Knowing how to send your files and what formats to use can be a little daunting, so we have put together this simple guide to give you a few pointers. Of course you can always give us a call if you are still unsure.
SUPPLYING YOUR OWN FILES
You can submit your own artwork, however, this can be problematic but here are a few things to remember.
Make sure the program you use to create your artwork is compatible with what we run. We can accept files from Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. We can also accept PDF documents, Coral Draw or Microsoft Word and Publisher files. However, unless all criteria for creating artwork in the print industry are taken into account, it is likely that we will use the elements from your supplied work to ‘re-build’ the job in a format that works for us.
Things to keep in mind:
- If your image is to go up to the edge of the sheet, make sure you allow extra to bleed of at least 3-4mm outside the edge to allow for cutting.
- Try not to use fonts that are not standard as they won’t reproduce unless they are on our system. In this case you can either supply the font with your job or you can save the file with text saved as lines/curves if your program allows.
- Sometimes a safer option is to send your work as a PDF document.
It is always best to talk to us first, or send your job to see if it will reproduce.
PHOTOGRAPHS & GRAPHICS
When supplying your own photos or graphics, it is essential to get the size and resolution right. These need to be supplied either at the size they will need to be or larger. It’s not a good idea to supply photos or graphics that need to be enlarged.
Things to remember:
- Check that the resolution is 300dpi or more (this can be slightly less if the photo will need to be reduced).
- Keep in mind that high resolution makes large file sizes so it is advisable to keep any emailed work to below 10mb.
- Most digital photos are in the RGB format which we will need to convert to CMYK for printing. This can lead to some variations in colour.
Feel free to email or call for advice first.
Paper & Envelope Sizes
Standard Paper Sizes
‘A’ Series is used for most standard sized printing jobs.
- A0 – 841 x 1189 mm
- A1 – 594 x 841 mm
- A2 – 420 x 594 mm
- A3 – 297 x 420 mm
- A4 – 210 x 297 mm
- A5 – 148 x 210 mm
- A6 – 105 x 148 mm
A0 paper sizes
Envelope Sizes
These are a few of the most used sizes.
- C4 – 229 x 324
- C5 – 229 x 162
- C6 – 162 x 114
- DL – 220 x 110
Standard UK envelope sizes
NOTE: For more information on some of the printing terms used on this page you can click on the highlighted text and open the corresponding print glossary page in a new window.