File Formats
Vector graphics are the best format for you to provide your artwork.
SVG(.svg), AI(ai)(Adobe Illustrator), EPS (.eps) & PDF(.pdf) are examples of vector graphics file formats that can be used.
JPEG’s, PNG’s and are acceptable but please make sure your images are at least 300dpi and all colours are CMYK format.
PDF’s are the best for emailing purposes.
Sending your Print-ready Files
We accept all files electronically. Please upload files up to 10mb after placing an order or update an existing order in your ‘My Account’ area.
Colours used in Printing
Process Colours are referred to as ‘CMYK’, Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Black (K), or ‘four colour process’ or even just ‘process’. These different colours are used to produce a colour image on the paper. Combined together in varying proportions, CMYK produces a large colour spectrum.
Pantone colours are often specified for printing as a ‘spot colour’, a specific colour printed using an ink made exclusively and typically for jobs which require no full colour imagery like colour matching for corporate branding to ensure consistent colour reproduction.
- Pantone spot colours that are intended to be four colour process and litho printed should be converted to CMYK using the Pantone+ Color Bridge® library. This is not necessary for digital printing as our digital presses create a colour simulation for spot colours.
- Convert all RGB colours to CMYK as colour separations for printing cannot be made from RGB files.
- Whatever colour your order is, please ensure that you work entirely in CMYK. If your program does not support CMYK or Pantone, we will need to convert your colours before printing.
- Please bear in mind that monitors and desktop printers do not produce accurate representations of the press printed colour.
Creating a Print-ready PDF
All scans and images included in your artwork file should be supplied at least 300dpi in the correct colour mode at the placed size.
Images and logos saved from websites are mostly between 72-96dpi and are therefore unsuitable for printing. If you upscale or add resolutions to images in your image editing software, this will not increase the quality of the image and may result in blurry or bit-mapped images. For example, a 300dpi image scaled to 400% when placed on a page is only 75dpi.
To prepare your files for print, for the best results we prefer to receive artwork as a press ready PDF.
- All PDFs should be set to high resolution of at least 300dpi to be press ready.
- All fonts must be embedded within Adobe Acrobat: the ‘File > Properties > Fonts’ tab shows a full list of fonts used in the document. Every font should show as embedded or an embedded subset.
- Any process colours are converted to CMYK prior to creating a PDF. Converting spot colours to CMYK after creating a PDF may produce unexpected results (especially when transparent effects are involved).
- We recommend using the PDF/X-3 file format when saving.
Bleed & Crop Marks
Bleed: If your design includes colour or images which are printed up to the edge of the page, please provide 3mm of additional artwork to all sides.
This is called bleed.
Bleed avoids the risk of white edges on your work.
Crop Marks: Show us the edge of your work so we know exactly where to trim it.
Scans & Images
All scans and images included in your artwork file should be supplied at least 300dpi in the correct colour mode at the placed size.
Images and logos saved from websites are mostly between 72-96dpi and are therefore unsuitable for printing.
If you upscale or add resolutions to images in your image editing software, this will not increase the quality of the image and may result in blurry or bit-mapped images. For example, a 300dpi image scaled to 400% when placed is only 75dpi!