Are you ready to have Unique Litho start designing your marketing campaign? Weather we are creating a simple business card, a postcard to be mailed out, or a presentation booklet, we want to make sure your printed collateral will look sharp. Here are a few things to know regarding what we need:
Photos: Photos should be at 300 dpi (dots per inch) resolution to be print quality. Native files from a camera will usually work. Photographs should not be saved from the web, as screen resolution is 72 dpi and while it looks fine on screen, will look blurry when printed. Acceptable files should be .jpeg, or .png and set to CMYK Color space.
Logos: Logos provided, if possible, should be sent in some kind of vector format. Vector is a file format that allows us to print with sharp image quality, no matter what size we have to scale the file to. Examples of file types include .eps (encapsulated post script files), .ai (adobe illustrator), and .svg (scalable vector graphic). Although we can also use .png or .jpeg files, they will have to be supplied at 300 dpi.
Fonts: While we have a multitude of available fonts, we might not have exactly the font you typically use because these can change from system to system and font appearances do change over time with software updates. Different versions of fonts can be written for different operating systems. If you do not have a license to use your font, that can also cause the font to be replaced with default system fonts when creating a print PDF and affect the way a printer reads the font when printing. Unexpected results can occur. At Unique Litho, we primarily use Apple computer although we have access to Windows systems as well. .ttf (true type faces) files are welcomed as our preferred type of font as it can be used on both systems.
Specifics: When working with our designers, you should see a proof pdf of your design which you are proof reading. As you work through and find changes to fix, it is important to be as specific as possible in your proof response. The more you leave open for interpretation, the longer it can take for the designer to get what you envisioned, leading to a higher cost of design. If something is on page 5 of a booklet direct us to Page 5, paragraph #3 under the heading, in the 3rd sentence... "than" should be changed to "then" (for example). The more specific the instructions, the easier it will be to get it right.
Color: When it comes to digital printing, you can only print in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). If your company has branding guidelines that print with Pantone colors (specific colors), you might need to print offset. It is important to note that while we can do a good job of color matching, unless something is set in Pantone colors, it is not guaranteed colors will always print the same. Converting all of your provided files to CMYK first, photos, logos, etc... can help ensure that you do not have any color surprises on your printed materials. If color is highly important, designs and printing with Pantone colors can be accomplished. Talk to your CSR about costs of your project before deciding what color space your marketing materials will be printed in.
Provided Files: If you have designed or will have someone in your office design something that you will be printing, it is important to pay attention to everything above as well as including crop marks and bleed on your press quality PDF files. Typically, we want 1/8" bleed from the trim.
