If you have artwork you would like us to print, you will need to supply it as a PDF file (.pdf) – for this you will need to use PDF editing software such as Adobe Acrobat, or if using design software, save/export your file as a PDF.

Double sided artwork must be supplied in a 2 page PDF – 1 file containing 2 pages.
Page 1 will be considered the front and page 2 the reverse.
Page 1 will be considered the outside and page 2 the inside on a folded leaflet.

The number of pages in a booklet must be a multiple of 4 e.g 4 pages, 8 pages, 12 pages, 16 pages.
Booklets need to be supplied as single pages, not spreads or ‘printer’s pairs’.
Pages must be in sequential order starting with the front cover as page 1 and the back of the cover as the last page.
e.g. 12pp booklet = 1 PDF containing 12 pages – not 12 separate PDFs.

Artwork must be supplied at the correct size
e.g. Don’t supply a PDF with a business card set in the middle of an A4 size document unless you actually want it to be printed as an A4 size document. We will print your PDF file at the size you have provided it. Please avoid US sizes, these are often a default size in the Microsoft suite. They are not standard sizes and we will not be able to proportionately scale your artwork to fit a standard ‘A’ sized page.

Before sending your file open and check all your pages for any errors that may have occurred when converting the original document to PDF.

We will occasionally accept the following file types but we cannot guarantee perfect results at print stage. Please provide a PDF file where possible…

Illustrator (.ai)
Convert all text to ‘outlines’ and embed all images. All colours need to be CMYK – don’t mix with spot colours. Save as an .eps file.

InDesign (.indd)
Please use the ‘Package’ option in the ‘File’ menu. Check it has included all the images and fonts then Zip (using ‘compress’ in file menu) before sending.

Photoshop (.psd)
All colours and images need to be CMYK not RGB and set at 300dpi.

Word – Publisher – Powerpoint – Excel
These files are not suitable for full colour printing and are unpredictable. They are normally in an RGB colour format which is great for viewing on screen but not good for printing. We can often convert them to the correct CMYK format but your colours will change, looking dirty or dark. Fonts can be slightly different from one PC to another and can throw out the formatting or may substitute to a default font with undesirable results. However, we can usually use these files without problems for general photocopying or digital colour printing – if you can, please export your document as a PDF, making sure you embed any fonts. Printed colours are often different to what you see on screen – for example a very bright lime green may turn into a dark forest green. We will check your file to see if it is usable and contact you if you need to have it re-designed. Allow extra time if supplying in these formats.

For files/jobs up to A3 size we require 2mm bleed on all edges of your document, on large format jobs (e.g. banners, signs) we require 4mm bleed. Please also be aware when producing a booklet that your inside bleed edge should be set to 0mm but top, bottom and outside edge should be set 2mm.

Remember to keep important content like text at least 4mm away from the edge of your document, and at least 10mm away if supplying files for booklets or large format items.
To minimise booklet ‘creep’ you may need to use progressive margins.

Your document and any images it contains must be CMYK – not RGB or LAB/Spot.

Set Black Text to 100% K only.
Set Black as a background colour to 50% C, 50% M, 50% Y, 100% K to give good solid coverage.
Total combined ink density of your artwork should be 300 – 340% max.

Minimum resolution for images is 300dpi at 100% scale.

Please take a look at our guide to preparing Canva files for print. You can find a link to this under ‘How to supply your own artwork’.