PRINT READY
ARTWORK SPECIFICATIONS

Almost everyone has heard the term "Camera Ready Artwork". In the modern world of desktop publishing, where artwork is prepared on a computer, the term "Camera Ready Art" is rather obsolete. All-digital artwork has become the status quo throughout the printing industry. "Print-Ready" or "Press-Ready" art is now more accurate terminology. Although computers have transformed the entire printing process, some old issues still persist: Properly prepared artwork.

COMMON REASONS ARTWORK IS
NOT PRINT READY INCLUDE:

DOCUMENT SIZE - Many people leave their document size at 8.5" X 11" (default letter-size). Setting the document size correctly is important in order to make sure that we are on the same page as to where you intend the document to be trimmed for the nal product. Therefore, your nal document size should be set to include cut/trim marks of the nal piece. If you are unsure of the size, such as the dimensions of a "standard" business envelope, nd out before preparing the artwork.

Each side or page of a job must be a separate file.

BLEED is when anything to print touches the edge of the paper, i.e., a line, photo, illustration, background, etc. You must make sure all design elements which touch the edge(s) of the page are positioned 0.125" (1/8") past the cut/trim marks.

MARGIN is the opposite of bleed: Please keep all text and anything you do not want cut o at least 0.125" away from the cut /trim marks (.25" is even safer to guarantee an even border trim).

IMAGE RESOLUTION - We only accept 300 dpi files and no less. Anything lower than this may result in blurry, bit-mapped or pixelated quality. Images used from the web are only generally 72 dpi. Although they look ne on screen, they are not appropriate for commercial quality printing.

To be safe, scanning previously printed images can be a challenge to the inexperienced. When these scans are printed they may contain a strange looking pattern called a "moire" unless you blur the halftone scan to remove all of the dot pattern. Even a proof from a printer will not normally reveal a moire problem, as most proofs are continuous tone, not halftones. The moire will not become apparent until your project is already plated and on the printing press.

COLOR-CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) is the industry standard color space for full-color commercial printing. If you are supplying artwork to be printed in full color, please ensure that all images, text and other design elements have colors set to CMYK and do not contain RGB or Pantone colors. Using the wrong ink colors for a given type of printing in your artwork will cause problems. If you send in a job with Pantone and/or RGB colors, the CMYK conversion may create an undesirable color shift. Before providing us with your print ready document, make sure all Pantone and/or RGB colors have been converted to CMYK.

SPOT COLOR - Pantone (PMS) colors are used for spot-color printing. A PMS color, plus black would be a two color job. If you are providing artwork to be printed using one or two Pantone Color(s), choose the Pantone color(s) you require and set all text and other design elements to that speci c color. There should be no part of your artwork le still set to CMYK or RGB. Please ensure that there are only as many Pantone color(s) used in the document as you have ordered. We will print your job in the Pantone color(s) speci ed in your document unless you advise di erently.

Unless you have a calibrated monitor, your artwork is likely to have slightly di erent colors when printed. Inks will appear di erent on uncoated, non-white stocks and gloss stocks. Because of di erences in equipment, paper and other conditions between color proo ng and production press room operations, a reasonable variation in color between an ink jet color proof and the completed job is to be expected. Professional Designers use Pantone Color Charts to ensure proper color choices.

FONTS AND TEXT
Please convert all text to curves/paths, embed fonts and/or provide actual fonts.

FILE FORMATS
We prefer PDF document(s). These files are easier to handle and will likely speed up your turn-around. Remember to add crop marks and FLATTEN your files before sending. We also accept: jpg, jpeg, psd, tif, ti , eps, ai, and png.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
Check your artwork for spelling mistakes and grammar; most programs have built-in spell check capabilities. Double check to make sure all images used are high resolution and embedded into the document. If the images are linked, you will need to supply the original images, too. Make sure that bleeds and margins are correct, and check ink colors for proper color printing.

Your "Print Ready" files will be printed "as is". We assume you are pro cient and we cannot guarantee and/or easily dissect files we did not create. If your files require additional work to prepare them for print, an additional fee may be incurred.