ask the printer if you changed your spec, how could you save money.
Keep text out of the quiet zone
Limit ink volume on coated to 300% and 220% on uncoated (% is the total value in the CMYK colour).
Convert your images to CMYK apart from large format.
Complex designs using transparencies, layers, spot colours, and mixtures of RGB/CMYK are best supplied as JPEGs in 300DPI.
Export PDF’s using the preset PDF/X-1a:2001.
When printing on uncoated/recycled material, your colours will lose about 30% vibrancy and look slightly more grainy. Adjust your files accordingly.
What are the common paper sizes in print ?
These are the most common paper sizes a printers supply; Business card=55mmx85mm, A7=105mm74mm, A6=148.5mmx105mm, A5=210mmx148.5mm, A4=297mmx210mm, A3=420mmx297mm, A2=420mmx594mm, A1=594mmx841mm and A0=841mmx1189mm.