If you are a new business or throwing your first event, chances are there are some tips you are not aware of once you have selected a print company to complete your print marketing. Designing for online assets can be relatively easy and straightforward. Design ready printing means something completely different. We’ve put some tips together to ensure that printing is not such a daunting task and ensure your print design is ready for success.
Save as a High-Quality PDF
The best file format to submit your printing request is a high quality PDF. While online assets can work with JPG or PNG files, for physical print a PDF is best. In addition, a high-quality PDF file ensures there are no compatibility issues when it comes to your printing.
Ensure You Use High Resolution Images
When designing your printing, you should ensure you use high resolution images. This will no doubt increase the files size of your design. In addition, this will take up valuable space on your computer’s hard drive. However, it is imperative to the final quality of your printing. If this is your first printing job, be aware of one important fact. Final results of your printing may look very different to the design on your computer screen. Why you ask? The images and colours that you selected for your print design using your design software can vary dramatically when it comes to the final print result. Therefore, it is always best to ensure you always use high resolution images. For best results, it is recommended that all designs are sent over in 300 dpi (dots per inch).
Include Crop Marks & Bleeds in Your Designs
The goal of attaining the perfect print job is always number one. However, getting the perfect print finish is difficult if you are attempting to do so without the addition of bleeds. For reference, a bleed in design means the space that needs to be left between the edge of your print and what is called the bleed line. Therefore, incorporating bleeds into your design means you give your print room for imperfections that could occur during the print job.
The reduction of any movement whatsoever during the printing process is almost impossible. However, adding a bleed line you can trim down the print to the finished size and get exactly the results you are looking for. Bleed lines should be placed between 2-5mm from the edge of your print and indicated through the use of crop marks.
Repeatedly Proof Your Work!
Here is where the stark difference between online assets and print assets are obvious. For online assets, errors can be fixed relatively quickly and any customer facing assets can be quickly replaced. However, for print marketing this is not a luxury you have. Errors can be costly even if assets haven’t been distributed. If your assets have been distributed already then it is hard to correct. Mistakes can prove costly in many regards to put right.
We are all prone to making a mistake here and there. However, it is vitally important to ensure you have a thorough proofing process in place before sending across your artwork. The best way to do this is to ensure multiple parties and stakeholders review your design before you proceed with a printer. The more eyes reviewing, the more chances of avoiding mistakes. Having someone removed from the direct design will bring fresh eyes to the review and more likely to catch errors that someone more intimate with the project would miss.
Take Advantage of Design Templates
It can be difficult to know whether you have designed your print artwork to all of the required specifications. This is especially true if you are not a professional designer by trade. In addition, each printed product requires its own specific specification and guidelines. Therefore, it makes artwork submission on multiple projects tricky. Kaizen Print understands the difficulty of ensuring that your print designs are submission ready. We provide a suite of design templates to make life easier for those questioning their design skills or are unfamiliar with the requirements.
Various templates can be found on our design templates page. We have a wide range of design templates for a large number of different print products. You will find templates for PVC Banner Printing, Business Cards, Letterhead, Magnetic Signs, Presentation Folders, Leaflets, Foamex Printing, Notepads, Stickers, Flyers and so much more! All templates are handy PDFs that can be easily downloaded. If you still have questions, be sure to get in touch. We will be more than happy to answer any queries you may have.
Get Your Printing Done at Kaizen Print
Kaizen Print is a high quality printer based in Belfast. We have offices in Omagh Enniskillen, Dublin and Letterkenny. We’ve been in the printing business for over ten years. We have been helping businesses of all sizes with their printing solutions in Belfast and throughout Northern Ireland. In addition, we have a team of expert designers who can help you with your project’s design. Don’t hesitate to call with any questions to make sure you have design ready printing. Take your print marketing to the next level. Contact Kaizen Print by email via our contact form or by calling 028 9002 2474.
