Bleed

What is bleed? When any image or element on a page touches the edge of the page, extending beyond the trim edge, leaving no margin it is said to bleed. It may bleed or extend off one or more sides. PrintWorks requires that all documents provided to us include a minimum of 1/8” (0.125”) bleed.

If you are using page layout applications like QuarkXPress, InDesign, Illustrator, and Freehand, your document must be created at the final trim size. You must extend any artwork that touches the edge of the final trim size beyond the trim 1/8” (0.125”).

If you are using image editing software such as Photoshop, create your canvas at the bleed size, which is ¼” (0.25”) larger than your final trim size. For example, if you are creating a 4.25” x 6” postcard you would make your canvas size 4.5” x 6.25”. Be certain to add guides 1/8” (0.125”) from the edge of the canvas to mark the trim edge.

Applications

It’s always best to submit files created in industry-standard applications. Industry-standard applications include QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Macromedia Freehand.

Our production staff works on Macintosh computers. We are currently using QuarkXPress v. 6 and 7, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop in CS, CS2, and CS3, and Adobe Acrobat v. 6, 7, and 8.

Programs such as Power Point, Corel Draw, Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word are not professional publishing programs and require conversion. We can do this in most cases, however it requires additional time and will incur additional costs. Most of these problems can be alleviated by creating an Adobe Acrobat PDF.

CMYK Color Mode

All files should be created in CMYK color mode. If your files are submitted using RGB color mode they will be converted to CMYK during preparation for press. Conversion from RGB to CMYK can cause colors to shift and you may not be pleased with the final outcome.

Image Resolution

Resolution, also known as pixels per inch (PPI) or dots per inch (DPI), is best described as the number of pixels contained in a square inch. The resolution setting maps an image’s pixel dimensions to its physical size.

An image with a pixel dimension of 600 x 600 and a resolution of 300 DPI, has a physical size of 2” x 2”. (2" x 300px = 600px) x (2" x 300px = 600px)

An image with a pixel dimension of 1200 x 1800 and a resolution of 300 DPI has a physical size of 4" x 6". (4" x 300px = 1200px) x (6" x 300px = 1800px)

For an image to print properly, the image should be saved at 300 DPI at the final printed size.

An example of good resolution

An example of bad resolution

Note: Never increase the total pixel dimension of a raster image. For example, if you have an image that is 400 x 600 pixels at 100 ppi, and you increase it to 1200 x 1800 pixels by changing from 100 ppi to 300 ppi, the printed image will be fuzzy.

Fonts

It’s always best to supply us with a print-ready PDF to avoid any font issues. If you do supply us with a file created in a design software program, you must include all fonts used in your layout. If your artwork file is missing fonts, we will request that you resubmit your files with fonts included. However, if you have created your artwork on a PC, there is a strong possibility font problems will occur. Sending a print-ready PDF is the best way to avoid any problems reproducing a printed piece from your file.

If you are sending vector artwork, you can do the following to avoid font problems:

Open your file in Illustrator
Select all the text in your layout
From the top menu choose "Type > Create Outlines"

If you have artwork that is rasterized, the image must be flattened. To flatten an image, open your file in Photoshop and select “Layer > Flatten Image” from the top menu.

Please do not submit your fonts separately from your file because it is critical that we receive your print-ready file with fonts included to avoid any printing issues.

Home - Company - Services - Showcase - Customer Area - Contact Us