Accepted Media
We can accept the following media: CD, DVD, Zip disk, USB Flash Drive. Files up to approximately 10mb can be sent via email to: artwork@colourstudios.co.uk, or you can upload files to our FTP via the link on our website . We can also accept files via ISDN at 01761 430001
Preferred File Formats
Both Apple Macintosh and PC files are fine. Wherever possible we prefer files saved in their native format, for example:
Quark XPress .qxd or .qxp
Adobe Illustrator .ai or .eps
Adobe InDesign .indd or .inx
Adobe Photoshop .tif or .eps or .psd
Macromedia Freehand (up to Freehand MX)
Other Formats
A Press Optimised PDF is fine providing bleed and crop marks are included on the document and all fonts are embedded. If you have other files and formats please call as we can often find a way to extract a useable file type.
When sending work via ISDN or FTP, please call beforehand. Files sent via ISDN and FTP should be placed in a folder with your company name and date as the folder name. Any work that arrives via ISDN or FTP can not be booked into production without any written instructions.
Proofing
We always supply a PDF proof via email as a compulsory stage of our production process. Please be aware the PDF proofs are generally low res and cannot be used as a colour accurate comparison to the final output. We can not accept liability for any errors not identified by the customer once a PDF proof has been signed off for production. Subsequent customer alterations, proofs and any prints will be charged additionally. Hard proofs are not normally supplied, but are available on request, and are subject to an additional charge.
Submitting your Order
Please send, fax or email us an official job order with clear written instructions along with a PDF or printed proof (inkjet or laser) of the artwork. Remember that in the absence of your printed or PDF proof, we can only assume that your digital artwork is correct as received.
Please include all fonts and placed images. Fonts will also be required for text in imported/placed/linked artwork/graphics including EPS files, unless previously converted to outlines/paths. If you have prepared your artwork in Quark XPress, check in the “Picture Usage…” dialog box that all placed pictures have a status of “OK” and not “Modified” or “Missing”.
Where possible it is good practice to use prepress packaging commands such as “Collect for Output” (Quark Xpress), this copies and collects all linked fonts and images into one folder.
Please label any disks with a job name or reference to prevent any confusion with other artwork.
We may not be able to honour quoted times and deadlines where artwork is not submitted according to these guidelines.
Page Setup and Sizes
We recommend that where possible, you produce your artwork at actual size. However, depending on the size of your application and your choice of software, document sizes may be restricted.
If it’s not possible to produce artwork at actual size you can reduce your artwork to half or quarter size. Please ensure that when creating reduced artwork, everything including image resolutions is in proportion to the final output size.
When preparing designs for tiled documents i.e. pop-ups or Flexi Banners, the document should ideally be produced as a spread of pages with the artwork placed across it. We advise that you may want to avoid putting text across joins. If this is unavoidable and compromising to your design, please ensure that joins fall between letters or words.
Where artwork meets the edge of your document please provide at least a 5mm bleed outside of the document boundaries.
Imported Graphics
All imported or placed artwork should be in CMYK colour mode - please see the “Colour Usage” section. Raster images (e.g. photos, Photoshop files) should be between 70 and 300 dpi at actual printed size. We prefer raster images to be uncompressed TIFF or EPS format. Please do not submit or place JPEGs or other compressed formats.
Always use the highest quality originals and best quality scanning facilities available for large format prints. Carefully check your scans for dust and scratches as these may be magnified many times on the final print. Images taken on a digital camera can sometimes be unsuitable depending on the quality of the camera. Please ensure that all digital photography is high resolution and not of a low compression ratio.
We offer a professional drum scanning service, up to true 8000 dpi. Prices are dependent on size and quantity, please call for a quote.
If you have used clipping paths please use EPS format files instead of TIFF. Do not use the clipping path facility in Quark XPress, as this can produce unreliable results. Create clipping paths in Adobe Photoshop and save the images in EPS format before importing them into your document. Any clipping masks created in vector graphics can remain as they are.
For vector graphics (including Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand), we recommend that your vector artwork should be saved in EPS format.
Any complex transparencies or large graduated areas of colour should ideally be rasterised. To achieve optimum results we recommend that all graduations should be produced in Adobe Photoshop with level 2-3 noise and then placed as a flat image in your document.
Fonts
Please supply all the fonts that you have used in your artwork including any used in imported or placed graphics, and include both printer and screen fonts where applicable.
To avoid font issues when using Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand, convert all text to outlines or paths. It is also good practice to save your original file separately before converting, as you will not be able to edit the text once converted to outlines/paths.
Colour Usage
To avoid colour variations all work should be produced using CMYK colours only, including all imported or placed graphics, gradients, filters, effects and Pantone colours. If you have used spot colours in the design, convert them to CMYK. Check imported or placed graphics such as EPS, Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand files as these may contain spot colours. Duotone and RGB images should therefore be converted to CMYK as they may produce unexpected results.
As our large format printers use CMYK process we are unable to exactly reproduce specific Pantone or spot colours. If your artwork contains a Pantone colour and you require accurate Pantone colour matching, we advise you to refer to a Pantone Solid to Process guide. However, this is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. We can advise on a case by case basis when you call.
We do offer a colour matching service which is charged at a standard artworking rate of £40 per hour.
Pre-Print Checklist and Quality Control
As part of our large format printing workflow, we check each
stage of the process to ensure the quality of your final print.
These stages include:
Page size is correct
No images or links are reported missing in ‘picture usage’ or when opening files
No fonts are reported missing in ‘font usage’ or when opening files
All elements are in CMYK colour mode
Technical errors
General layout is checked against your proof
Soft screen proof
Paper and print quality
If your job fails to satisfy any of these quality control stages, we will call or email you in order to agree a fix.
Artwork Templates
Artwork templates are available to assist you in the preparation of your artwork. Please call us to discuss the package you are using and we can supply an appropriate template.
And Finally
Please remember that we are here to help, so if you have any queries regarding the preparation of artwork please call us for friendly practical advice.
