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What Platform should I use?
PDQ supports both MAC and PC platforms.
What programs can I use?
We support: Quark, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Corel, Serif Pageplus, PageMaker, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint and no doubt a few others. We also fully support and accept PDF. More of this later (see PDF Workflow).
How should I supply the artwork?
Work can be written to: CD, DVD, Memory Sticks and IPods etc are all acceptable, we also have broadband Email (artwork@pdqprint.co.uk)
PDF Workflow
The ‘holy grail’ of the print industry has to be the seamless transfer of ‘useful’ electronic files from one machine to another. In many ways the Adobe PDF standard addresses this need BUT the pdf must follow certain rules. For a start ALL fonts should to be included and all images should be at 300dpi. Unfortunately the success of the pdf standard has served to distract from the requirements of the print industry with the inevitable consequence that, it is not just possible, but almost certain, that the majority of pdf’s created are unfit for litho print purposes! If you would like to use pdf as input to ourselves please ask for advice first. However, given a ‘good’ print-ready pdf we can pre-flight it, correct colour profiles, remove potential printing errors and all with a high degree of automation and accuracy. PDF/X is the recognised standard for the exchange of graphic files.
What about text in my work?
A copy of the fonts you have used should always be supplied together with a copy of what you expect the
PDQ supports both MAC and PC platforms.
What programs can I use?
We support: Quark, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Corel, Serif Pageplus, PageMaker, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint and no doubt a few others. We also fully support and accept PDF. More of this later (see PDF Workflow).
How should I supply the artwork?
Work can be written to: CD, DVD, Memory Sticks and IPods etc are all acceptable, we also have broadband Email (artwork@pdqprint.co.uk)
PDF Workflow
The ‘holy grail’ of the print industry has to be the seamless transfer of ‘useful’ electronic files from one machine to another. In many ways the Adobe PDF standard addresses this need BUT the pdf must follow certain rules. For a start ALL fonts should to be included and all images should be at 300dpi. Unfortunately the success of the pdf standard has served to distract from the requirements of the print industry with the inevitable consequence that, it is not just possible, but almost certain, that the majority of pdf’s created are unfit for litho print purposes! If you would like to use pdf as input to ourselves please ask for advice first. However, given a ‘good’ print-ready pdf we can pre-flight it, correct colour profiles, remove potential printing errors and all with a high degree of automation and accuracy. PDF/X is the recognised standard for the exchange of graphic files.
What about text in my work?
A copy of the fonts you have used should always be supplied together with a copy of what you expect the
finished document to look like. Alternatively, you can supply a PDF (see above)
What about images/photos in my work?
Always supply an electronic copy of any image used in your work as a separate file, try not to “embed” images in your work, link them instead. All scans should be correctly sized and orientated prior to use in your document. This should be done within a program such as “Photoshop”. All scans should be presented at a resolution of “300 DPI” (300 dots per inch) if you are to expect a good quality crisp output. It used to be the case that we insisted on CMYK images. However, time marches on and given that RGB has a greater colour gamut than CMYK you may prefer to work in RGB. We are OK with this just as long as you appreciate that at some stage such images will need to be converted to CMYK. If you don't know the implications of this don't worry or you can always ask us to explain (see below).
What about colour in my work?
Colour can vary dramatically. Every element: screen, scanner, printer and paper having its own colour profile. The only way to control this is to “calibrate” your system to take note of our press profiles (we conform to FOGRA27). It is a complex technical subject but if your expectations are high, arguably higher than a ‘fit for purpose’ approach then you will need to invest both time and money. If you are at all unsure about how your colours will come out ask us for a colour proof. This colour proof will be either a digital laser proof and should be seen as a good indication of final colour match not an exact copy or you can have a colour matched inkjet proof at some additional cost. The ultimate is a sheet directly from the press!
What about images/photos in my work?
Always supply an electronic copy of any image used in your work as a separate file, try not to “embed” images in your work, link them instead. All scans should be correctly sized and orientated prior to use in your document. This should be done within a program such as “Photoshop”. All scans should be presented at a resolution of “300 DPI” (300 dots per inch) if you are to expect a good quality crisp output. It used to be the case that we insisted on CMYK images. However, time marches on and given that RGB has a greater colour gamut than CMYK you may prefer to work in RGB. We are OK with this just as long as you appreciate that at some stage such images will need to be converted to CMYK. If you don't know the implications of this don't worry or you can always ask us to explain (see below).
What about colour in my work?
Colour can vary dramatically. Every element: screen, scanner, printer and paper having its own colour profile. The only way to control this is to “calibrate” your system to take note of our press profiles (we conform to FOGRA27). It is a complex technical subject but if your expectations are high, arguably higher than a ‘fit for purpose’ approach then you will need to invest both time and money. If you are at all unsure about how your colours will come out ask us for a colour proof. This colour proof will be either a digital laser proof and should be seen as a good indication of final colour match not an exact copy or you can have a colour matched inkjet proof at some additional cost. The ultimate is a sheet directly from the press!
If you don’t prepare - are you prepared to fail?
Bleed
If your image is not white on all four sides, you must include an 5mm bleed on all sides. For example, if your file is – 210mm x 297, your canvas size needs to be 220 x 307 (or 5mm extra on all sides). The 5mm will be cut off during trimming, leaving you with a 210mm x 297mm print. For much the same reason you should also ensure that any text or other important item does not come closer than 5mm from the edge of the page. For a visual explanation click here.
Image resolution (dpi)
Any image files should be supplied full size at 300dpi. This is necessary so that your image will appear sharp once printed. Images may look good on your monitor but keep in mind that your monitor displays between 72 and 96 dpi so the images will need to remain sharp at 3 to 4 times their print size on screen to be suitable. For a visual explanation click here.
WE PREFER TO RECEIVE PRINT-READY FILES (PDF/JPEG/TIFF)
(WE WILL CHARGE AN EXTRA £15 FOR ANY OTHER FORMAT)
WE PREFER TO RECEIVE PRINT-READY FILES (PDF/JPEG/TIFF)
(WE WILL CHARGE AN EXTRA £15 FOR ANY OTHER FORMAT)
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