Frequently asked questions
Prepress guidelines
Wikipedia: Resolution, Bleed
Digital images for print should have a minimum resolution of 300dpi at the size they will be printed. For web use, they should be no less than 72 dpi. All standard image file formats are accepted, and we can take care of colour conversion if neccessary. Please avoid compressing your images (ie: JPEG compression, etc...), as this can result in a loss of quality.
'Print-Ready' artwork should be supplied in a print industry standard format (Adobe InDesign, Quark XPress, etc...). We also accept many other formats, including Microsoft Office, and accept both Windows and Mac formatted files and media.
If your design prints to the edge of page we will require 3mm bleed, and if using a non-standard typeface please contact us prior to sending artwork.
RGB vs. CMYK
Wikipedia: RGB color model, CMYK color model
Unless
you are working in the design and print industry, you will probably be
working with RGB artwork, which is based on the three primary colours
of light:
This is the same colour space used by scanners, digital cameras and your monitor to acquire and display images.
CMYK artwork is made up of the four ink colours used to produce a full colour print:
- Cyan
- Magenta
- Yellow
- Key (Black)
Spot colours
Wikipedia: Spot colours
In offset printing, a spot colour is any colour generated by an ink (pure or mixed) that is printed using a single run.
Spot colours are used to achieve more accurate colour values than four-colour process results, at less cost.
Screening
Wikipedia: Screening
Inks
used in colour printing presses are semi-transparent and can be printed
on top of each other to produce different hues. However, a printing
press cannot vary the amount of ink applied except through screening, a
process that represents lighter shades as tiny dots, rather than solid
areas, of ink.
In
process colour printing, the screened image (or halftone) for each ink
colour is printed in succession. The screen grids are set at different
angles, and the dots therefore create tiny rosettes which, through a
kind of optical illusion, appear to form a continuous-tone image.
Paper sizes
Wikipedia: Paper sizes
There are basically two systems in use today: the international standard (A4 and its siblings), and the North American sizes.
The following refers to international standards sizes:
The largest standard size, A0, has a surface area of 1m2. A1 is formed by cutting a piece of A0 in half, retaining the aspect ratio. A4 then, is 1/16 of 1m2.
There
is also the less common B series, which are the geometric mean of
successive A series sheets. The C series, used only for envelopes, is
half way between the A and B series of the same number. An example of
the practical usage of this, is that a letter written on A4 fits inside
a C4 envelope. The main exception to this rule is DL, which is designed
take an A4 letter folded into three.
Custom sizes are also available to your specifications
