artworkguide
CONTENTS / CHECKLIST
This guide will cover the key elements you must be aware of when creating a file for print.
Please use this as a checklist when designing your job and submitting it for print.
1. how to send files to print
When you have your files ready you can either:
• Upload when placing your order online.
• Upload these via our website: www.fairprint.co.uk (please include your Fairprint order number).
• Post a CD or Memory Stick to Fairprint, 2 Fulton Road, Wester Gourdie Ind. Est, Dundee DD2 4SW.
• Drop off your files at our Head Office, 555 High Street, Sandyford, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 5PB.
If you have any further queries about submitting your files, please call our technical team on 01782 817781.
2. Standard page sizes for your design jobs:
Click on wanted format to download template:
A3 | A4 | A5 | A6 | DL / Compliment Slips | A4 tri-fold | Business Cards
Other Sizes: A2 594mm x 420mm (596mm x 422mm incl. bleed)
3. Bleed
Please refer to this file:
Bleed
4. Colours
Please refer to this file:
Colours
5. Booklets
PAGE SIZES
A6 105 x 148mm A5 148.5 x 210mm A4 210 x 297mm
PAGE ORDER
The booklet page total must be divisible by 4. Please supply your booklets in single-page format
running in the correct order from start to finish i.e. a 20 page booklet will run from pages 1-20,
page 1 being the front cover and page 20 being the back cover (please do NOT place the back
cover on Page 1). Please do not supply your booklet as printers’ pairs or as spreads.
CREEP
The closer you get to the centre pages of a booklet, the more has to be trimmed off
the page edges. Our imposition software does make allowances for this. However, it is
recommended that you do not have text (esp. page numbers) or images too close to the
edges of your booklet pages. A gap of at least 10mm is recommended on all edges.
TOP TIP
Avoid content which crosses
two adjoining pages.
6. Print Ready - PDF creation
Please create PDF and EPS files from vector packages (Corel, Freehand,
Quark, Illustrator, etc). Please do not save files from vector packages as
Tiffs or Jpegs.
Please create Tiffs and Jpegs from bitmap packages (Photoshop,
Photopaint, PhotoImpact, etc). Please do not save files from bitmap
packages as PDFs or EPSs.
PLEASE NOTE: EPS files MUST be supplied with crop marks to show
where the job is to be cut.
PDF CREATION
When creating your PDF to submit for print please use a recognised PDF-maker such as
Acrobat Distiller to make your PDF. Using a design package’s own PDF maker may result in
your job being rejected.
Always save as a High Quality or Print Quality PDF.
If using Acrobat Distiller then choose PDF/X-1a:2001 from the drop-down list.
When creating your PDF please embed all fonts.
If your job has a bleed please ensure you choose a large enough PDF page size to
accommodate the bleed i.e. if you design an A6 flyer with a bleed, make your PDF page size A5.
Please create your PDF with crop marks if possible.
Please supply all files as 1up as we will deal with the imposition at this end.
ACCEPTED
PRINT READY
FILE FORMATS: . PDF . JPEG . TIFF . EPS
7. Large Format Print
POSTERS
All posters should have 3mm of bleed regardless of their finished size and quiet borders should
be at least 10mm. However, if the finished product is to sit inside a frame allow for a larger quiet
border for size of the frame. Graphic resolution should be no lower than 150dpi.
BANNERS
Banners require a 15mm bleed, which will allow the image to wrap round for stitching the
edges. A quiet border of at least 10mm is recommended and images no lower in resolution
than 150dpi.
PLEASE NOTE:
Large format printing utilises a different print technology to lithographic print. This means colours may not be an exact match to your litho jobs.
8. Pictures
Please try to ensure all images in your design file are high-res, the
standard for which is 300dpi (dots per inch). The lower the dpi the
worse your image(s) will look when printed, so please bear this in
mind when scanning, manipulating or sourcing images for your job.
PLEASE NOTE: Images and logos saved from websites are most likely to be
between 72-96dpi and are therefore unsuitable for print.
We highly recommend images to be CMYK, any RGB images will be converted to
CMYK in our workflow which may result in a small colour shift (see p6 for details).
Sourcing Images - always try and use professional images, low quality images will only
downgrade your designs.
Professional images can be purchased from relevant web pages such as:
www.shutterstock.com or
fotolia.com
NOTE:
Anything above 450dpi will be downsampled to 300dpi in our workflow.
9. Fonts
Print Ready jobs
PDF – please ensure you embed all fonts when making your PDF.
EPS – please ensure you convert all fonts to outlines when making your EPS.
File Assist jobs
Please ensure all fonts used in your design file are included with your job, or converted to
curves/paths/outlines prior to submission. Your minimum font size should be 5pt.
Please ensure that your total CMYK colour values do not add up to more than 340% as this
density of ink may cause set-off and mark the reverse of your job. This would give a maximum
colour value of C 85 M 85 Y 85 K 85 or equivalent, although it is recommended that colours
should be kept well below this maximum. Please be extra careful if RGB colour has been used,
as RGB colours often exceed this maximum once converted to CMYK.
11. Print Ready Files Summary
PLEASE NOTE: All print ready files must be created in accordance with our technical guide. It is the
client’s responsibility to ensure that the technical specifications are met, failure to do so may result in
additional charges and a delay to your print deadline. Any printing errors caused by failure to adhere to the
technical guide will be at the client’s expense. If in any doubt please opt for our ‘File Assist’ option.
Acceptable file formats:
• PDF (HIGH-RES)
• EPS (WITH CROP MARKS)
• TIFF (HIGH-RES)
• JPG (HIGH-RES)
File specifications:
• 1mm bleed (where required)
• Fonts outlined or embedded
Please ensure all images in your native design file(s) are high-res before saving/exporting for print
What we’ll do when you send artwork?
We will provide a low-res proof for PDF and EPS files for approval before print.
Files may be resupplied once only at no additional cost. Further submissions will be charged at £15.
What we won’t do!
Make amendments to the file.
Fix any technical issues with the file.
Check spelling.
12. File Assist cost £15
You’ve put together the design that you’d like. We’ll make it Print Ready for you.
(Please refer to our technical guide before you submit your file.)
What you should include:
• Fonts
• All linked files
What we’ll do now
Make the technical changes required to make your file Print Ready. Advise if there are any missing elements that will be needed to make it Print Ready.
What we won’t do
Check spelling.
Check contact info - addresses, tel no’s etc.
For an additional charge we can
Make text changes.
Make layout changes.
Provide more than 2 proofs.
THERE WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR BOOKLETS DUE TO SIZE OF THE FILES.
YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER WILL ADVISE YOU ON THIS.
Acceptable file formats:
Adobe Creative Suite
(Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
All Versions PC & Mac
CorelDRAW All Versions PC
Microsoft Office Word, Excell
from MS Office98 onwards - PC & Mac
13. Design £30 per hour
Use our expert design team to put together your job for you. Simply provide us with a few details and we will do the rest for you, or if you have a basic design put together but needs tweaking we can help too.
Please provide us with all of the text you’d like in your design either in an email or ideally supplied to us in Microsoft Word.
Supplied - if you have your own high res images you’d like to include Sourced - we can find the perfect images for you from our extensive images libraries.
Any info on preferred colours / layout / style.
If you have a company logo you’d like to include, please supply it as an eps, tiff or jpeg.
Who are you targeting?
Any other comments/info which you think may help.
What we’ll do now
Put together a design for you based on the information you have provided.
Email a PDF proof.
2 proofs are included in your initial quote.
For an additional charge we can Source good quality images.
Extract text from printed or written copy.
Provide more than 2 proofs.
YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER WILL PROVIDE YOU A QUOTE BASED ON THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE US.
