Artwork Help Instructions
Recommended acceptable file format
Adobe Acrobat (.pdf)
Other acceptable file formats
- Adobe Illustrator (.ai)
- Adobe Photoshop (.psd)
- JPG
- TIFF
- EPS
Bleed
The very edges of the document are called the bleed area. To prevent any unwanted white border from showing at the edge of your document be sure to extend any background colours or design elements all the way to the edge.
Trim marks
Trim lines are the finished size of the document. The document is cut close to the trim line, but because of the mechanical tolerances involved in printing, the actual cut can happen anywhere between the bleeds and the safe margin. This is why it is important to keep your text and important images within the safe margin.
Safe Area/Margins
The safe margins are borders that are definitely inside the place where the cut will take place. Please remember to keep all important information, like names, addresses, phone numbers or logos within the safe margin (at least 5mm from the edge) to ensure that they aren't cut off when your document is trimmed.
Full bleed vs. trim sizes
When to create your document at the full bleed size:
If you are working in an illustration programme (eg Adobe Illustrator) or a photo editing programme (eg. Photoshop, Photopaint) we recommend that you create your document at the full bleed size. This will prevent any white edges from showing at the borders after the final product is trimmed.
When to create your document at the trim size:
If you are working in a layout programme (QuarkXpress or Adobe Indesign) we recommend that you create your document at the trim size and include the specified amount of bleed for your product. When you export your document as a PDF for upload, make sure to include the bleed in your output settings so that the final upload PDF document is at the full bleed size of your product.
CMYK
All computer monitors use a different colour definition (RGB) than that used by professional printers (CMYK. You should convert your document to use the CMYK colour definition to achieve the most accurate colour results. If your software allows, use "CMYK: Web Coated (SWOP) V2" to see the most accurate representation of the final printed colours.
Convert text to curves
Some graphics programs convert text into curves/paths. This will fix upload errors that result when fonts cannot be embedded in your file. In Illustrator you can select the font and then use the "Create Outlines" command to ensure that the text prints out correctly.
Vector or Rastor
A vector image is composed of a fixed set of shapes, which means it can be scaled up to any size without losing quality. A rastor image is composed of a fixed set of dots, which means that it will become fuzzy if increased in size too much and lose quality.
Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of dots per inch - dpi or the amount of detail the image has. To recreate a good quality document it is advisable to have 300dpi at 100% of the final print size. If the resolution is higher the document will be more detailed but will take longer to upload. If the resolution is lower then this may lead to loss of quality when output.
Digital Camera images
All cameras have various settings for resolutions depending on how many megapixels it has. To produce a good quality image you must ensure the resolution is set so that the image is 300dpi at 100% size.
Web images
Most images found on the web are as a resolution of 72dpi. This is too low for printing and will result in a poor quality printout. Also, some images on the web are protected by copyright laws. We do not recommend you use images from the web unless you have purchased them through a legitimate stock-library site where there are no copyright issues.