What we need
To quote your job…
We need to know: What size sheet it is, how many sheets, is it printed one side or two, is it bound and what paper weight you need for them
To print your job…
We need artwork as pdf files with trim marks and bleed to cut accurately to size for you. They must all be same sheet orientation and supplied as single PDF sheets, not as spreads. Text must not be close to the edge. We need a safe text area of 5mm from the trim line.
What are bleed and trim marks?
Bleed is extra design, usually a minimum of 3mm that goes beyond what is cut and trimmed (also called crop marks).
They act as guides that help production cut to the size of the artwork you want, without any excess white edges/border showing that isn’t meant to be there. i.e the image runs seamless from end to end.
To sum it up:
Think of them as buffers and safety zones. What is beyond the bleed will cease to exist so always think carefully when you do artwork that doesn’t have a white border!
Vector Vs Raster
A vector file uses a mathematical formula of lines and curves on a grid to create an image. Because of its’ mathematical formula, it’s perfecting for creating designs that need to be scaled up or down without compensating quality. It’s best suited for design work such as logos, illustrations and more.
File types required for a vector file: PDF, AI, EPS or SVG.
Any other file extension is not a vector file and runs the risk of poor print quality.
A rastor is an image made of pixels or dots. It’s more suited for digital photography and web-based images. It’s great for super detailed images but can get blurry if they’re scaled larger than their pixel size should be.
File types required for a raster file: .BMP, .TIF, .GIF, .JPG, .PNG
CMYK Vs. RGB
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black). It is usually used for printing anything physical such as flyers, brochures, business cards etc. CMYK is subtractive and uses a combination of inks on paper.
RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue. It emits light, offering a much wider, more vibrant spectrum of colors. Hence works best on screen for websites, social media and anything online.
Unless your images or files are RGB colours (such as use on Canva) it’s always better to print using CMYK to ensure the colours match as close to what you have on screen since industry print machines will operate in CMYK 4-colour processes.