RESOURCES FOR PRINT + DESIGN
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
Here is a quick guide to questions we often get asked. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for feel free to give our office a call. We love helping our clients achieve the very best possible outcome on every project we take on. You can count on us!
FILE TYPE WE PREFER
Print-Ready Single Page PDF with Bleed. No printer spreads here, please! We will impose the job to best fit our press.
PDF EXPORT SETTINGS
When exporting you PDF please use the “High Quality Print” setting and include “Document Bleed Settings” in the options if your document contains elements that bleed off the edges.
If you’re not creating your PDFs from a design layout program, please use the “Best for Printing” option or something similar.
LARGER FILE SIZES
If your document is too large to email we’ll need you to contact us and/or send us a link to your own shared drive. If you don’t have that ability we can set you up with a username and password for our FTP site.
PANTONE CONVERSION
If you’re using a Pantone color our press will automatically convert it to CMYK with formulas predetermined by HP to closely match the PMS tone. We can color match to previous print jobs, we’ll just need a sample to get the color you’re looking for.
RGB CONVERSION
Any files that are submitted in RGB will automatically be converted to CMYK. It is preferred that all print-ready files be in CMYK color mode for best results. Files may need to be adjusted for color brightness and contrast if they are getting converted on-press.
RICH BLACK
If you’d like black to print rich, please use the color build C20 M20 Y20 K100. Registration black (100-100-100-100) will not produce the best results.
WHY DO I NEED BLEED?
If your document has a full background color or image that runs off the edge of the page, bleed is for you! This will ensure that there are no gaps in the gutter or white edges that could ruin the aesthetic of your design.
HOW MUCH BLEED DO I NEED?
If you’re printing a 1-page item (like a business card or letterhead) we need at least 1/16″ bleed (.0625″) on each side.
If you’re printing a multi-page item that requires binding, die-cutting, or foiling we may ask for more bleed. 1/8th” (.125″) or more may be needed based on the project specs (paper, page count, etc). Feel free to ask what would be best for your project!