This information should serve as a general guide of how to deliver artwork to Printin48.com for processing. If you are not a professional graphic designer it would be very helpful to read over this information to prevent any problems or delay your order due to misinformation.
The graphic design is the most important part of delivering your order at its highest quality. Unfortunately majority of issues or problems occur because of the graphic design. We are addressing the most common issues that should be avoided.
Printin48.com requires the proper, correct designed and formatted artwork for each job in order to process the order as outlined on this website. All delivery and turnaround times are based on properly submitted files. In the event that the artwork is in correct and Printin48.com is required to put the job "On Hold" until the correct files are provided by the customer unless the customer requests Printin48.com to modify the artwork if possible at an additional fee.
Graphic design is the process in creating artwork, however there are different forms such as web graphics and print graphics which are very different. Graphic designers are professionally trained artists that understand the methods and techniques required in producing "Print-Ready" artwork which is required in order to process a print job. Many customers attempt to create their own artwork but do not understand the fundamentals in producing the correct and proper files which can cause delays. Printin48.com attempts to work with our customers, however we unable to "teach" or "instruct" customers on how to create proper files, we review each submission and the artwork is either approved or rejected. We will notify the customer why the job has been rejected and the customer must make the required changes in order to proceed. Ultimately if purchasing a "Print Only" job it is the customers sole responsibility to supply "Print-Ready" artwork.
Below are some of the main reason of rejections of artwork:
1. Low Resolution Resolution is the most important aspect of your print. ALL print files have to be designed at 300 DPI, please not the keyword "designed". The graphic designer should utilize pictures and images at 300 DPI. You CAN NOT take a low resolution image and place it in a high resolution art. It loses quality. Any image or picture on the web is most likely low-resolution and can't be used for print design. We ahve seen too many customers that simply pull images and pictures off the web and submit for print. DPI stand for Dots Per Inch, the higher the number the more "Dots" are present per inch allowing the image to be crisper, clearer and sharper. Monitors are low resolution, so the way an image looks on your monitor it will NOT print the way you see on your screen!!
2. RGB vs. CMYK Those are two different ways color information is being used. RGB (Red, Green, Black) is mainly used on the web. CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key(Black)) is the 4 color process used for printing. The color models are very different and when you design in RGB and it will be converted to CMYK for printing the color information can be very different. Your reds may become more pink or purple, the blacks may have some blue, and so on. Unfortunately in our process and fast turnaround we DO NOT provide color matching and proofs. If you require color matching and proofs, you can request it at an additional charge, it will also add additional processing time to your order.
3. Incorrect Layout Your artwork has to be designed to the specs of print material you ordered. If you order a 4x6 flyer the flyer has to be formatted for a 4x6 flyer. We have seen too many customers simply design a flyer which is totally formatted incorrectly and the order had to be placed on hold until it was corrected. If you order Print-only, you are responsible to provide the files print-ready meaning that we take your designed files and print directly off your design. We will only verify for correctness and process for printing, however we will NOT reformat your designs unless you have requested to do so for an additional charge.
4. Bleed A bleed is required to print your files. The bleed prevents from any text or live areas been cut off when the flyers are being cut to size. If you do not design with a bleed you may have text or live area cut off. So it is imperative that you design with the bleed in place. We are not responsible in case that your print material has any live area cut off due to a missing bleed.
Please make a note of these key points as we will NOT provide any refunds are reprints if any of the above cases occur. If you order Print-Only we expect that you submit the correct files to us. If you do not know how, you may order a design from Printin48.com or you can have our design team correct it for you at an additional cost.
Also please do not assume that we will fix any issue because we will NOT. We will simply place a hold on your order and instruct you to fix it. If you order is being delayed because of any above mentioned issue, we will NOT issue any refunds as you are made aware of the specifications before ordering.
Metallic Foil Design
Metallic Foil is a very different process and it is VERY imperative that you follow these guidelines as we only print Foil once a week (every Wednesday) and if your file prep is incorrect and you missed the deadline you will have to wait an additional 7 days for reprint. The foil process takes 2 - 3 business days so it could mean 10 days!
In order to print with foil a specific file prep requirement is necessary please be sure you adhere to these requirement otherwise your job will not be able to print.
Your artwork will have to be in CMYK
You will need to create a new spot channel and name it Silver Foil
Use the color CM at 35% and 100% and specify the regions
If you already have an Alpha Channel and need to convert it to a spot channel and rename it Silver Foil. You may have to invert the image
You will have to save the files as DCS2 file for color separation
Be sure to check on the spot color option (if you do not have the option then the spot channel has not been created.) No other options checked.
We will do the conversion of your existing artwork for $50
