WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN YOU DESIGN FOR PRINT
If you are not using Online Prints' graphic design services, you will need to submit your print-ready design to us for printing. As an online printing company dedicated to providing high-quality printing services, we follow industry standards for files, colors, size, bleed and a host of other elements that can impact print quality.
We've prepared this Designing for Print guide to help you ensure the printing process goes as smoothly as possible. In many cases, we can assist you if you are unable to meet some requirements, however, we encourage you to pay particular attention to the following advice to avoid common pitfalls, additional charges and processing delays.
Design Templates
We offer blank templates for business cards, postcards, brochures, letterhead and more. When you use one of our blank design templates, you will be starting with the right standards to help you meet the requirements for print output. Find out more by accessing our blank design templates. In addition, we also offer pre-designed templates that include graphics.
Design File Type
When you submit your print-ready files, please use the following format guidelines.
Preferred: Acrobat PDF (flattened)
All current design programs should include a function that will allow you to create a flattened PDF. Please export to PDF or TIF any files created in Quark, Indesign, Corel Draw, Publisher, etc. Using PDF removes any risk of embedded fonts, overly compressed images and other issues that can surface during the printing process. While we can accept files created in Quark and Indesign natively, we prefer that you create a PDF to send us, eliminating the Collecting For Output step. Files provided in Quark or Indesign often have missing links to images, resulting in poor-quality.
If for some reason PDF export is not available, you can use Acrobat distiller or a shareware PDF program. When creating a PDF, save as PRESS OPTIMIZED, not screen optimized.
Also accepted:
- Acrobat PDF - unflattened
- JPG - with maximum quality
- EPS
- PS - Adobe Photoshop
- PSD
- TIF - with zip compression
- AI - Adobe Illustrator with fonts outlined
- Any rasterized/bitmapped 300 dpi file
Please avoid:
- Publisher documents
- Corel Draw
- Print Shop/Paint Shop
- Any MS Office program
We do not recommend these programs because they often cause problems that result in low print quality. For example, these files may suffer from blurriness when printed, making smaller text difficult to read. These are not professional design programs and the result will be apparent in your printed brochure, postcard, business cards or other important marketing materials. If you are using these programs due to budgetary constraints, please know that our graphic designers can help you achieve the professional look you deserve even on a budget.
Just call us at (800) 880-4571 now or contact us here.
Please review all images in your document before you send it to us for print.
Imposition
When possible, please supply your print job on individual pages. Our professional imposition software will take care of imposition, so you do not have to impose jobs yourself.
Support files
Please include any support files required, such as imported images and graphics, when you submit the main document. Do not embed the support files, as this can lead to problems during printing.
Resolution
All files must be submitted in 300 dpi (dots per inch).
Files submitted at 72 dpi or lower cannot be used. The file will become stretched and distorted during prepress. If your original file is greater than 300 dpi, it can be reduced to 300. However, NEVER increase resolution of a file to 300 dpi if the original is less than 300. This does not actually increase the quality of the image, and you will end up with a blurry picture that looks very unprofessional. This is a common problem when images are copied from the Internet at resolutions of less than 300 dpi.
Size
Design your print file in its intended finished size.
Files will be printed in the size they are ordered, so it is highly recommended your print files be designed for the exact final size (taking into account bleed, trim and safety requirements, see below for more information). For example, do not submit a design file measuring 4.25" x 5.5" (quarter page) if you are ordering 4.25" x 6" postcards. The design will not print properly.
You can see exact sizes and formats in our design templates.
Trim, Bleed & Safety
A bleed of 1/8" will be trimmed off from all sides of your design.
Allow a safety of 1/8" in your design, unless it is an eighth of a page or smaller.
The trim is the final size your printed piece will be cut to. Safety is the distance your text must be placed inside of the trim to ensure that it is not accidentally cut off. Bleed refers to the distance an area must extend beyond the trim so that a color or picture goes right to the edge, or trim, of your printed piece.
Example:
If you are printing a 4.25" x 6" postcard, you should design your image at 4.5" x 6.25" to allow for the additional 1/8" that will be trimmed. The background should run off the edge and into the bleed. Text should be contained within a 4.125" x 5.875" area in your design. Please keep all words and images away from the edge to ensure it is not trimmed off during the cutting process.
Note: Our cutting process is very precise. However, the bleed and safety are important considerations that will ensure your finished material turns out optimally. We cannot guarantee any print jobs that do not follow the specified bleed and safety. Our design templates include bleed and safety areas to help you create a design that will lend the most professional finished look.
Borders
When you use a border in your design, we recommend leaving at least 1/4" on all sides. During the cutting process, a paper shift may sometimes cause slight variations affecting the balance.
Color
Use CMYK for your colors. Using Pantone or RGB may result in a color shift.
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) is the industry-standard color system used by commercial printing equipment, and it differs from how colors are displayed on a computer monitor. If you have used RGB in your design files, you will see a noticeable color shift in the printed design when converted to CMYK. Pantone also cannot be reproduced accurately, though you may see less variation than RGB.
Spot color: if you require a 5th color for your spot requirements, please let us know.
Color proof: when color matching is a concern for you, you may purchase a color proof from us printed on the same paper as your order to verify colors. PDF proofs are not suitable for color matching, only for content verification.
Online Prints will work with you to match colors, but we cannot guarantee an exact match due to variations inherent in the printing process.
Blacks
Ensure your blacks are built correctly.
Text under 16 pt: For small text and hard lines under 16 pt, use 100% black (one-color black). Blacks built with 4 colors on small text will often produce a ghosting effect. (This is due to slight shifting of the paper that occurs during the printing process. It is imperceptible except in smaller text. Using 100% black keeps small text looking crisp.)
Text over 16 pt: Use a rich black, such as one composed of 40% cyan, 40% magenta, 0% yellow and 100% black. Using only 100% black will actually show as dark grey when printed.
Never use an extremely dense color combination to build blacks, such as one that uses greater than 70% of all 4 colors simultaneously. This will not dry properly and will lead to picking and offsetting on your printed materials.
Fonts
Convert your fonts to paths, objects, outlines, curves or rasterized text if you are using live fonts.
Programs such as Illustrator, Indesign or FreeHand that use live fonts can result in defaulting to a less attractive font. The effect will ruin your printed material. This can be avoided by converting your fonts to paths, objects, outlines or curves or rasterizing your text. Otherwise, you must submit your fonts along with your files for live fonts to reproduce accurately.
Rasterized files including flattened PDFs, TIFs and JPGS will not cause an issue with fonts. Keep in mind that after rasterizing text, no changes can be made to it.
File Names
Include your order number or job name in the name of your files.
Example: Macy011_4.25x6_front.pdf
If it is not possible to name your files using your order number or job name, please ensure your file has a name unique to your company or job specifics to prevent it from becoming mixed up with other orders.
Same Image on Both Sides
Please indicate during the order process if you want the same image used on both sides of your printed piece. Otherwise it may appear that your piece is intended to be one-sided only.
We appreciate that each print design has its own individual style and format, so please don't hesitate to contact us with any inquiries. We look forward to working with you to produce high-quality printed materials, whether for postcard marketing and direct mail, company brochures or other items.
