Technical

File Formats and Applications

EPS, TIFF, JPEG and BMP are ideal formats with which we can work. Images need to be supplied high resolution (at least 300dpi in most cases).

Adobe Photoshop: Supply files as CMYK colourspace only, delete any alpha channels from files. Our preferred format for Adobe Photoshop files are EPS with JPEG encoding, maximum quality, Apple Macintosh preview).

Adobe Illustrator: Always place a clear non-printing box to the edges of the page area and send it to the back. If you don’t your file may print out at the wrong scale. Convert all fonts to outlines. Ensure that artwork is created originally at 9600 dpi rather than the default 800 dpi as this can create flatness/printing problems. Please flatten any transparency effects to the correct resolution required.

QuarkXPress: Do not float any artwork with registration marks in the middle of a larger page. Use the edge of your page as the edge of your print. Add bleed where necessary. Always supply proofs showing the job dimensions and details. Use the ‘collect for output’ option in every instance. Please ensure fonts within EPS files have also been included, or ideally ‘outlined’. Always use single pages only. Do not spread artwork over many pages. Delete any items not to be printed rather than using ‘supress printout’.

Macromedia Freehand: Always place a clear non-printing box to the edges of the page area and send it to the back. If you don’t your file may print out at the wrong scale. Convert all fonts to outlines.

CorelDraw: Please supply the original CorelDraw file as well as an exported EPS file. Convert all fonts to curves/paths/outlines. If the file is to correct proportions and includes necessary bleed we can work directly from the EPS file.

Please tell us if you have set bleeds on your file.

Type and Fonts

Ideally all fonts used within your artwork should be converted to outlines/paths from your design software. If you cannot outline your fonts please supply all fonts used in your artwork (include both screen and printer fonts where appropriate).

Finishing

Files for vinyl cutting: Please supply files in Illustrator, Freehand or CorelDraw as paths in vector/outline format. Do not supply bitmap/raster artwork for vinyl cutting as they cannot be used for this purpose.

Mounted graphics: Graphics being mounted to Foamex require a bleed of between 3mm -10mm all round to allow our finishing department to mount and trim the graphic without affecting the size of the final printed visual area.