The 5 Things You Should Check To Make Sure Your File is Print Ready
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Sending your files to a commercial printer can sometimes be a pain if you don't know what to check for when preparing files. Some might think that an appealing design visible through the monitor is all the reassurance you need for a successful poster printing or brochure printing order online--only to find your file being sent back to you due to either a low resolution image or the wrong measurements. Here are some items you need to check for before sending your files to a printer.
Did you include high resolution images?
If you don't use high-resolution images in your design, your project won't look very professional. Also, people won't be able to tell what's in a blurry or pixilated photo. The images on your computer are only 72 dpi (dots-per-inch), which looks good on computers, but looks horrible on paper.For your images to look good printed, you need to save them as at least 300 dpi in your imaging or designing software.
Did you design your file in the right size?
If you're planning on printing a flyer that is slightly larger than normal (to help it stand out from the crowd), don't use an 8.5" x 11" template in your design software. The printer could enlarge the design to fit the paper, but then the design will look distorted and everything will be stretched out. Make sure you're designing in a template for the finished paper size. The same goes for designing on a template that is bigger than the final paper size. Shrinking your images and text won't look good or be easily read. Did you include a bleed area?
A print bleed is simply an extension of the color on the sides of your design to go beyond the edge of the paper. The bleed accounts for any variance the printer might have while cutting your printed product.
Your printed product will be printed on a huge web of paper and then they'll be cut from that one piece of paper. The blade that cuts each individual item is usually very precise, but when it's cutting thousands of pieces, it's bound to fluctuate a little.
By designing your project with an extra 1/8-inch of color beyond the edges, you can make sure that none of your brochures, flyers, etc., have any white on the edges.
Your printed product will be printed on a huge web of paper and then they'll be cut from that one piece of paper. The blade that cuts each individual item is usually very precise, but when it's cutting thousands of pieces, it's bound to fluctuate a little.
By designing your project with an extra 1/8-inch of color beyond the edges, you can make sure that none of your brochures, flyers, etc., have any white on the edges.
Did you include your fonts?
You need to remember to embed the fonts used in the file or send a separate file to the printer that contains the fonts. This will ensure that the printer has the correct fonts to print your project the way you designed it. If the printer doesn't have the font you used, it will substitute with the closest font available in its hard drive or other programs. Many times, these substitute fonts can throw off the entire design because they aren't close enough to the original. What kind of photo files did you use?
If you're scanning the images from a photo, it's best to save them as either .tif or .eps files. These formats are best at preserving color and sharpness of your photos.
Some file formats, such as .gif or .jpg compress the pictures so that they don't take up as much space on your computer. These types of files are mostly used on the Web, because computer monitors don't need a high resolution to produce clear images.
Some file formats, such as .gif or .jpg compress the pictures so that they don't take up as much space on your computer. These types of files are mostly used on the Web, because computer monitors don't need a high resolution to produce clear images.
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