For best results please follow our guidelines when preparing your files. You are responsible for the correctness of your files.

We accept the following file formats: PDF, TIF, TIFF, JPG, EPS, AI, PSD. We recommend setting up your file as a PDF. PDF is vector-based, which will produce sharper graphics than pixel-based formats. Please do not upload Word, Publisher, Correl Draw or any other consumer based file formats. These are not suitable for commercial print.

All file formats must have a minimum of 300 dpi (dot per inch) resolution. Images designed for the web usually have a screen resolution of 72 dpi. Print images need to be created at 300 dpi or there will be a substantial drop in the image quality. This is why it is not good practice to simply lift images off the web.

A very high application of ink in one spot may not dry properly and result in smear. We do not recommend using a colour density higher than 300%.

Working with a very low colour density (up to about 10 or 15%) always incurs a certain amount of unpredictability. Depending on offset ink application and the paper used, the colours might have a diminished visibility, and gradient designs (fades to white) might not start or end exactly where you intend. When a gradient is used it is crucial that it should be created in Adobe Photoshop, which has proven to give good results. Other programs produce gradients of less than 10%, which our RIPs will interpret as 0%. This results in banding or striping, which frequently makes customer’s unhappy.

Areas of solid black in your artwork must be set using the following colour values. Rich black: C 60%, M 40%, Y 40%, K 100%.

Your monitor does not accurately display the colours as they will look in print. In general, colours look brighter on screen. If you are trying to achieve an exact colour reproduction it is strongly suggested that you request a hard copy proof.

Borders are not recommended as shifting in the cutting process may make borders appear uneven.

All critical elements (text, images, logos, etc.) must be kept at least 0.125″ inside the edge. Anything left close to edge may be cut off during trimming.

When you do not want a white border on your printing and you want the image to extend beyond the edge of the page you must include a bleed. Any time an image is printed to the edge of a page, the image should extend at least 0.1” off the edge so that when the page is trimmed on a mechanical cutter, small variations in the trim will not result in a white line down the edge of the page.

We highly recommend that you download a template and design your files on these templates to ensure proper bleed. Add 0 .1″ bleed to each dimension (or 0.05″ bleed on all four sides) for the following products:

Add 0.125″ (1/8″) bleed to each dimension (or 0.0625″ bleed on all four sides) for the following products:

Add 0.225″ bleed to each dimension (or 0.1125″ bleed on all four sides) for presentation folders.
Add 0.375″ bleed to each dimension (or 0.1875″ bleed on all four sides) for booklets, calendars, and catalogs.

Please build your press-ready digital files by adding crop marks. These are lines indicating where the paper should be cut to produce the correct size.