File Guidelines

The following guidelines can be applied to just about any product. For very specific products such as business cards, brochures, saddle-stitched booklets, and perfect bound books, please see the appropriate guidelines. For everything else, the below guidelines will get you started.

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF. We do not accept JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi. Less than that may severely affect image quality.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.125″ on all sides. If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our Placing an Order FAQ. Please note that envelopes cannot have bleed.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin.
• Please note that not all typefaces will print well at less than 8pt size. If your document contains very small type (such as for business cards), we highly advise paying for a printed proof.
• Send all pieces at their proper finished sizes, plus the bleed, if applicable. For example, a standard full-bleed business card file should have dimensions of 2.25″ x 3.75″. Do not place the card in the middle of an 8.5″ x 11″ file.
• Send all files as single consecutive pages with no printer’s marks whatsoever, and no imposition. Please include your bleed margin.
• If sending Adobe Illustrator files, please outline all fonts and embed all images before sending.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. If you are using Adobe Typekit fonts, they will not package but should automatically be added to our software when the document is opened.

Business Cards

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF. We do not accept JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi. Less than that may severely affect image quality.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.125″ on all sides. If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin.
• Please note that not all typefaces will print well at less than 8pt size. If your document contains very small type (such as for business cards), we highly advise paying for a printed proof.
• Send all pieces at their proper finished sizes, plus the bleed, if applicable. For example, a standard full-bleed business card file should have dimensions of 2.25″ x 3.75″. Do not place the card in the middle of an 8.5″ x 11″ file.
• Send all files as single consecutive pages with no printer’s marks whatsoever, and no imposition. Please include your bleed margin.
• If sending Adobe Illustrator files, please outline all fonts and embed all images before sending.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. If you are using Adobe Typekit fonts, they will not package but should automatically be added to our software when the document is opened.

Postcards

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF. We do not accept JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi. Less than that may severely affect image quality.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.125″ on all sides. If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin.
• Please note that not all typefaces will print well at less than 8pt size. If your document contains very small type (such as for business cards), we highly advise paying for a printed proof.
• Send all pieces at their proper finished sizes, plus the bleed, if applicable. For example, a standard full-bleed postcard file should have dimensions of 4.25″ x 6.25″. Do not place the card in the middle of an 8.5″ x 11″ file.
• Send all files as single consecutive pages with no printers’ marks whatsoever, and no imposition. Please include your bleed margin.
• If sending Adobe Illustrator files, please outline all fonts and embed all images before sending.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. If you are using Adobe Typekit fonts, they will not package but should automatically be added to our software when the document is opened.

Saddle-Stitched Booklets

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF. We do not accept JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
• Your document page size should be set to the size of a single page. This is crucial for proper page imposition. For example, for a half-size booklet, your page size should be set to 8.5″ x 5.5″. You do not want a small page in the middle of an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi. Less than that may severely affect image quality.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.125″ on the Top, Bottom, and Outside edges only. The inside bleed margin should be set to 0. This is where the document will be folded.If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our What Are Bleeds page.
• Your page count must be divisible by 4. Some common page counts are 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48. We recommend making a physical mock-up of your booklet, starting with the front cover, so you can easily see where pages will fall. If your page count is not divisible by 4, we will have to add blank pages to make the page count work out.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin.
• Send all files as single consecutive pages with no printers’ marks whatsoever, and no imposition. Please include your bleed margin.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. If you are using Adobe Typekit fonts, they will not package but should automatically be added to our software when the document is opened.

Folded Cards

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF. We do not accept JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi. Less than that may severely affect image quality.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• Set your file up as the flat size. For example, a 5″ x 7″ folded will be 10″ x 7″ flat, with the back of the card being on the left, and the front of the card being on the right. Set a guide in half of the layout to easily see where the fold will go and arrange your artwork accordingly. This will also make it easier to see how bleed functions in an item that will be folded.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.125″ on the top, bottom, and outside edges. The middle of the layout, where the fold is, does not need bleed. If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our Placing an Order FAQ. Please note that envelopes cannot have bleed.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin.
• Please note that not all typefaces will print well at less than 8pt size. If your document contains very small type (such as for business cards), we highly advise paying for a printed proof.
• Send all pieces at their proper finished sizes, plus the bleed, if applicable. For example, a standard full-bleed 5″ x 7″ file should have dimensions of 7.25″ x 10.25″. Do not place the card in the middle of an 8.5″ x 11″ file.
• Send all files as either one (if the inside of the card is blank) or two pages (if the inside of the card is printed)  with no printer’s marks whatsoever, and no imposition. Please include your bleed margin.
• If sending Adobe Illustrator files, please outline all fonts and embed all images before sending.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. If you are using Adobe Typekit fonts, they will not package but should automatically be added to our software when the document is opened.

Paperback Books

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF.
• Your document page size should be set to the size of a single page. This is crucial for proper page imposition. For example, for a half-size book, your page size should be set to 8.5″ x 5.5″. You do not want a small page in the middle of an 8.5″ x 11″ file.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi. Less than that may severely affect image quality.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.125 on the top, bottom, and outside edges. For the inside edge, please keep bleeds 0.03125″ (1/32″) from the bind edge to allow better adhesiveness of the glue (this is called “grind-off”). If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• Your page count must be divisible by 2. Some common page counts are 80, 100, 124, and 150. If your page count is not divisible by 2, we will need to add blank pages to make the page count work out.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet, minimum. For easy reading, we recommend text margins of 0.5″, but this is personal preference. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin. It is also helpful to set your inner margins larger than your outer margins for perfect-bound books to accommodate the binding.
• Send your interior pages and cover as separate files. The interior should be sent as single consecutive pages with no printers’ marks whatsoever, and no imposition. Please include your bleed margin. For the cover, we will need to calculate the proper spine width according to the specifications of the job. Please ask us for this measurement before finalizing the cover.
• We will put a hinge score on your book cover. This is generally 0.25″ on either side of the two scores for the spine. We recommend keeping important text such as the book title and author name at least 0.25″ from the hinge score.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. Make sure your package includes an .IDML file.
• We may be able to bind as small a page count as 40, but this may cause complications. If you have a very low page count that you need perfect bound, please contact us before placing your order. Very thin spines cannot have printing on them.

Letterpress File Guidelines

Digital Files for Letterpress Printing

• Letterpress printing is best suited to and widely used for line art. For this reason, we prefer working from vector-based images rather than raster. For more information on vector vs. raster images, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• We prefer PDFs for print with all fonts embedded or an EPS file with the type outlined. We also accept packaged AI files. We will never accept a JPEG, PNG, or PSD file for letterpress work. If your design does include imagery, please make sure that it is in bitmap mode, it is as high resolution as possible (600-1200 dpi), and saved as a TIFF file with LZW compression.
• We require 0.125″ inch bleed margins where necessary and 0.25″ inch text margins for jobs using polymer plates. Please send us your files sized with your intended finished dimensions, with bleed margins added when applicable. Please do not include crop marks or gang up your design(s).
• Please note that there is a minimum thickness for lines and dots when using polymer plates. Hair lines will absolutely not work, and we recommend using at least a 0.25 point thickness or larger. Pay careful attention to calligraphic typefaces or swirly designs with varied line widths. Some serif fonts may include crossbars that are too thin even though the font size makes the cut. For dots, we recommend at least a 1 pt diameter. Look out for the dots on “i”s, “j”s, and periods! Make sure all type is 8pt or larger.
• For spot color jobs, please give us the appropriate Pantone spot spot color selected from the Solid Uncoated book. Note that we are not able to match Pantone colors for foil stamping.

General Guidelines

• It is not necessary to reverse your artwork yourself. Please send all your files so that your text and imagery is “right-reading” (as opposed to backwards). The artwork will be reversed as is necessary during the plate-making process or in the composition phase. Both you as the client and we as your printers need to have a clear understanding of the order— this is why we ask that artwork is sent right-reading and all files are sized at their intended finished dimensions.
• For one-color jobs, please use only 100% Black (K) in CMYK mode. CM and Y will have 0% values and K will have 100%.
• For multi-color jobs, use Pantone Uncoated Solid spot colors only. We cannot accept files in RGB, CMYK, LAB, or Indexed color modes for multi-color jobs.

Oversize/Signage Files

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF. We do not accept JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi at the finished size. Scaling small artwork up to a large format will cause extreme pixelation.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.25″ on each side. If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our What Are Bleeds page.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin.
• Send all pieces at their proper finished sizes, plus the bleed, if applicable. 
• Send all files as single consecutive pages with no printer’s marks whatsoever, and no imposition. Please include your bleed margin.
• If sending Adobe Illustrator files, please outline all fonts and embed all images before sending.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. If you are using Adobe Typekit fonts, they will not package but should automatically be added to our software when the document is opened.

Vinyl Banners

• Our preferred file type is a high resolution PDF. We do not accept JPG, PNG, or GIF files.
• All print-ready images should be 300dpi at the finished size. Scaling small artwork up to a large format will cause extreme pixelation.
• All color images should be set to CMYK. If you send us RGB images, they will be automatically converted to CMYK, and there may be a color shift. For more information on RGB vs. CMYK, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• If your document has a bleed, it must extend the finished size by 0.5″ on all sides. If you do not know what a bleed is, please see our Placing an Order FAQ.
• All text must be within 0.25″ from the edge of the sheet. Please note, this is measured from the edge of the finished size, not the bleed margin.
• Send all pieces at their proper finished sizes, plus the bleed, if applicable. 
• Send all files as single consecutive pages with no printer’s marks whatsoever, and no dots specifying grommet placement; we will show these things in the proof we send to you. Please include your bleed margin.
• If sending Adobe Illustrator files, please outline all fonts and embed all images before sending.
• If sending Adobe InDesign files, use the File -> Package function to collect all of the fonts and images. If you do not do this, your project will not open properly on our computer. If you are using Adobe Typekit fonts, they will not package but should automatically be added to our software when the document is opened.