Handy Hints

File Formats

PDF
INDESIGN
WORD
PUBLISHER
PHOTOSHOP

Globally recognised as the standard for digital document sharing, PDFs are a stable file format whose content will not alter from one computer to another. Common file issues such as missing fonts or corrupt images are thrown out the window when working with a well made PDF, making them particularly suited to printed documents. In fact, PDFs are so stable that every job we print becomes a PDF regardless of which program it may have originated in, and we also use PDFs for proofing.

When supplying PDFs for printing, please ensure that no changes or alterations are required, and that the atwork conforms to these specifications.

Adobe Indesign is our primary program for generating printed documents, and we therefore happily accept Indesign files. To avoid unnecessary delays and file issues, all Indesign files should be preflighted and packaged from within Adobe Indesign.

While we appreciate that Word is the most commonly used program, it is not particularly friendly for professional printing. The degree to which a supplied word file is "print ready" can vary drastically depending on the manner in which it has been made, its complexity, use of images, etc.

In order to save you time polishing a Word file that may not be suitable for mass production, we recommend that Word files only be used for rough / suggested layouts, from which we may recreate the job in an appropriate format. If you plan to complete your design in Word, we will need to see the file before we can make an informed decision on how successfully it will print.

If your job includes pictures, these should be supplied as original image files. Images embedded within Word files will often suffer from quality degredation while being accessed for redesigning purposes.

Publisher files are not suitable for professional design / printing except in a few circumstances. While you are free to supply publisher files to indicate a rough design for your job, we generally are unable to convert these files into anything that will successfully print in mass quantities.

All publisher files will be subject to being recreated as per your design brief.

While we are happy to receive artwork files in Photoshop format (or other formats generated by Photoshop, eg TIFF or jpeg), it should be noted that Photoshop is not the best choice for performing layout of text, etc, and should be limited to processing bitmap images.

To avoid issues such as low-resolution imagery, rough-edged text, and missing fonts, we recommend you use a Desk Top Publishing program such as Indesign, Pagemaker, or even Illustrator to compile your artwork.

If you plan on using Photoshop for your design, be wary of the resolution at which you create the file, which should be a minimum of 300DPI. Also, we canot guarantee that any text layers will be editable at our end. Please ensure that the file does not require any alterations in this respect.

Paper Quality

When deciding what kind of paper to print your job on, the decisions can at times become daunting. This is because paper does not come in a range of "cheap" through to "good".

To limit the confusion, most papers can be divided into matt or gloss, and you will find that matt paper will serve most everyday uses. In fact, a matt finish is essential to certain jobs, such as letterheads and any other papers which need to be written on.

A gloss finish, however, can add that shiny finish to a job in order to impress your cutomers, or to offer an advantage over your competitors. Gloss papers are more commonly used for brochures, postcards, and invitations - anything where you want to convey qualitty, durability, or just that "special feel".

Paper Thickness

While of limited importance for internal documents and business forms, the thickness of paper (known as weight and measured in grams per square metre or gsm) plays an important role for documents destined for the public realm. Increasing the weight of the stock can add not only durability to a printed product, but also substantiality (and therefore "credibility").

50 - 70 gsm	Business Forms, Invoice Books, Raffle Tickets
80 - 120 gsm	Letterheads, With Compliments Slips, Flyers
150 - 180 gsm	Booklet Covers, Certificates, Brochures & Pamphlets
200 - 250 gsm	Posters, Postcards, Covers, Folders
300 gsm	Business Cards, Postcards

Celloglazing

Celloglazing not only serves to protect your product for longevity, it also adds a polished quality to the printed image. Whether matt or gloss, celloglazing "flattens" the surface to a smooth finish, while a gloss celloglaze will add a shine to the product which - depending on your design - may not necessarily be achieved simply by printing on a gloss paper.

Colour

TIPS ON COLOUR
COLOUR CHART

Print Jobs are broken up into a variety of colour brackets, from black & white through to full colour. The choice of colours you use on your project can make a large difference not only to the overall cost, but also to the effectiveness with which the product reaches your target audience. Remember that different colours elicit different emotional responses in viewers, and that a colour which might appear to make a product "stand out" may not achieve the desired reaction in the reader.

Black & White	Cost-effective flyers, business stationery, booklets, etc.
2- or 3-Colour	Corporate colour business stationery flyers, brochures, postcards, etc
Full Colour	Business cards, pamphlets, brochures, booklets

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a range of colours commonly used in offset printing. These colours are used in 1-, 2- or 3-colour print jobs, and are often used to specify a business´ corporate colours.

Listed below as a reference is a portion of the Pantone Colour Matching System. If you are unable to find the colour you really want, we suggest you come in to see a complete range of Pantone colours.

Pantone 100
Pantone 101
Pantone 109
Pantone 115
Pantone 116
Pantone 119
Pantone 120
Pantone 1205
Pantone 121
Pantone 123
Pantone 134
Pantone 136
Pantone 137
Pantone 139
Pantone 141
Pantone 148
Pantone 151
Pantone 154
Pantone 155
Pantone 157
Pantone 162
Pantone 1625
Pantone 163
Pantone 165
Pantone 168
Pantone 169
Pantone 170
Pantone 172
Pantone 174
Pantone 176
Pantone 177
Pantone 178
Pantone 1797
Pantone 180
Pantone 182
Pantone 183
Pantone 184
Pantone 185
Pantone 191
Pantone 192
Pantone 1925
Pantone 195
Pantone 199
Pantone 200
Pantone 202
Pantone 206
Pantone 207
Pantone 208
Pantone 211
Pantone 212
Pantone 213
Pantone 214
Pantone 217
Pantone 220
Pantone 221
Pantone 228
Pantone 231
Pantone 2375
Pantone 244
Pantone 246
Pantone 250
Pantone 2582
Pantone 259
Pantone 2607
Pantone 263
Pantone 264
Pantone 265
Pantone 266
Pantone 2665
Pantone 2706
Pantone 2707
Pantone 2716
Pantone 2717
Pantone 2718
Pantone 2726
Pantone 2727
Pantone 277
Pantone 279
Pantone 283
Pantone 284
Pantone 285
Pantone 286
Pantone 290
Pantone 292
Pantone 293
Pantone 294
Pantone 297
Pantone 298
Pantone 2985
Pantone 299
Pantone 300
Pantone 301
Pantone 304
Pantone 306
Pantone 310
Pantone 3105
Pantone 312
Pantone 3125
Pantone 313
Pantone 3145
Pantone 3165
Pantone 317
Pantone 319
Pantone 320
Pantone 324
Pantone 327
Pantone 3285
PANTONE 3292
PANTONE 331
PANTONE 333
PANTONE 335
PANTONE 337
PANTONE 339
PANTONE 340
PANTONE 3405
PANTONE 3415
PANTONE 346
PANTONE 347
PANTONE 348
PANTONE 351
PANTONE 353
PANTONE 354
PANTONE 358
PANTONE 360
PANTONE 361
PANTONE 365
PANTONE 367
PANTONE 368
PANTONE 370
PANTONE 374
PANTONE 375
PANTONE 376
PANTONE 382
PANTONE 386
PANTONE 386
PANTONE 399
PANTONE 400
PANTONE 401
PANTONE 402
PANTONE 406
PANTONE 408
PANTONE 409
PANTONE 420
PANTONE 421
PANTONE 422
PANTONE 424
PANTONE 427
PANTONE 428
PANTONE 429
PANTONE 430
PANTONE 431
PANTONE 432
PANTONE 434
PANTONE 435
PANTONE 436
PANTONE 437
PANTONE 440
PANTONE 4505
PANTONE 451
PANTONE 452
PANTONE 4525
PANTONE 4535
PANTONE 454
PANTONE 458
PANTONE 459
PANTONE 464
PANTONE 465
PANTONE 4655
PANTONE 466
PANTONE 468
PANTONE 469
PANTONE 470
PANTONE 471
PANTONE 472
PANTONE 473
PANTONE 475
PANTONE 479
PANTONE 480
PANTONE 481
PANTONE 482
PANTONE 484
PANTONE 485
PANTONE 486
PANTONE 488
PANTONE 489
PANTONE 490
PANTONE 492
PANTONE 493
PANTONE 500
PANTONE 521
PANTONE 523
PANTONE 524
PANTONE 527
PANTONE 528
PANTONE 535
PANTONE 536
PANTONE 537
PANTONE 541
PANTONE 542
PANTONE 5425
PANTONE 5435
PANTONE 544
PANTONE 5445
PANTONE 548
PANTONE 5483
PANTONE 549
PANTONE 5493
PANTONE 5497
PANTONE 550
PANTONE 5503
PANTONE 5507
PANTONE 552
PANTONE 5527
PANTONE 562
PANTONE 563
PANTONE 5767
PANTONE 583
PANTONE 617
PANTONE 630
PANTONE 631
PANTONE 632
PANTONE 649
PANTONE 650
PANTONE 652
PANTONE 678
PANTONE 679
PANTONE 680
PANTONE 692
PANTONE 693
PANTONE 694
PANTONE 698
PANTONE 701
PANTONE 702
PANTONE 801
PANTONE 802
PANTONE 803
PANTONE 804
PANTONE 805
PANTONE 806
PANTONE Black
PANTONE Black 4
PANTONE Black 6
PANTONE Blue 072
PANTONE Cool Gray 1
PANTONE Cool Gray 10
PANTONE Cool Gray 11
PANTONE Cool Gray 2
PANTONE Cool Gray 3
PANTONE Cool Gray 4
PANTONE Cool Gray 5
PANTONE Cool Gray 6
PANTONE Cool Gray 7
PANTONE Cool Gray 8
PANTONE Cool Gray 9
PANTONE Green
PANTONE Orange 021
PANTONE Process Black
PANTONE Process Blue
PANTONE Process Cyan
PANTONE Process Magenta
PANTONE Process Yellow
PANTONE Purple
PANTONE Red 032
PANTONE Reflex Blue
PANTONE Rhodamine Red
PANTONE Rubine Red
PANTONE Warm Gray 1
PANTONE Warm Gray 10
PANTONE Warm Gray 11
PANTONE Warm Gray 2
PANTONE Warm Gray 3
PANTONE Warm Gray 4
PANTONE Warm Gray 5
PANTONE Warm Gray 6
PANTONE Warm Gray 7
PANTONE Warm Gray 8
PANTONE Warm Gray 9
PANTONE Warm Red
PANTONE Warm Red 2X
PANTONE Yellow

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