What is the difference between Offset and Digital Printing?

The main difference is how the ink is applied to the paper. Since setup is much more time consuming in an offset printer, digital is typically better for short run projects and offset is typically better for larger volumes of the same design. Offset is also necessary when printing larger sized sheets, if you need to use spot colors, and when printing items that will be run through a digital printer later (such as letterhead).

What file type do you need for printing?

The only file type acceptable for print is a flattened PDF.

How do I export my PDF for print?

Your design should be saved as a Press Quality PDF. If your design has bleeds, it is important you save the PDF with crop marks and .125” bleeds on each side.

How do I send my InDesign file to be worked on?

If you have a design that needs to be further worked on by our team, you must package the InDesign file. If you don’t package the file, all links and fonts will be missing. To package your file, click File > Package > Package > (type a file name) Continue > (make sure all boxes are checked at the bottom of the Create Package Folder window) Package. You should then compress the packaged folder and send it via email or our Upload File page.

Will the colors in my file print the way they appear on my screen?

Not exactly. Screen colors and print colors vary quite a bit. Every printer interprets CMYK colors differently and the outcome will never be spot on unless your project uses Spot Colors and is being printed Offset. Screen colors vary monitor to monitor as well. A website may appear brighter on your desktop and duller on your laptop depending on the monitor calibrating.

What is the difference between CMYK, Spot, and RGB colors?

CMYK is the most common method of printing. The printer determines how much of each color (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) should be mixed together to create the colors in your document. If you are looking for a very specific color, Spot Colors/Pantone must be used which is only available with Offset Printing. Pantone is a color system that prints as solid spot colors. It runs as one color rather than mixing colors which allows for specific and unique hues such as metallic. RGB (red, green, blue) is used for screen only. Any file that is meant for digital purposes, whether it’s a website or to be viewed on any type of screen, should be saved in RGB mode.

Blue in CMYK

Blue can be a tricky color to get right in digital printing. For a true shade of blue, there should be at least a 30% difference between the Cyan value and the Magenta value in your document to avoid the blue appearing purple when printed.

Black in CMYK (backgrounds)

Printing 100% K actually doesn’t create the blackest black. It will appear muddy. We recommend using 75% C 68% M 67% Y 90% K for a rich black.

Black in CMYK (text)

This is when you want to keep the black at 100% K and 0% CMY. The text is typically too fine for the multiple colors to line up properly which creates fuzzy text.

How do I set up a data file for variable data printing?

All variable text, data, graphics, etc. needed to create your final piece must be saved in a database or a spreadsheet. It is important to be consistent with the text in your spreadsheet. Capitalize when appropriate and if you are abbreviating streets, keep it consistent throughout the document. It is very important to proof and spell check because the way you see it in the spreadsheet is the way it will appear on the final printed piece. Always title each column accordingly – name, phone, email, street, city, state, etc. This is how the program determines what type of information each cell holds.

What types of images can I provide and how should they be saved?

All photos should be saved as either JPEG or PNG formats. Any logos or vector art are preferred in EPS or Ai formats. Vectors lose quality once they are saved as a JPEG or PNG and they can no longer be edited. Any images taken from Google Images or any other website are copyrighted and cannot be printed. If you are looking for stock photos, you must purchase them via stock photo websites. Our design team can assist with that. If you are providing your own images, they must be 300dpi. Dpi stands for Dots Per Inch. Photographs are made up of millions of tiny pixels and the smaller the pixels, the clearer the image. Images taken straight from your website will only be 72dpi which is not high resolution and will print pixelated or blurry. When images are put on the internet, they are compressed which decreases the number of pixels in the image in order to keep download time quick and pages loading fast. This is acceptable for screen viewing, but not for printing. Images also cannot be blown up bigger from what you provide. This results in the program duplicating the existing pixels to fake an illusion of a larger image which then makes it appear blurry.