1. Get crisp lines on your printing

Use Adobe Illustrator or another vector based program (Adobe InDesign, QuarkXpress, Macromedia Freehand) to get crisp lines on your line art printing. Do not use Adobe Photoshop for your text. Edit photos or add special effects to your printing design in Adobe Photoshop, then place the artwork into your Vector-based application to add the text. This technique will produce crisp graphics on your finished printing project without the fuzz.

 

2. Get a deep, rich black on your printing

Use the following CMYK values for black (do not use for text smaller than 48pt). Cyan – 40%, Magenta – 40%, Yellow – 20%, Black – 100% For text from 48 pt down to 18pt bold a good guideline is: Cyan – 30%, Black – 100%. Text weights less than 18pt bold should be black only. This technique will give you a deep black where you have heavy black ink coverage.

 

3. Don't place text too close to edge of printing

We cut down your printing projects in large stacks. There might be a slight shift toward the bottom of the stack. If the stack shifts just a hair, you will notice the shift more the closer your text or graphics are to the edge. A safe rule of thumb is to allow 3/16” margin from edge.

 

4. Optimize your photos for final printing

Have your photos in CMYK color mode at 300 dpi resolution. This will give you the best quality image on your final printed materials.

 

5. Eliminate font problems for a quick printing turnaround

In Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, 1) select all and 2) create outlines of your fonts 3) then save with a different name such as printing_ol.eps or printing_ol.indd. Do not save over your editable version or you will not be able to make edits in the future.

 

6. Please do not use Microsoft applications for printing designs 

Microsoft applications are easy to use for printing on your desktop printer. But for commercial printers, Microsoft apps create problems. Yes, we can print from them, but problems may arise to slow down production. Microsoft apps substitute fonts without letting you know, so objects may shift without your knowledge. Also, your resolution might not be high enough for best quality color printing.

 

7. Use Adobe Illustrator for one page or smaller printing designs

Use Adobe Illustrator, create outlines for your fonts, and save file as an EPS file type, compress with WinZip (PC) or StuffIt (Mac). This design technique allows us to easily place multiples of your final design into a layout program such as InDesign or QuarkXpress to fit our large press sheets to maximize efficiency and lower your printing prices. Great for Business Cards, Flyers, Postcards and Brochure Printing.

 

8. Print and review a proof on your desktop printer first

Before submitting a file for printing production, take time to print and review on your desktop printer. If you encounter postscript errors or image shifting, we will most likely encounter the same problems. For a quick printing turnaround time, make sure your files are accurate before submitting for final printing.

 

9. Make sure all images are in CMYK color mode

Convert all RGB images to CMYK color mode to ensure the best color on your final printing pieces. Our equipment does this for you, but you will get better results if you do this in Adobe Photoshop before submitting to us.

 

10. Use Pantone Color Swatches for best color matching

Your screen uses lights to view a color. All monitors are calibrated differently. What you see is not what you will get. Your inkjet or laser printer uses different types of inks or toners than commercial printing presses. Generally, the color from your inkjet or laser printer will not match exactly to our printing press. Use Pantone PMS values for best results.