The Minefield – that is ARTWORK!

The following information is provided to you the customer, as a means to ensure best practice when buying, creating or providing artwork.  In following this advice I believe you should experience fewer issues with your designer &/or printer.

Artwork Ownership

If paying for the creation of artwork, determine ownership of the artwork

once completed and that if it is agreed that you will be the owner, obtain high resolution digital files, this will allow you to shop around in the future should you choose to do so.

Creating Your Own Artwork

This can be a nightmare, what starts off as a money saving exercise, can in the long run cost you. Before starting down this road, check with your printer, how they will print the document and how they will need it provided:

COLOURS        stick to using CMYK colours – most printing is done using the combination of these four colours whether traditional Litho or Digital.

FONTS             use common fonts, if you are not sure check with the printer if he has them. If he doesn’t, ensure that you can embed the font into a High Resolution PDF to enable him to print it correctly.  Do NOT send copies of FONTS, this is illegal.

BLEED             if you take the colours off the edge of the page (NO WHITE SPACE) ensure you take it at least 3mm off the final page size to allow the printer to trim to finished size.

File Type           most printers will be able to work from the following types of file:

                        .eps    a vector file from a recognised design package

            .tiff      similar to the eps, this could be raw artwork

            .jpg     whilst not as flexible as the above, some printers will accept Jpg

             .pdf     a high resolution press quality pdf is generally acceptable

If you are unsure of anything ring and ask your printer, a good printer will be only to happy to give advice and consultation, if he isn’t look for one that is. Happy Artwork Creation.

sales@dijitalcentral.com

01908 640 840

Lee Porter

DiJital Central Ltd