File Setup

Correct Size

When creating your file it is inherent that you create the file at the size of the product you’re printing. For example, if you’re printing an A5 leaflet, its finished size is 148x210mm, so your canvas size will be the same size.

Bleed

Bleed is the extra space around the outside of your document that will be cut off when trimming. We recommend a minimum of 3mm bleed for all printing (unless specified).

Correct bleed will ensure there’s no white edge if the guillotine cuts slightly off.

Bleed needs to be enabled in three places:

In your document set up
The artwork or image needs to extend 3mm further than the trim.
In the ‘Export PDF’ job settings.

Margins (Quiet Zone)

A quiet zone should always be considered when setting up your file. Margin set-up is dependent on your product.

Make sure all your important info is out of the quiet zone to ensure no info is trimmed off or bound. The recommended quiet zone is generally 5mm from the trim edge but can differ on other products.

Colour (CMYK)

We can handle CMYK, RGB or PANTONE colours.Pantone or PMS Colours are the best way of matching colours on many different print methods and substrates.

Fonts are embedded or converted to curves/paths

When you create a PDF version of your designed file, a copy of each necessary font is added to the PDF file itself. This process is known as embedding. Regardless of where this PDF is opened, whether it is on your computer or another person's computer, all of the correct fonts will be there and will render properly.

The other way which will avoid ANY issues regarding fonts is to convert them all to curves or paths.

It's super easy to check whether fonts have been embedded in your pdf:

Open PDF file
Click File > Document Properties (Shortcut Ctrl + D or Cmd + D)
Click on the Fonts tab to display the list of all fonts
All fonts are either Type 1 (not supported by Adobe as of 2023) or TrueType
All fonts should show as Embedded Subset

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact us.