GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING ELECTRONIC FILES

Thank you for sending your print-ready files for production. In order to provide the best quality product for you, we ask that your files meet our guidelines outlined below. Read on to see frequently asked questions. If you need further assistance, please contact our Art Department at 870.935.4042.

PRINT READY FILES

"Print ready" refers to files that have met all of the specifications needed to produce your project, without any editing or altering by our art team. Convert all text to outlines and embed all linked images. Please read on for specific details.

FILE BASICS

Bleeds: For projects where color/images go off the edge of the page, add an extra 1/8 in. to each side to your submitted artwork. (i.e. A standard business card is 3.5 in. x 2 in. If that card has color that goes from edge to edge, please make your canvas/artboard 3.75 in. x 2.25 in.) There has to be extra printed material that extends past the trim edge, in order for the color to fill the entire area. This extra 1/8 in. on each side will be trimmed off.

Safe Zone: All critical art (text, main art elements, etc.) must be placed within 1/8 in. of the trim edge or 1/4 in. from the bleed edge. (i.e. A standard business card is 3.5 in. x 2 in. In order to keep all critical art elements on the card, your maximum design area is 3.25 in. x 1.75 in.) Anything that falls out of the safe zone is subject to being cut off.

Colors: (CMYK or SPOT COLOR) When submitting files for print, please make sure they are CMYK or SPOT COLOR. Files that are RGB color space cannot be guaranteed to produce color correctly when printed.

CMYK color printing uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. (Black is represented as “K” since it is the “key” color in printing.) These four colors can be used to create innumerable combinations of colors. This is best for full color print work including photos, shades, gradients, etc.

SPOT COLOR printing produces colors more precisely by taking a specified color and mixing inks to match what is requested. In this instance, we would ask for you to provide the PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors that need to be produced. If a PMS or Pantone® color number is not provided, we cannot guarantee color match. Spot color printing is best for screen printed items, or for full-color projects that have fewer than six specific colors. We also recommend providing PMS colors when it comes to producing any items that contain company logos.

PLEASE DO NOT USE IMAGES SAVED FROM THE INTERNET. While these images look great on your screen, they are low-resolution and will not print with true color or clarity. We need the highest resolution images available in order to produce the highest quality products. If you do not have an electronic copy of the image needed, we will be happy to scan original images for you and return them to you. NOTE: Web site GIF images do not reproduce as a quality image.

Image Resolution: The ideal resolution for submitted artwork is 300 DPI, at actual image size.

APPLICATIONS AND FILE TYPES

While we prefer to receive your press ready PDF, we can also accept work from your native files. Please see below for a list of supported applications:

Adobe® Illustrator® CC: We can accept native AI, EPS, or Press Quality PDFs. Convert all text to outlines and embed all linked images. We also accept packaged files created from Illustrator.

Adobe® Photoshop® CC: Save as JPG or Press Quality PNG at 300 DPI. Convert all text to outlines and embed or provide all linked images. Please contact our art department for specifications.

Adobe® InDesign® CC: Convert all text to outlines and embed all linked images. We also accept packaged files created from InDesign. Adobe® PDF®: Convert all text to outlines and embed all linked images. For applications not listed above, please provide a PDF or an EPS file of the document. Convert all text to outlines and embed all linked images.

FOR CANVA USERS: Please contact your Customer Service Representative to get our CANVA file guidelines.

SUBMITTING ARTWORK

If you do not wish to upload your file using the above link, you may supply your art on a jump drive. You may also share files via links to your Dropbox, WeTransfer, Google Drive, iCloud, or most file-sharing sites. Please, do not send us the only copy of your file, as the drive or file could possibly be lost or damaged. A copy of the original is preferred.

PROOFS Before your order is submitted for production, electronic proofs are sent for approval on all jobs. Estimated turnaround time does not begin until a proof approval is received. Hard copy/press proofs may incur additional charges. Please note, our standard (low resolution) PDF proofs are only an approximation of colors and final product.

DESIGN TIME

Any files that do not meet the guidelines listed above will be subject to design charges of $85.00 per hour. Due to the occasional need to edit artwork, we request all art be supplied as a PDF or vector image saved as an EPS file. If you require more information about vector images or eps files, please contact our art department at (870) 935-4042.