We want your data to print perfectly — every time. We highly recommend you make use of our design services to be absolutely sure your job prints perfectly, but should you choose to go it alone we have put together this simple guide to help you avoid the pitfalls of designing for print and ensure your design rolls off the press just as you intended.
Even the most sumptuously designed flyers and brochures without the proper care given to how they will print, could end up as potentially costly, time-consuming mistakes. If you follow our guidelines and provide us with data that has been properly prepared, you can relax in the knowledge that your design will print perfectly – every time.
For help or advice with any of the following please see our tutorials section.
PDFs are our preferred file format. Most applications support output to PDF, but be careful with software like Canva, or Pages, where the setup for high-resolution print requires some additional planning. See a tutorial on exporting PDFs just how we like and download our handy preset file.
Single page items
Flyers, business cards etc.
- Set up your artboards to the exact trim size and setup a 3mm bleed. See a tutorial on how to set up your file.
- Removed any RGB or spot colors from your layout document (Adobe InDesign or Quark Xpress)
- make sure any background elements extend to the edges of the bleed box.
- Export the PDF using PDFx/1a settings. Use our preset to be sure (see above). Note that the PDF created will not include any trim marks but will be the exact bleed size. This is correct.
Multi-page items
Magazines, brochures etc.
- As above, but export your multi-page PDF file set to single pages and a 3mm bleed, just like our tutorial.
We also accept files in .eps format - generated from Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Please do not submit native .ai or .psd files.
(For Adobe Illustrator users) make certain you have:
- Converted all colors to CMYK (including linked images). See a tutorial on converting colors from RGB to CMYK.
- Made sure any solid black areas are a CMYK combination and not just 100% K (warning: max ink density is 280%). See a Rich Black tutorial.
- Made sure linked image resolution is at least 300dpi at the desired output dimensions
- Outlined all fonts. See a tutorial about outlining fonts.
- Cleared the data from any unwanted objects (stray points, hidden objects)
- Flattened the artwork into one unlocked layer
- Created the correct crop/trim marks (use our layout templates to be sure)
- Allowed for trimming discrepancies with a 3mm bleed area around your design. See our tutorial about bleed.
- [When transparency or drop shadows are used] Set the the document transparency and raster effects settings to 300 ppi
- Named all filenames in English (no spaces or Japanese characters)
- Saved your file(s) as Illustrator EPS (and not native .ai) files - all versions up to the latest CC, making sure all links are embedded. See a tutorial about embedding images.
- Compressed the EPS layout file(s) into ONE .zip or .sit archive for uploading.
(For Adobe Photoshop users) make certain you have:
- Created the document at 300 pixels/inch (not pixels/cm)
- Used CMYK color mode at 8 bit depth
- Allowed for trimming discrepancies with a 3mm bleed area around your design (use our layout templates to be sure). See a tutorial on creating bleed in Photoshop.
- Named all filenames in English (no spaces or Japanese characters)
- Saved your file(s) as Photoshop EPS files (No PSD files or DCS files please)
- Compressed the EPS layout file(s) into ONE .zip or .sit archive for uploading.