Products
and Ordering Can I order PMS color printing from you?
We suggest you get the best value for your dollar and go for full color.
Since we are so efficient at producing high-quality 4-color work, 2-color
pieces will be priced the same as 4-color. 2-color postcards and business
cards will be converted to 4-color process equivalents before printing.
We suggest that if the card is currently set up using PMS colors that
the client make the correction themselves because colors tend to shift
when converted from PMS to Process (CMYK). We generally would like the
client to decide what color works for them.
Is
there an extra charge for bleeds?
No. Unlike many other companies, all our prices include full bleeds
free of charge.
What
kind of paper will my job be printed on?
We use a very high quality stock which is 120 lb. cover and gloss coated
on both sides
How
well will my job match what I see on my monitor?
Most people are surprised at how well their job matches what they see.
But because of wide differences in monitor calibration, personal preferences
and the different technologies used, some printed colors may not exactly
match the colors on a specific monitor.
Will
you match a sample I print out on my own printer or a previously printed
sample?
We offer fast turnaround and low pricing by printing to a "pleasing
color" standard, using standard ink densities. Therefore,
there is no guarantee that your finished piece will approximate your
printed sample. This is due in part to the widely varying results
from different output devices including inkjet and laser printers, continuous
tone proofing devices, high-resolution film-based proofs and offset
lithography. Even from one commercial printing firm to another, there
can be significant differences in results. In particular, inkjet and
laser prints are known to look substantially different than true offset
lithography.
If
you require precise color match. We currently are very acurate with
the majority of orders that we develop and print. However, there are
limitations when we offer such a low price on our services. Generally,
pricing for guaranteed exact color matching requires much more time
and money on the client side. Therefore, we do not specialize in a
special order of exact colors. There are substantial additional charges
for precise color match service. For example, there would be additional
fees (starting at $200), then we would produce and send you a hard
proof via overnight delivery. Also, if you request color correction
or other changes after you see your proof, there will be a minimum
of another $200 charged for color correction time and a new set of
film and proof.
Bottom
line: We do not offer this service because it is not what we specialize
in. We offer a great product at a very inexpensive price.
Is
there a discount if I re-order my job?
No, but an advantage we maintain over our competition is that we do
not charge for additional typesetting on an order after the initial
design charge.
How
long does it take for me to get the proof of my job?
Once you have placed your order, you should receive a PDF of your file
within approximately 5 business days after we receive your completed
order.
Shipping
Services
We ship via UPS directly to the customer's address unless requested
otherwise by the customer.
What
if I want to change something on my order after I've placed it or approved
the proof?
We require an electronic "paper trail" for all changes made
after your initial order is placed.You may make changes to such things
as quantity, shipping method or shipping address. Please note that some
changes cannot be made after certain stages in the production process
-- for instance, the quantity cannot be changed once your job has been
printed.
How
do I view my proof?
Essentially, we email a PDF proof to the customer and they can view
the proof to be sure they are designed to the customers request. We
also assume they will proof all information and type are all correct.
They then approve or request any changes throughout the process. Like
we mentioned earlier we cannot guarantee that the color is going show
correctly on your monitor. Therefore, if that is an issue we do offer
to mail out a color sample that matches very closely to the final output.
FILE
PREPARATION
Can
I send you documents created in MS Word or PowerPoint?
NO! If you have created documents in Word or PowerPoint that contain
photos, clip-art or other color images, do not send them in. We are
a Mac-only shop. These programs are not designed for high-end printing.
They were intended for office use on a inkjet or laserprinter.
What
other file formats can you take?
We can take any Mac or PC version of Quark, Illustrator, Photoshop,
Word (for text only) and PDFs.
What
is the difference between the RGB and CMYK color space and why does
it matter?
RGB refers to the primary colors of light: Red, Green and Blue, that
are used in monitors, television screens, digital cameras and scanners.
CMYK refers to the primary colors of pigment: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow,
and Black. These are the inks used on the press in "4-color process
printing", commonly referred to as "full color printing".
The
combination of RGB light creates white while the combination of CMYK
inks creates black. Therefore, it is physically impossible for the
printing press to exactly reproduce colors as we see them on our monitors.
Many
programs have the capability to convert the layout/images from the
RGB color space to the CMYK color space. We request that you convert
your colors from RGB to CMYK if your tools allow you to. By doing
it yourself, you have maximum control over the results.You may notice
a shift in color when converting from RGB to CMYK. If you do not like
the appearance in CMYK, we recommend that you make adjustments while
working in CMYK (usually lightening). Generally, you should specify
CMYK color builds that look a little lighter than you want since the
dots of ink "fatten up" on press, giving you more pigment
on paper than you see on your monitor. Be especially careful to keep
backgrounds light if there is black or dark colored text over it so
that the text remains readable.
How
do I check for proper imposition or backup?
"Imposition" and "backup" refer to how the front
of a printed piece is oriented to the back. In the case of a brochure,
you normally turn it over right-to-left (like you turn the page of a
book) in order to have the back side read correctly -- not upside down.
Seems simple until you get to a postcard where one side is layed out
in landscape (horizontal) orientation and the other side in portrait
(vertical) orientation. We use our best judgement when imposing a job
so that it backs up in the most natural or normal manner. Some designs,
however, contain both portrait and landscape elements on both sides
making it difficult to make a clear call. When reviewing your proof
online, we will always post the front and the back in the orientation
that they will print in relation to each other. So, if page 2 appears
upside down, that is how it will be printed on the back of page 1. (Some
people want it that way so that the recipient of the piece must turn
it over top-to-bottom in order to read it correctly.) Be sure to print
out a copy of your online proof and attach the two sides to each other
to create a "mockup" or "dummy." This is especially
important when a job will be folded.
Do
I need to impose my business cards 8-up or 10-up if they will be printed
more than 1 to a sheet?
No, send us a single layout for each card of your job unimposed. We
will handle any imposition needed on our end.
How
should I take pictures with my digital camera?
Digital cameras are wonderful tools that allow us to capture our images
in many different ways. The camera is designed to actually take three
pictures; one in red, one in green and the other in blue (similar to
the way a projection TV works). It then combines the colors together
and saves the image onto the picture card. It is very important to make
sure that the camera is set to the highest quality setting possible.
This means that if you can only save one image on the picture card instead
of 12, 64 or 128 images, then this is good! You want to create the best
quality picture that the camera can make. This will mean large file
sizes and slow downloads from the camera itself, but it will get you
the best possible results from your camera. Remember, images should
be at 300dpi in their final size in the layout!
More
often than not, we notice that images that come from digital cameras
print darker than expected on the printing press. Check to see if
you have a brightness option in your image editing program to lighten
the entire piece. If you have the opportunity to change the color
space from RGB (red, green, blue) to the printing press colors of
CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black), then do so! It is always better
to have you change the color space if you can than for us to do it.
Remember, not all colors that you can see that are created by elements
of light (RGB) can be created by the elements of ink (CMYK) on press.
If you do not have this capability with your software, do not worry
about it. We can change it for you. Finally, we recommend that you
apply a little sharpening to the image. This will make the image a
little crisper and will print better on press.
How can I tell what resolution the image from my digital camera is?
Some digital cameras will let you know what the image resolution is
while others will tell you what the pixel dimensions of your image are.
If you know what the pixel dimensions of your images are, either from
the camera itself or through the image editing software, you can do
a little math to determine the resolution and the size you can print
the image at for clear and crisp printing.
Simply
write down the pixel dimensions of your image and divide those numbers
by 300, if the image does not include text, and 400 if the image does
include text. For example: An image without any text has a pixel dimension
of 600 x 900 pixels. Once each dimension is divided by 300 the result
is 2 x 3 inches. This means that you can use this image at 2 x 3 inches
or smaller in your layout for quality printing results.
If
your image editing software does not tell you what the pixel dimensions
are but it does tell you what the resolution is, then you know the
maximum size you can use that image in your layout. We recommend that
images be at 300dpi in their final size in the layout and 400dpi if
the images include text. Please keep in mind that resolution and physical
dimensions are in direct proportion to each other. If you have an
image that is 2x2 at 300dpi and increase its size in the layout to
4x4 the new resolution is now 150dpi. So remember, when you bring
an image in to your layout you can shrink it down in size (because
the resolution will increase) but you will be limited as to how far
you can increase it in size.
What
is your turnaround time on business cards or postcards?
Approximately 7-10 business days from date of approval from the client.
What
is meant by bleed?
Bleed is the area outside the trim area of a document in which graphical
elements are printed. This area is then trimmed off, resulting in color
going all the way to edge of the piece. If you didn't bleed elements
and instead placed them up to the boundaries of the trim area, irregularities
encountered during cutting might produce a piece where a thin line of
unprinted stock shows along one or more edges. And that could ruin the
overall effectiveness of the card's design. Standard bleed is 1/8 inch.
I
need cards but I can't design them myself. Can you help?
Yes, we specialize in custom design cards. We offer design services
for an additional fee. Additional text changes in the future are not
included with the initial design setup charge.
What
is meant by linescreen?
Simply put, linescreen is how tightly the individual printing dots that
make up a printed piece are placed on the paper. A fine linescreen,
like we use, minimizes the appearance of the dots resulting in a smoother
image.
What
is meant by CMYK?
Full color printing is generally done with only four colors; cyan, magenta,
yellow, and black. CMYK is just another way to say process, or full
color, printing. All elements to be printed must be separated into the
four color channels. Scanned color images are RGB. At some point , they
must be separated; either automatically on the scanner or manually in
an image editing program.
