Preparing artwork for printing.

How to make files print ready.

1. Flatten layers where possible.
2. Check image integrity
3. Check that fonts can be embedded
4. Check the created PDF looks as intended.
5. Artwork central and backing up correctly
6. Bleeds & Quiet Borders

How we help you avoid costly mistakes

a. Pre Print Check
b. Proof reading Service (Before going to print submission)

Flatten layers where possible.
Where designs are built up using a number of transparencies it makes a much more reliable PDF if these layers are flattened. It may be worth saving your original document with the suffix ‘unflattened’ and then saving the flattened document. Remember that if any changes need to be made subsequently you MUST discard the flattened document before re-working the un-flattened version. This will avoid having different editions in the un-flattened and flattened format.
Ultimate flattening means having all the design on a single layer. However this may not be desirable because, in Photoshop for example, text layers must be converted from Vector to Bitmap to merge with picture layers.

The recommended approach is to flatten all bitmap layers to one but leave the text as text. This will give much better quality text in the finished print.

Check image integrity
Ensure that all pictures used in the design are either embedded or that the links to external images are correct. Whilst most programmes will warn if a link is missing it frequently happens that a PDF is created containing screen resolution images simply because the correct file was not located. Check that all images used are CMYK and that they are at least 400dpi size for size in the document. Whilst it is perfectly possible to print from lower resolution and RGB images the quality of the finished print will be compromised.

Check that fonts can be embedded.
There are a small number of fonts which have licensing restrictions attached. These restrictions can prevent the fonts being embedded in the PDF even if that request is made in the PDF setup. One solution to this perennial problem is to avoid fonts with these onerous restrictions. Another may be to change your design by selecting another font with less onerous restrictions. A third solution available in many drawing programmes is to convert the fonts used in to curves.

Check the created PDF looks as intended.
Whilst the creation of PDFs is normally a foolproof process, it is certain that when it is least expected and most disastrous the process will work poorly. It is absolutely essential to check that the PDFs created look the way they should before sending them to print. The best way to carry out this check is to download the free PDF viewing programme Adobe Reader. This is available free from the Adobe website.

Open your files in Reader and check they view correctly. Check that Bleed and Registration Marks have been carried across to the PDF In addition, ideally, print out each page and check the backup of double sided jobs is correct. Only after carrying out these checks should the PDF files be sent to print!

Artwork central and backing up correctly
It is important that artwork is positioned centrally on the layout. Our pre-press system works from the centre of the page in aligning jobs for print.

At pre-press the correct size aperture for the job to be printed is filled with the image on the page running out from the page centre. If a job is off centred then potentially only a portion of the job will appear in the aperture and be printed! (fig.1)

It is also important that jobs back up correctly with the orientation of each page being the same. We strongly recommend printing proofs from the PDF you have created to your own printer prior to submission. (fig.2)

If the sheet holding the reverse image must be rotated to back up correctly with the front then the file should be altered! Making a physical mock up will highlight potential errors which are not easy to see on screen. (fig.3)

Bleeds & Quiet Borders
Understanding the need for Bleed and a Quiet Border is vital if, as partners, we are going to achieve our joint aim of an excellent finished print job. We require Bleed to allow for the tolerance of our guillotines (the machine used for cutting your job after printing). Even with our state of the art equipment there is a margin of error with the operation.

If your image finishes exactly at the edge of your required finished size then these small deviations may produce unsightly white flashes at the edge of your print. By extending your background colour or image beyond the edge of your finished job the effects of the same deviations are not noticeable.

We recommend that elements intended to go to the very edge of your finished job should extend 3mm beyond the edge.

A Quiet Border is the distance you should allow from the edge of your finished page size for text, diagrams or images not going to bleed. The reason for the border is again the tolerance in cutting. If you have a design where the text runs to the very edge then any cutting deviation will result in some of your text being cut off!!

With a very small Quiet Border even the smallest cutting deviation could result in the finished job looking uneven. We recommend a Quiet Border where there is no text etc. of at least 5mm around the edges of your job.

‘Professional’ design programmes, such as Indesign, Illustrator or Corel Draw allow elements to extend beyond the size of the page. This makes it very easy to bleed backgrounds and pictures beyond the trimmed edge.

With other programmes bleeding beyond the boundaries of the page is not possible (Such as with Microsoft Word). However it is still possible to create a page with bleed using these programmes! This is achieved by setting up pages which are 6mm bigger than the required sheet size in each dimension. (E.g. for a required finished size of A4 (210mm x 297mm) set up your page to be 216mm x 303mm. Next make your background image extend to the edge of this bigger sheet size. In effect this is then ‘bleeding’ 3mm beyond the edge of the required page on all sides. Ensure that any element which you do not wish to bleed is at least 8mm inside the extended page edges (3mm of bleed plus 5mm of quiet border). When the PDF is created it will be fully compliant with the bleed and quiet border requirements. See for details.

How we help you avoid costly mistakes

Pre Print Check
Our detailed Pre-print Checking is a unique and highly regarded part of our service. Checking is prescribed on a minority of products and optional (but highly recommended) on the remainder.

When you opt for your file to be Pre-print Checked it will be reviewed by an experienced designer.

We check for:
• Artwork being central and backing up correctly
• That there is sufficient Bleed and Quiet Border
• That fonts are embedded.
• That all elements of the job are CMYK (RGB and Pantone colours may not print as expected in Full Colour).
• That the quality of photography and graphics is to print standard.
• That there is colour matching and wherever possible that the colours specified will print as perceived on screen.

Proof reading Service (Before going to print submission)
We also offer a rigorous proof reading exercise by one of our qualified proof readers which has proved a ‘lifesaver’ many times in the past where embarrassing and costly mistakes have been spotted.
This can be completed prior to going to print allowing for amends to be made before you sign off final artwork and prepare to go to the pre-print check stage.