Print-Ready Artwork Specifications

To ensure your designs print perfectly every time, it’s essential to provide artwork that meets professional production standards. Below are our guidelines for submitting print-ready files:

File Format

• Preferred file types: PDF (high resolution), EPS, or AI

  • If submitting .eps or .ai files, ensure they are packaged to include all fonts and images. Alternatively, fonts can be outlined if the file does not contain any images.

• In some cases, acceptable alternatives include: JPEG or PNG (minimum 300 dpi).

PDF Files are Preferred for Printing

PDF (Portable Document Format) files are ideal for printing purposes due to several key features:

Universal Compatibility: PDF files can be opened and viewed on any device or platform without losing formatting. This ensures that the document appears the same on every screen or printer, regardless of the software or hardware being used.

Preservation of Design Elements: PDFs maintain the integrity of fonts, images, colours, and layouts exactly as designed. This ensures that all design elements will appear correctly when printed, which is crucial for high-quality print materials like logos, brochures, and business cards.

Embedded Fonts and Images: Unlike some file formats, PDFs can embed fonts and images within the file itself. This guarantees that even if the printer doesn’t have the specific font installed, it will still print correctly.

Resolution Independence: PDFs support vector graphics, which can scale to any size without losing quality. This makes PDFs especially useful for printing high-resolution images and sharp, crisp text.

Compression Options: PDFs can be optimized for print quality by reducing file size without significantly sacrificing quality. This helps ensure that the file is manageable for printers, while maintaining a high standard of clarity.

Print-Specific Settings: PDFs support features like CMYK color models, bleed, and crop marks, all of which are necessary for professional printing.

These features make PDFs the preferred format for printing, providing consistency, quality, and ease of use.

JPEG, TIFF, PNG, VECTOR

What’s the difference?

File Formats

JPEG - Image saved in compressed graphic format so it can be stored or sent by email easily. For web usage, where reducing amount of data used for an image is important for responsive presentation. JPEG is also most common format saved by digital cameras. JPEG is not well suited for line drawings and other graphics, where the sharp contrasts between pixels can cause noticeable artifacts (rough edges).

The typical use of JPEG is a lossy compression method, which reduces the image fidelity and unable to scale to a larger size.

TIFF - Is a computer file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, publishing industry and photographers. TIFF is widely supported by scanning,image manipulation, desktop publishing, and page-layout applications.

PNG - Designed for transferring images on the Internet, not for professional quality print graphics. A PNG file contains a single image in extensible structure of “chunks”.

EPS - PostScript image file format that is compatible for transferring files between various graphics

applications. EPS files contain PostScript code, which is used for storing font and vector image information. Vector images are usually drawings created by programs such as Adobe Illustrator. EPS files also include a rasterized version of the image used for previewing the contents of the file. EPS is scalable and retains proper colours such as pantone. EPS is best for print.

Packaging Your InDesign / Illustrator Files

When submitting an InDesign/ Illustrator file, follow these steps to ensure all necessary assets are included:

1. Save Your File

   • Save your final InDesign project with a clear, descriptive name (e.g., ProjectName_Final.indd).

2. Package the File

   • Go to File > Package in InDesign/ Illustrator.

   • In the Summary window, ensure all linked assets and fonts are included.

   • Click Package and select a destination folder.

3. Include All Links and Fonts

   • The package will create a folder containing your InDesign file, a Links folder (for images and other assets), and a Fonts folder.

4. Check the Report

   • A Printing Instructions.txt file will also be generated. Review this report for any warnings or missing items.

5. Compress the Package

   • Zip the entire folder to ensure nothing gets lost during file transfer.

6. Submit

   • Send the compressed file via our “Quote Form” or email.