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Printing Basics Guides

Latest Printing Basics Guides

Where to Get Things Printed, From One Page to a Thousand Pieces

Where to Get Things Printed, From One Page to a Thousand Pieces

Where to print by job size: a home printer for one page, a copy counter for a stack today, a print shop for a rush sign, an online printer for 500 cards.

Sofia Ramirez
How to Choose a Print Shop

How to Choose a Print Shop

How to choose a print shop step by step, comparing local and online shops on proofs, delivered price, stocks, turnaround and guarantees to find your fit.

Emma Davis
Liquid Laminate for Paper & Digital Prints, Explained

Liquid Laminate for Paper & Digital Prints, Explained

Liquid laminate is a clear coating flooded or spot-applied over a print, then cured to a gloss, matte or satin film, with how it works and when to use it.

Emma Davis
Digital Printing vs Offset Printing

Digital Printing vs Offset Printing

Digital printing vs offset printing explained, with how each method handles volume, cost and color and when to choose which, since 4OVER4 prints both.

Emma Davis
CD Cover and Sleeve Sizes That Fit a Standard Case Every Time

CD Cover and Sleeve Sizes That Fit a Standard Case Every Time

A CD cover trims to 4.75 inches square, the tray card to 5.9 by 4.6 inches with two quarter inch spines, and the disc prints from 46 to 118 mm.

Emma Davis
Hand Sanitizer Labels Have to Survive Alcohol and Carry Drug Facts

Hand Sanitizer Labels Have to Survive Alcohol and Carry Drug Facts

Label materials that resist alcohol and repeated handling, bottle size to label size mapping, and the Drug Facts panel a sanitizer label has to carry.

Jordan Kim

All Printing Basics Guides

Everything a Festival Has to Print, in the Order It Gets Installed

Everything a Festival Has to Print, in the Order It Gets Installed

A festival print checklist covering entry banners, wayfinding, wristbands, passes and vendor signage, with the material each one needs to survive weather.

Tobias Reed
Reading Transit Time by Zone Instead of Guessing at a Delivery Date

Reading Transit Time by Zone Instead of Guessing at a Delivery Date

How shipping zones and service levels combine into a delivery date, why production time is separate from transit, and when to pay for an expedited service.

Nadia Petrov
How Thermography Raises Ink With Powder and Heat

How Thermography Raises Ink With Powder and Heat

Thermography printing dusts resin powder on wet ink then melts it, so the line rises and turns glossy while the back of the sheet stays flat.

Emma Davis
What Is Commercial Printing and Which Method Fits Your Job

What Is Commercial Printing and Which Method Fits Your Job

Commercial printing explained: what it covers, how offset, digital and large format differ, and which method suits your run size before you place an order.

Tobias Reed
Getting a Printing Order Placed Tax Exempt Without a Refund Request

Getting a Printing Order Placed Tax Exempt Without a Refund Request

What a resale or exemption certificate has to show, when to submit it for your order, and why applying it before checkout beats claiming it later.

Nadia Petrov
How to Estimate Printing Costs Before You Order

How to Estimate Printing Costs Before You Order

How to estimate printing costs before you order, which factors move the price, how quantity breaks work, and how to build a quick quote worksheet.

Tobias Reed
Tote Bag Materials and Minimums Before You Commit to a Run

Tote Bag Materials and Minimums Before You Commit to a Run

The best material for custom tote bags is 8 to 10 ounce cotton canvas, which gets reused and prints sharp, with weights, duck canvas, blends and minimums.

Jordan Kim
How to Choose an Eco Friendly Printing Service You Can Verify

How to Choose an Eco Friendly Printing Service You Can Verify

Search the FSC public register for chain of custody holders, check the product scope on each record, then get the code in writing on your quote.

Jordan Kim
Printing Address Labels From a Spreadsheet Without Reformatting Every Row

Printing Address Labels From a Spreadsheet Without Reformatting Every Row

How to print address labels: split the list into columns, size the label from the envelope and the longest address, proof one sheet at 100 percent.

Jordan Kim
Badge Sizes, Holders and Variable Names for a Room Full of Attendees

Badge Sizes, Holders and Variable Names for a Room Full of Attendees

Conference badge printing done right is a 3 by 4 inch insert on 16pt matte stock, both sides, names merged from one spreadsheet, with holders and timing.

Tobias Reed
300 GSM to LB Paper Conversion, Grade by Grade

300 GSM to LB Paper Conversion, Grade by Grade

300 gsm converts to 111 lb cover, 166 lb index or 80 lb bond because each grade has its own basis size, so see the math, the caliper and the feel.

Emma Davis
What 75% Cotton 25% Linen Paper Is and How It Prints

What 75% Cotton 25% Linen Paper Is and How It Prints

75% cotton and 25% linen is the fiber recipe behind US banknote paper, so see what the blend is, how rag stock prints and how it differs from linen finish.

Emma Davis
Marcus Chen, 4OVER4 print marketing voice (illustration)
Marcus Chen Print Marketing Strategist at 4OVER4.COM
Add 4OVER4 as a preferred source on Google

Marcus is our print marketing voice, built from the knowledge of our production team, with over 20 years in printing.

Three things decide a print job before you pick a product: the press method, offset or digital, the file a print shop needs from you, and the stock and finish that set the quality. These guides cover those fundamentals so you can order with confidence instead of guesswork.

Questions to Put to Any Print Shop

Ask for the stock list, the file specs, the turnaround in business days and the review record. 4OVER4.COM answers with 60+ paper stocks across 1,000+ products, a file spec of 0.125 inch bleed, 300 DPI and CMYK, standard business cards and postcards in 3 business days, and 10,000+ reviews averaging 4.8. The presses run on G7 color profiling, and 4OVER4.COM is an FSC certified printer, #C013635.

Test a shop before a big run: order 100 Business Cards for $17.57 or 50 Postcards for $16.48 and judge the color and cut in hand. Digital printing vs offset printing explains which press suits your quantity.

A Person Checks Your File Prepress reviews resolution, CMYK, bleed and trim against the size and stock you ordered. Upload a File →
FSC Certified Printer #C013635
G7 Certified Color Accuracy
25+ Years Since 1999
150,000+ Businesses Served