Artwork Guidelines
We have prepared the following guide to assist you with your electronic file preparation and submission. If you have a specific problem that is not covered in this guide, or have other questions, please feel free to contact us. Improperly prepared files can cause delays in manufacturing.
Paper and Card Stock Sizing
Document Setup
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR ARTWORK TEMPLATES
Custom Knfe and Shape
When creating a knife file for a custom shape, please use Pantone Process Magenta C
Letterpress
For Letterpress setup and artwork guidelines, please CLICK HERE
General Artwork Guide
Quick Checklist
- All fonts are included
- Type is legible and crisp.
- Page layout is correct
- Margins are set
- Artwork matches the specified dimensions
- All linked files, images and fonts are placed in separate folders
- Colours are in CMYK mode
Bleeds
A minimum 3mm border must be added to all pictures and artwork bleeding to the edges, so there is no white space or border showing around the artwork. It is also important to keep all text at least 3mm away from the paper edge or the trim line to prevent accidental cropping.
Color Specifications
Print previews are not a safe and sure measuring tool for colour accuracy. Colours on the file may be affected by monitor calibration, screen resolution and lighting, just to name a few. Many Pantine colours show a marked colour shift when converted to a 4 colour CMYK process.
For one, two or three colour jobs printed in Pantone spot colour, make sure your colours are specified as spot colour and they separate correctly. You can test this by printing separations on your lasern printer.
To achieve the desired colour on press, digital files must reflect accurate colour models and percentages. Please make sure all colours are in CMYK mode for colour accuracy and a better quality output.
Image Resolutions
All images and pictures should be 300 dpi
Rasterized text or logos should be 1200 dpi
Screen values should be between 133 lpi and 150 lpi
Guidelines by Application
The following outlines the specific file requirements by application. If you have any questions, please contact our graphics department.
Adobe Photoshop
Files should be 300 dpi at 100% of actual size for quality offset reproduction
Files should be saved in PDF format (Embed all fonts and setthe screen value to 133 lpi)
Digital Proofs
We provide PDF files as electronic soft proofs. These digital proofs intend to show you the layout and design elements of your job, but cannot be a guarantee of colour accuracy. If colour accuracy is of extreme importance to you, please ask for a hard copy proof. Scan all transparencies and line art at 100% of final size unless data size is prohibitive. If such a case occurs, scan at 1/4 or 1/2 of final size. Scan all transparencies and line art at 100% of final size unless data size is prohibitive. If such a case occurs, scan at 1/4 or 1/2 of final size.