At John Brailsford Printers we always want you to get great results from your artwork and files supplied. We are always happy to give you guidance on preparing files or offer you a quotation to create the design and typesetting for you. We have listed below our most frequently asked questions.
Still unsure? If you have any questions about your artwork then please do not hesitate to call our studio guys, as we will always find a way of working with your artwork.
Document Size
Your document size must be the finished size plus bleed for images that extend off the page.
What is bleed?
Any part of the design that is required to go to the very edge of the paper is said to “bleed”. Printing is often done on a larger paper size and then trimmed down to the final size later. To allow for small variations in the printing position, any design elements that bleed should be extended beyond the edge by 3mm.
Check the product description for the correct sizes
Common paper sizes
Your files
If you are supplying your files in anything other than a PDF format, then please include all images, fonts and graphics that you have used within your document.
Images
Remember with pictures that the higher quality (dpi – dots per inch or resolution) the better they will print. As a rule of thumb scans or images should be at 300dpi and at 100% of the printed size. Images from websites and other screen sources tend to be of low quality, typically 72dpi because they are created for screen viewing. These are still printable; although the finished print will appear blurred and unprofessional.
If you’re scanning photos yourself, save them as either JPG, EPS or TIFF files to get the best colour and clarity. Always scan at 300dpi at the size you’re going to use the images at and remember to convert the images from RGB to CMYK.
Layout
All artwork should be supplied one piece or page of artwork per sheet. We do not require you to repeat your artwork on the sheet for printing.
Multiple Pages & Booklets
For any document with multiple pages please send as a single PDF file with each page on the PDF file being a page on the document.
For example: A4 double sided leaflet : Page 1 = the front and Page 2 = the back. Our software will convert individual pages into the required page layout.
Colour Specifications
For optimum colour reproduction, we require all colours/images to be saved in CMYK colour format. Some software such as Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word do not support CMYK colours. Although we can still print these files, we can’t however guarantee accurate colour proofing and final colour match from these applications.
When printing CMYK use 100% black only for text and line work as this will ensure that there are no dots on the edge of your text. For full or heavy black coverage we recommend using 100% K & 30% Cyan as this helps deepen the black. Avoid tints of less than 10% of C, M, Y or K as they can print much lighter than they appear on your screen. For best results go for 20% – 50% tints.
Printing on different paper stocks will affect the colours – a colour that looks ultra glossy and vibrant on coated paper will look slightly muted and soft when printed on matt paper.
Layout Tips
It is important when considering the design of a job, to not only take into account the overall look, but also the practicality with regard to whether it can be printed, guillotined and bound or folded. We are always available to give advice along the way, but following the artwork hints and tips above will help us provide you with a great finished product with the minimum of delay.
Wire Binding
It is recommended to allow a 10 mm margin on artwork edges to avoid content being punched by the binding wires.
Enlarging your artwork
If you have A4 size artwork that needs reducing to A5 size or A4 size enlarging to A3 size or similar, we can easily reduce or enlarge your PDF file for you at the printing stage, just let us know in the notes box at the checkout.
Supplying Proofs and a Mock-up
For complicated orders and to ensure that we print your files as you expect, we prefer that you supply us with final black and white or colour printouts. Our studio will check your files against these visually to make sure that our output looks the same, if possible it is also helpful to supply us with a mock-up. This will give us information on for instance, which order the pages go in, which way up each page is to be printed and also how the job is to be folded.
Following receipt of your files, we will check them to ensure that they are OK for our requirements. If you request it, we will then output a colour digital proof of your job and this will be sent to you in PDF email format. We can also print out proof copies for you to collect from our Rotherham shop. Because of the different processes involved between the way a digital proof is produced and the process used to print your file, proofs sent by email digitally, can only be used as a good guide for colour but are completely accurate as to content. The approved proofs should then be returned to us to enable us to pass the job into our print production department. Typical turnaround is from when we receive your proof approval.
Special considerations when using Microsoft Office programs
Microsoft Office Word and similar programs can adjust itself to your printer and the printer margins and as soon as you transfer a Word document from one computer to another, the document can reflow, using the new computer’s and printer’s parameters. That’s why line and page break changes between computers and a document can look completely different on our screens compared to yours. Choose "save as a PDF file" to make a PDF from your Word file for us to use to help avoid these problems.
We can also prepare your layout, typesetting and create logos and graphics, our experienced studio guys can provide creative, interesting and professional layouts, faster and cheaper than doing it yourself. We will professionally typeset your copy, place your images and logos and send you a colour proof for approval. Typical artwork, typesetting and layout charges start at £40.00 per hour. If you require extensive creative work, we will always be happy to provide you with a quotation.