We accept the following file formats for digital and offset printing:

• PDF - see information on Creating PDF's for Print
• Adobe Photoshop (TIFF, EPS, High Res JPG - CMYK)

We DO NOT accept these formats:

• .ai
• PageMaker
• Publisher
• Microsoft Word
• .EXE files (executable)

We Accept these filetypes for CAD printing

• PDF
• HPGL2 - Proper line widths and shades need to be set
• DWF
• TIFF - 1-bit (black and white)
• DWG - for best results from AUTOCAD all custom fonts, image attachments, xrefs and CTB / STB plot styles need to be included.  Also need to advise Metric / imperial scale and whether to print Paperspace layouts or Model space.

Application TIPS:

Illustrator EPS - no linked files, all fonts converted to outlines and all transparencies flattened.  It is best to choose

Photoshop - TIFF or EPS

CorelDraw - All text converted to outlines.

Quarkexpress - do not enlarge TIFFs or EPS more than 125% or less than 75%, colour pictures boxes with a white background, turn off all runarounds.

InDesign - no linked files, all fonts converted to outlines and all transparencies flattened.  Ensure that there is no overprint.

Adobe PDF Preset is set to: Press Quality

Compatibility is set to: Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)

Compress Text and Line Art is set to: Off

Files should be submitted as CMYK.  RGB files go through a conversion process that may yield unwanted results.

If you are going to use Pantone colours, please speak to one of our customer service representatives about how to best handle your file.  Transparencies and Pantone colours can cause serious problems when flattening your file and should be avoided.

Always flatten your file before submission for print.

Files should be submitted at 300 dpi for colour Digital and Offset production.  Greyscale images require at least 800 dpi for quality reproduction.

Bleed must extend beyond the cut-line and will be trimmed away from the finished product.  This allows the print to extend to the edge of the product.

Different products have different amounts of bleed required for production, these are good guidelines:

 

• The Bleed for Standard Products is 0.125"
• The Bleed for Booklets and Presentation Folders is 0.25"
• Graphic Display products have different requirements.  Please contact a customer service representative.

Safety is the area between any artwork like text and the edge of the finished product.  It is used to protect information from being trimmed off at the edge.  A general guideline for safety is 0.125".

 

Borders will be accepted on products but run the risk of looking slightly off centre.  Many sheets are cut at the same time and the slightest shift will make your borders look odd.

Files need to be submitted Head to Head.  That means that the head is always the top of your file.  Also, the orientation of the file needs to match ie. both sides portrait or both side landscape.

Overprint is a technique used to overlap inks, commonly used to blend colours on two colour presses to get a third colour.  Since overprint can cause unexpected results, ensure that you have not accidentally turned overprint on.

Overprint is a technique used to overlap inks, commonly used to blend colours on two colour presses to get a third colour.  Since overprint can cause unexpected results, ensure that you have not accidentally turned overprint on.

Greyscale images that are converted to CMYK may look ok on your scree, but include more colour values that may tint your final print.  Ensure that your greyscale images and graphics remain in greyscale.

Rich black is a mixture of inks that result in a deeper darker tone than black ink alone.  If you use black ink alone, you may not like how dark the black prints.

To use rich black, we recommend using a mixture of C 60 M 40 Y 40 K 100.

Cracking at the edges of business cards sometimes occurs when the card contains high values of ink such as dark colours.  This usually only occurs on a small number of cards in a run.  To prevent this, use lighter colours, or if you must use dark colours, use as little ink as possible.