HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES – For projects that include photos, images or screen shots, we recommend you use images that are 300dpi for all printed material. Be aware that low res images if expanded to larger sizes
will pixelate.
SOFTWARE – We use the Industry standard Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) to prepare all artwork files.
We can work with other formats (ie. Canva, Publisher, Powerpoint, Excel and Word) however, depending on the complexity of the document, a conversion fee may apply.
ACCEPTED SUPPLIED FILE TYPES – ai, .eps, .pdf, .svg, (.png and .jpeg – talk to us as it depends on the project)
FONTS – Outline or embed fonts before sending them to print. Alternatively, send through the fonts used, together with the artwork.
DOCUMENT SIZE – Make sure the document size is correct ie. A4 (not US Letter) or any other size. See chart provided for common dimensions. We can work with most sizes and can convert to the more common size if needed. Incorrect file sizes may result in artwork fees to edit to client requirements.
BLEED – Elements that bleed (images or background colours that print to the edge of the page) must extend 3mm beyond the edge of the page on the artwork in order to avoid a possible visible white margin along the trimmed edges of the finished product.
CROP MARKS – Are not required providing bleed guidelines above have been followed.
MARGINS – To ensure that your vital information is not lost in the guillotine process, it’s good practice to ensure all images and text which do not bleed off the page are placed no closer than 5mm from the trimmed edge of the page.
COLOUR PROFILE – Our printers all print in CMYK 4-colour process. It used to be important to ensure all files are supplied in CMYK, however, we are happy to accept your RGB files and normally convert them
‘on the fly’ as we process your artwork for printing. This includes converting pantone colours to CMYK as needed.
• CMYK – (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) A four colour process where ink is mixed to create the colours you
see in the finished product.
• RGB – (Red Green Blue) – A three colour process that uses light to interpret the colour information. Used in all screen/web/social media based projects.
Colour is a tricky thing to get right and all printers will print slightly differently due to individual machine settings, but we do our very best to give you the closest result to your intended target. Where projects have
tricky colour combos, we are able to do a digital test print for you to approve before we go to print on the complete job. Please advise at the time of ordering if you would like a colour sample test printed.
Canva has changed the way people design print media. It has quickly become an online alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite and other industry standard design tools. When using Canva it is essential to follow some simple guidelines to ensure your files are setup correctly for best print outcomes.
SETTING UP YOUR CANVAS
It is important that this is done right at the very start as the paid version of Canva will let you resize files but the free version will not. Create your custom canvas to the actual size of the document you want to print
(See A4 example graphic). Go to ‘Create Design’ and click on ‘Custom Size’ from the drop-down menu. Design in mm not inches (See International Paper Sizes graphic below for standard sizes)
COLOUR PROFILE
Canva files are created in RGB colour format. RGB uses light to interpret colour information. Since we print with ink (CMYK) your file colours will be converted to CMYK during the production process and may appear a bit different to your screen image.
BLEED
Bleed (an extra 3mm on all sides of artwork) must be added to your file from the start.
MARGINS
Build in margins to your file (use guides and rulers by going to File > Show rulers and guides. From here you can drag guides onto your artboard using the rulers get the desired dimensions of your file.
DOWNLOADING YOUR FILE
Once you have completed your design, it’s time to download it in a format that is suitable for your printer.
Follow these steps and your printer will love you:
1. Click ‘Share’ in the top right of your canva screen and a drop-down will appear.
2. Click ‘Download’ and you will see some options in the ‘File type’ menu.
3. Select ‘Print PDF’ (not the default PNG – a png file is great as a visual reference but is NOT a print file).
4. Tick the ‘Flatten PDF’ box ONLY if your file has Canva Pro fonts and colours or placed images (pictures).
Doing this will flatten your artwork and preserve the text and art but it will also rasterize (convert your images to pixels) most of your artwork. If your file is a logo or artwork for large format printing like clothing and vehicles, then you can download the file without ticking any boxes. This will retain the Vector (shapes) file for a sharper finish.
Congratulations, you have now created your print ready canva file!
