Technical Advice         

Technical Advice

Sending us your files

We can accept your files on CD, DVD, Zip Disk, USB Flash disk, Email or via direct download over the internet. If sending via email, please send to artwork @ 1stopprint.co.uk and if possible put the name of the staff member who you spoke to in the Subject field, along with a contact number and your order number if you have one.

Software Supported

We currently use PC systems for all design and print work. We have and use the following software:

  • CorelDraw *preferred*
  • Serif PagePlus
  • Illustrator
  • Photoshop
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft  Excel
  • Microsoft  Powerpoint
  • Microsoft  Publisher

We can accept files in most common formats, including;

  • Adobe PDF *preferred* (.pdf)
  • Bitmaps (.jpg, .bmp, .png, etc.)
  • EPS (.ps, .eps)

Important

For good print quality, your files must be in CMYK colour mode and at a minimum resolution of 300dpi (600dpi for best print quality). Your files must also follow the below outlined guidelines to ensure they are printed as accurately as possible.

Document Sizes

Please ensure you design your document at 100% of the intended print size. We can reduce and enlarge your files but this can lead to loss of quality. Below are some common sizes and their dimensions in millimetres:

  • Business Card - 86mm x 54mm
  • A6 - 148mm x 105mm
  • A5- 210mm x 148mm
  • DL - 210mm x 99mm
  • A4 - 297mm x 210mm
  • A3 - 420mm x 297mm
  • A2 - 594mm x 420mm
  • A1 - 841mm x 594mm
  • A0 - 1189mm x 841mm

Images

Ideally all images used in your artwork should be at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi at 100% print size. Most images you may have copied or saved from the internet will likely be at 72dpi, which prints very badly showing a lot of pixelation (loss of detail and quality in general).

Fonts

To reduce problems with fonts in your files (we may not have the fonts you use, therefore they appear missing when we open your file), we advise you convert all text to shapes/curves/outlines. Alternatively you can also send us any fonts used in your publication along with your artwork file, but this may not be allowed depending on the font license. Font files on most Windows based PCs can be found in the C:\Windows\Fonts folder, they need to be copied and sent to us along with your file.

Bleeding

We require a minimum 2mm bleed on all artworks which contain text/graphics/colours going to the edge. This is a 2mm overflow of any background colour/image which spreads to the edge of the page. Please search on Google for further guides and instructions. Please also keep all vital content at least 5mm away from the cutting edge.

Spot Colour Jobs

Please supply the following files when sending us your publication:

  • Your Pantone references must be the same at all times. Ie. if you saved a logo in Illustrator with a CVU suffix you must use this suffix throughout your publication (i.e. not CVC or CV etc).
  • A Colour Palette which consists of all spot colours you are using.

RGB or CMYK images will not separate in to spot colours.

The following programmes are not suitable for spot colour output. We will treat their files as CMYK (4 Colour).

  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Powerpoint
  • Microsoft Publisher

If you have any questions about the way we handle your files please contact us.