File Specifications

Bleed is defined as any printing that extends to the edge of the paper. This applies to photographs, text, vector graphics, and anything else that will be printed with the intention of running off the sheet. Desktop printers call this “borderless printing”. For your print project to have bleed, the artwork must extend beyond the intended cut line by 1/8” (0.125”).

Programs like Photoshop that do not allow the creation of "bleed" will require an image area that is 1/4" (0.25") larger than your desired final overall image area in both dimensions. This artwork extension will guarantee there is no white space left on the edge after trimming.

Safe Area is another trimming related consideration. The Safe Area is the 1/8" (0.125") area inside the trim line. You will see this on all of our downloadable templates. To insure the trimming does not trim off critical information, do not put important information within this 1/8" Safe Area.

Borders when they are near the trim line and are too narrow, will not trim out consistently. If you want printed borders, they must be placed a minimum of 1/8" (0.125") inside the trim line and include bleed. This will ensure that minor cutting variations will not be obvious.

When creating files using vector-based software such as Adobe Illustrator or CoralDraw, all text must be converted to outlines before generating the final PDF file. If working with Photoshop, flatten the image before generating the final PDF file. Do not use fonts smaller than 8 pts. Also remember that small or very narrow fonts may not print well against dark backgrounds.

Keep all lines at least .5 pts thick. While thinner lines may be visible on your computer monitor, they may not show when printed.

When it comes to photos in print, higher resolution is better. The resolution of a photo is the density of its pixels. The higher the density of pixels, the better the detail and quality of the image. Resolution is generally defined in dots per inch. In the print world, 300 dots per inch (dpi) is ideal.

Web/screen resolution is only 72dpi, which is why many images taken from the internet will not print well. To ensure your photos will print at their best quality, never reduce the resolution of photos. Be sure to use the highest quality setting on your camera when taking photographs.

Below are high-resolution and low-resolution images. You can see the jagged edge that results in an image having too low of a resolution. High resolution images maintain fine detail and subtle shading that can get lost in a low-resolution image.

When creating artwork for envelopes (offset) the quality is best reproduced from vector artwork.

When creating a project for print, convert the artwork to CMYK before sending it to us. Your graphics software should have a ready explanation of the process. After converting, check to make sure the reds and greens didn’t go flat, the blues didn’t go purple and the yellows are still yellow.