useful information

Artwork Formats

We can accept all types of files for both Mac and PC, we strive to keep up to date with the latest update releases.

If you wish to supply the native files, then please allow 3mm bleed all round, then perform a ‘Collect’ in Quark or a ‘Package’ in InDesign, this will collect all your fonts and pictures.

Where possible, please supply a PDF/X-1a 2001.

In brief this is a PDF created specifically for the printing industry, it sets certain perameters and omits unnecessary peramiters, it is no way a guarantee to produce a perfect PDF and there are more up to date PDFX versions but PDF/X-1a 2001 is a good standard, if you would like our full detailed report on the PDFX standard then please ask.

When creating a pdf, please ensure 3mm bleed has been added.

Booklets should always be supplied as individual pages, if needed they can be supplied as ‘Designer Spreads’.

DO NOT supply ‘Printers Spreads’. Modern RIPs have built in pagination and therefore know where the pages should go, if you supply ‘Printers Spreads’ each page has to be imported individually and this could cause error or delay in production.

If you have any question or need technical advise please feel free to ring, we are also very willing to visit your site to set up your system to work with us.

ALL ARTWORK SUBMITTED SHOULD BE SENT WITH A PRINTED PROOF.

Media Accepted

CDs, DVDs, Floppy Disc, Email or Online.
Alternatively, a secure method of getting your artwork to us is by using our upload facility (see our link below).

Upload your artwork

Software

(All software is usually the latest version available as we update frequently)

MAC
• Quark Xpress (please avoid using Passport or Multi-Language versions)
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Freehand MX
• PDF
• Adobe InDesign

Please ensure all artwork has 3mm bleed where necessary

PC

• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Illustrator
• Quark Xpress
• Corel Draw (exported as tif, jpeg or eps)
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Publisher (2000 format)*
• Adobe Photoshop (tif, jpeg, eps all in CMYK)
• PDF

Fonts

EMBED FONTS
Embedding fonts ensures the fonts used in the document are contained within the PDF file, and all text will be correct when we receive the file. The Embed Font tick box is usually checked by default in the PDF dialogue window. Just check to make sure.

Fonts should either be outlined if incorporated in Illustrator or Freehand EPS files, or collected with job if used in Quark or InDesign.

Scans

RESOLUTION
Any photos used should be 300dpi. Most PDF settings allow the user to down sample to a lower resolution. This is not necessary and should be left at Keep Resolution

COLOUR
All photos should be CMYK format, so the PDF setting should leave the colour unchanged. Just check it is not set to convert the colour to RGB.