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Prepress & Files

50 answers about prepress & files.

What are the bleed requirements for lenticular stickers? Lenticular stickers require 1/8 inch (0.125") of bleed on each side so the artwork extends past the trim and no white edges appear after cut… Read answer What is the trim line? The trim line is the true edge of the finished piece, with backgrounds crossing it into the bleed and text and logos stopping short inside t… Read answer What is the safe zone (safe margin)? Keep text, logos and contact details at least 1/8 inch inside the trim line, since this safe margin absorbs small shifts when the sheet is c… Read answer What are crop marks? Crop marks are thin corner lines outside the trim and bleed that guide the cutter to final size, then get trimmed off so they never show on … Read answer What is DPI (dots per inch)? DPI, short for dots per inch, measures how much fine detail a printed piece can hold by counting the ink dots packed into each inch of paper… Read answer What does it mean to rasterize a file? Rasterizing turns vector shapes and effects into pixels, so do it at final print size and around 300 DPI, and keep an editable master copy f… Read answer What is a dieline? A dieline is the flat blueprint of cut, fold, score and perforation lines, kept on its own layer so artwork, bleed and safe text line up wit… Read answer What is preflighting a file? Preflighting checks trim size and bleed, image resolution near 300 DPI, CMYK color and embedded fonts, catching press problems while fixes a… Read answer What is imposition? Imposition arranges pages or copies on one press sheet so a folded booklet reads in order and small cards share a sheet, handled in prepress… Read answer What does it mean to outline fonts? Outlining fonts turns text into vector shapes so the typeface prints as designed without the font installed, though the text is no longer ed… Read answer What is an ICC color profile? An ICC profile describes how a monitor, printer or press reproduces color, giving the workflow a shared reference so screen colors translate… Read answer Can I design my own lenticular files at home? Prepare lenticular source files at home in Photoshop or Illustrator, with layered images for 3D or separate 300 DPI frames, and let producti… Read answer What file format do I need for specialty finishes like spot UV or foil? Spot UV and foil need a print-ready PDF plus a dedicated spot color layer marking the effect areas in solid coverage, aligned precisely over… Read answer How should I prepare my artwork for lenticular printing? Lenticular printing rewards clean, high-resolution, high-contrast artwork. Fine detail tends to get lost once the images are interlaced unde… Read answer How do I prepare files for black business cards with a 5th color white? For black business cards that use white ink as a fifth color, you supply your normal CMYK artwork plus a separate white layer that tells the… Read answer What file formats should I use when submitting files for printing? Send a print-ready PDF or a pro format like InDesign, not PowerPoint, which is built for screens and may not print correctly; your printer c… Read answer What file format should I submit for printing-can I use a scan? Scans lack the resolution, color setup and bleed a press needs, so submit a CMYK print-ready PDF at 300 DPI instead. Read answer What should I do if fonts in my PDF don't appear correctly when printed? Fonts that are not embedded in a PDF can swap to generic substitutes, so embed them or outline text and check the proof; ask your printer if… Read answer Do I need to create the design separately for double-sided products? Double-sided products need one file for the front and one for the back, each following the product template with its own bleed so edges prin… Read answer How should I name my design files to ensure correct production? Name files by panel, such as Half Fold Inside or Closed Gatefold Front, matching template names so the printer folds and assembles your piec… Read answer Can I print with bleed to avoid white borders? Bleed of 1/8 inch (0.125") on all four sides lets color run edge to edge with no white slivers, with text kept 1/8 inch inside the trim in C… Read answer What file resolution is acceptable for printing logos? Logos print cleanest when they are either vector art or a high-resolution raster file, because logos often have crisp edges and fine detail … Read answer Do files for event badges need bleed? Event badge files need 1/8 inch (0.125") bleed on all sides, names and logos 1/8 inch inside trim, and the badge's final size built in CMYK. Read answer What should I do if my QR code doesn't scan properly? A QR code that will not scan must be rebuilt before printing; fix low resolution, tiny size, weak contrast or a crowded quiet zone, then tes… Read answer

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