The repro studio at Colour Print are an experienced team, and know what features make artwork ideally suitable for printing.
We asked them to share their wisdom so we could write it down and point clients who may be new to the world of print to this blog post for reference when preparing artwork.
Size matters
We can’t expand small images without them losing their sharpness. An extreme example would be supplying an A5 artwork and asking for it to be printed in A3 size, the result would be pixelated and fuzzy. Please supply artwork in high resolution (300 pixels per inch) and in the correct size. If in doubt: go big!
Let it bleed
“Bleed” is the technical term for print that expands beyond the trim edge of the artwork. This provides a bit of leeway for trimming and ensures that the artwork extends to the edge of the page with no telltale thin lines of visible white paper at the edge. A piece of A4 paper is 210mm x 297mm. An artwork including 3mm of bleed each side and top and bottom would measure 216mm x 303mm.
File formats
Artworks for both digital and lithographic prints should be supplied as PDF or JPEG files. These formats are print ready. We frequently receive files in all sorts of obscure formats - but most decent design software (Quark, InDesign, PhotoShop) allows you to export the files in ‘press ready’ PDF format and this makes life easier for everyone! Full size press ready files should have a resolution of 300 DPI (dots per inch) and never less than 240 DPI.
Colour formats
People producing their own artwork on computer screens - which work on RGB (Red, Blue, Green) colour combinations may be surprised if their colours look different when printed using CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key/Black). We can convert RGB to CMYK but, for consistency, it is best to work in the CMYK colour format from the start. We recommend using a professional graphic designer, who will take all of this into account.
As with so much in printing (and life!) clear communication will yield the best results. If you have any questions about preparing print ready artwork, just ask us. We are always happy to share our expertise. You can call Colour Print on 01603 488001 or email sales@col-print.co.uk
From the Colour Print printworks in Norwich, we print and fulfil orders throughout the UK.
Get in touch to chat about your latest print project.
Call us on 01603 488001, email sales@col-print.co.uk or fill out this contact form and someone from our team will be in touch.