Print Ready Guide

Artwork Submission Guide

Follow these steps to provide print-ready artwork for your projects efficiently and accurately.

Preparing Your Artwork

File Format Requirements

that is suitable for the print machine

We print from digital files like pdfs which communicate directly to the printing press. It is therefore critical that the pdf is suitable to print from and contains the necessary print specifications that the print machine can recognise.
Frequently we receive pdfs that clients have created using free online artwork services like Canva which are unusable.
There are several specifications necessary for producing print ready pdfs.
1. Text and images need to be kept within a 6mm print margins away from the edge of the page.
2. Images that need to printed beyond the print margin and off the edge of the page need to be positioned 3mm outside of the page area: This extra area of 3mm is called a bleed, where with much loss of blood the image is trimmed cleanly so that no white edge shows on the page edge. At the trimming stage of a print job it kis 100% impossible to cut an image along its edge without an extra overrun of 3mm to slice through.
3. The typeface / font that you use on your device, whether it is a mobile app or an external online app needs to be vectorised i.e. converted into a graphic when the app produces the pdf. The reason for this is not all printing companies will have the font on their system that you have chosen. If you send a pdf with some strange fonts embedded in the file it will be rejected as useless. When creating a pdf please make sure the output is a 'print ready' file that has been produced correctly for print production.

"Please use my logo from my website for the brochure you are printing"

Maximize print quality

by checking your images are suitable to print from

As a graphic designer, I've encountered numerous instances where clients have presented me with web-sourced images. Unfortunately, these images often lack the necessary resolution for high-quality print production. If a printing press had eyes, this is how it would see web-sourced images: "What's this? Can't print that!"

For optimal print results, printing presses require images with a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (DPI). These dots represent the physical components of the image, and the fewer dots present, the grainier and more pixelated the image will appear. To assess your image's resolution, scrutinize its pixel dimensions.

Mac users
Locate the image file in Finder, right-click it, and select "Get Info." The dimensions will be displayed in the "More Info" section.

PC users
Right-click the image file, choose "Properties," and then select the "Summary" tab.

How to visually determine whether the images you send to a printing company is suitable.

Open the image on your phone or computer and zoom in to 300%. If the image remains sharp and crisp without any visible pixelation, it's likely suitable for print. You can also utilize this handy online tool to calculate the required pixel size: https://www.omnicalculator.com/other/pixels-to-print-size:

Unfortunately, web-based logos usually have insufficient resolution for print applications. We can assist you in obtaining a high-resolution logo that will seamlessly transfer from digital to print media.

Remember, high-resolution images are the cornerstone of stunning printouts. Don't settle for grainy, pixelated results. Engage our expertise to ensure your images look their best in print!

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Support

07980 390973
Mark is available
Mon - Fri 11am -6pm
printworkuk@gmail.com