Art Requirements

Artwork File Requirements

Bitmap Resolution must be 300dpi at 100% of the finished size. For example, if your poster will be 18" x 24", the dpi at 18" x 24" should be 300. Using this same example, if your document dimensions are smaller than 18" x 24" and the art file is already 300 dpi, when the document is sized up to 18" x 24" the dpi will no longer be 300.

Include a 1/8" bleed margin if your design will be printed all the way to trim edges. For example, if your project is to finish at 11" x 17", your file document dimensions will need to be 11.25 x 17.25 (.125" extra on all 4 sides), and your design will need to extend all the way to the edge.

Make sure to include a 1/8" safety area. Any artwork content you do not want trimmed off your design should be at least 1/8" away from the trim line. This includes Inlines and Borders.

More information and visual examples about bleeds and a safety area can be found in the examples below; click the thumbnails to enlarge.

Make sure your file is built, saved and submitted in the correct color mode.

1. Four (4) Color Process: CMYK
   Artwork for 4 color process (or full color) needs to be in CMYK. One of the most common file problems occurs when artwork is submitted in RGB, which is the color mode for on-screen viewing. Printing is done with 4 colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, so your file must contain this color information in order for us to process it.
2. *PLEASE NOTE: To avoid any unwanted color shift from converting RGB to CMYK, Spot or PMS colors need to be converted to CMYK in the file, and pre-flight checked beforehand.
3. Spot Color Separations
   For multiple spot color jobs, your file must be set up in PMS spot colors in order to print correctly. Primarily, Postscript programs such as Illustrator, InDesign, Corel and Quark, etc., have the ability to set up artwork to print as separate spot colors. Your artwork colors must be set-up as spot colors (not CMYK builds) with a pantone (PMS) color specified for each object.
4. Grayscale or B&W
   One color and Black and white printing only uses one ink, so your file will need to be set up in Grayscale. Bitmap grayscale files need to be 600 DPI or higher.
5. If using Photoshop, artwork must be flattened.
6. If using Illustrator, all fonts need to be converted to outlines or curves. If not, please include all used fonts with art file.
7. Make sure all images have been embedded, and all embedded images meet the resolution and color requirements. As a reminder, images should be at least 300 dpi and in CYMK color mode.
8. SPELL CHECK your text. After a proof has been generated, file revision fees will apply if corrections are necessary.

Art Preparation Tips

We've prepared some additional tips that will help you produce a better quality product.

1. If at all possible, try to avoid using fonts smaller than 8pt.
2. If you are using thin typefaces, please lay out your type in a vector program such as Illustrator. Bitmapped images make it difficult to control trapping and editing.
3. The same applies to lines that are below 3/10 of a point (0.3). These are known as "hairlines" and require special attention to the colors around them.
4. If you are using Microsoft software to produce your files, be sure to create a PDF to send the file to us. Double check that the output settings are 300dpi and in CMYK.