Artwork Guidelines

File Setup Requirements, Summarized:

Bleed: .125″ on all sides of your artwork
E.g., a 4″ x 6″ card has overall dimensions 4.25″ x 6.25″

Safe Area: .125″ on all sides of your artwork
E.g., a 4″ x 6″ card has all important information inside an area of 3.75″ x 5.75″

Color Mode: CMYK (not RGB)

Note: In a great many cases, especially business cards, we can work with bleeds and safe areas of .0625″ instead of .125″. If you prefer this smaller margin/safe area, please ask us before submitting your artwork.

File Types
We accept a variety of file formats including: EPS, PDF, JPG, TIF, PSD, and AI file extension types. Please be sure to submit the correct file type to prevent delays. If you’re unsure whether your file is formatted correctly, send it to us and we can check it for you.
Resolution
We accept images that have a resolution of 300dpi (dots per inch) or higher at 100% actual print size. If your image(s) are at a lower resolution, print quality will be reduced. Dots per inch refers to how many dots of color are used to produce the image. High quality images always have a higher dpi, while low quality images have a lower dpi.
Color Mode
All files must be made and submitted in CMYK color mode. You will have the choice of either CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) or RGB (Red, Green, Blue) when working in software programs. RGB mode is used for web graphics, while CMYK is used for printing and is often referred to as “full color”. If your file is submitted in RGB mode, it will need to be converted into CMYK for printing purposes. The conversion may cause your colors to change.
Fonts
All fonts must be converted to: “outlines”, “paths”, or “curves”. Converting the fonts will prevent any font defaults or other issues that may occur in the transferring process.
Bleeds

If your document contains images or colors that extend to the edge of the page, it is considered a document “with bleeds.”

To understand bleeds you need to know a little about the printing process. When paper moves through a press it shifts a little from side to side. The movement is very slight and in most cases not noticeable. It does start to become apparent when you are printing a document that has a design element that prints all the way up to the edge of the document.

Let’s use a 2″ x 3.5″ business card with a blue background for an example. If you are printing your card at 2″ x 3.5″ and the paper shifts 1/64″ of an inch in any direction during printing, then you will have 1/64″ of white on the opposite edge. To avoid this problem, you simply need to extend your background color past the cut edge and “trim area” of your document. When this is done you have enough color so the white is cut off. This extra color that extends past the cut edge of your document is what is known as a bleed in the printing industry.

To illustrate the above point, lets say you are printing the same 2″ x 3.5″ business cards with a blue background, however this time your card is set up at the size of 2.125″ x 3.625″. You have extended your blue color .0625″ (1/16″) past the edge of your business card. Now when your card shifts 1/64″ to the left there is enough bleed on the right to cover the shift. Once the printing is done, we cut your 2.125″ x 3.625″ business cards down to 2″ x 3.5″. The end result is you have a stack of 2″ x 3.5″ business cards and no white space on any side.

Safe Area
We ask that customers provide a safe area of .125″ on all products (though we can quite often work with half that if needed for your design on most products).
Flatten Images
If we will not be editing your file, all images need to be flattened. This will collapse all the layers into one layer.
Transparency
A lot of printers are discouraging the use of transparency effects in your files. We have addressed all concerns regarding this issue and have no problems receiving these files. This is another step we’ve taken to meet your needs.
Overprinting

In the past, certain objects were set to overprint to avoid the need for trapping and avoid gaps between touching colors. However, our automated system accounts for these issues and makes it unnecessary to set objects to overprint. We recommend that all overprinting objects are turned off before you submit your files. We will not be held responsible for errors occurring due to overprinting objects.

Most often, you won’t even notice when proofing your pdf proof. If using standard Acrobat settings, your proof will look accurate and the printed product will not. When reviewing your proof, be sure that your Acrobat Overprint Preview setting is enabled and that you’re using the most current version of Acrobat.

Enabling Overprint Preview: Mac Instructions – With the PDF open, choose Advanced > Print Production > Overprint Preview.

PC Instructions – With the PDF open, choose View > Overprint Preview.

Critical Folds

To understand Critical Folds you need to know a little about the printing process. When paper moves through a press it shifts a little from side to side. The movement is very slight and in most cases not noticeable. It does start to become apparent when you have a design element that is too close to a fold.

To help hide the fact that the paper has shifted we ask that you keep all of your elements a pre-determined distance away from the fold. The pre-determined distance is called “gutter.”

We ask that customers provide a gutter of .125″. The .125″ gutter needs to be on both sides of the fold. It is OK to extend a background image or color across a fold as long as the background image does not start or stop within .125″ of the fold.

If you have a document to print that has design elements that start and stop on a fold OR are closer than .125″ to a fold then it is considered a document with Critical Folds. We will make every effort to maintain your folds as you have requested, however we do not guarantee critical folds.

Gate and Double Gate Folds
Please be aware that there needs to be a minimum of .125″ space where the two inside folds meet. We will do our best to line up all folds, but do not guarantee them. Not having this buffer will cause the paper to buckle and dog-ear in the fold.
Booklets and Crossover Images

To understand Crossover Images you need to know a little about the printing process and how booklets are made. We are going to use a 12 page, 8.5″ x 5.5″ finished size booklet as an example.

When paper moves through a press it shifts a little from side to side. The movement is very slight and in most cases not noticeable. It does start to become apparent when you have a design element that is too close to a fold. If you are printing a booklet there are two sizes you need to be aware of, the flat size and the finished size of the booklet. Printers create an 8.5″ x 5.5″ booklet (finished size) by printing 8.5″ x 11″ sheets (flat size).

We are going to number the pages on our booklet as follows; the front cover is page 1, first inside left page is page two; the first inside right page is page three. This continues through the book until your reach the back cover, which is page 12.

One 8.5″ x 11″ sheet printed on both sides created four 5.5″ x 8.5″ pages. Two 8.5″ x 11″ sheets creates 8 pages. Three 8.5″ x 11″ sheet create 12 pages.

On the first side of first 8.5” x 11” sheet, the front cover, page one, will take up the right 8.5” x 5.5”. The back cover, page 12, will take up the left 8.5” x 5.5” half of the sheet. Note – page 1 and 12 are on the same 8.5 x 11 sheet. On the second side of the first 8.5″ x 11″ sheet the left side will be page 2 and the right side will be page 11.

The second 8.5” x 11” sheet will have page 3 and 10 on one side. Pages 4 and 9 will be on the other. The third 8.5” x 11” sheet will have page 5 and 8 will be on one side. Pages 6 and 7, the centerfold, will be on the other. This is what is known as printer spreads.

Each of the three 8.5” x 11” sheets will be folded to 8.5” x 5.5”. Then they will be collated and stitched to make a 12-page booklet.

Now, let’s say when you open the cover of your booklet and are looking at pages 2 and 3 you want to see a motorcycle rider taking up both pages. To accomplish this you will need to print the left half, page 2, of the motorcycle rider on the first 8.5” x 11” sheet. You then will need to print the right side of the motorcycle rider, page 3, on the second 8.5” x 11” sheet. So, one image, the motorcycle rider, is being printed on two separate pieces of paper. Those two pieces of paper are then folded and stitched together to make one big image. This is what is known as a Crossover Image. We will make every effort to maintain your Crossover Images as you have requested, however we do not guarantee them.