The color on my printed sample doesn’t look like what I have on my monitor-Why?

Monitors use RGB color to create color. RGB files may look great on your screen, but they can’t be printed. RGB is “Additive color”. Light is added (transmitted) through different values of each color (Red, Green, Blue) to create other colors. This is how you see color on a computer monitor or tv screen. Printing inks, paint and even crayons reproduce color in CMYK. CMYK is “Subtractive color”. Light is subtracted (reflected ) off different values of each color Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK to create new colors. RGB and CMYK are not the same, so they do not reproduce the same.

The color on my printed sample doesn’t look like what I have on my laser (or ink jet) proof-Why?

It is impossible to know if your laser or inkjet printer has been calibrated to industry standard colors, so likely there will be a difference.

What is BLEED?

Bleed is extra background art or color that usually extends 1/8" past the trim edge of a file to be printed. This “extra” extension of art or color allows the printed piece to be cut to exact size without risk of the paper edge remaining white. Thus the 1/8" gets cut off, but your background color or art looks like it prints right up to the edge.

What is Resolution (or dpi)? And why is more better?

Resolution is the amount of digitally encoded information an image file contains, and is often expressed
as “Dots Per Inch” (dpi). DPI is how many printed “dots” are used to create an inch of an image. Using 300 dots per inch to create an image is much more precise than 72 dots per inch. 300dpi also creates a larger file size per kilobyte or megabyte. Printing presses can run the higher dpi number to create more refined and detailed images. Your monitor can process the smaller dpi faster, so most stuff on the internet is only 72dpi (or even smaller). That’s why though, it’s NEVER a good idea to take an image off the internet and try to print it. A 72dpi file has 75% less digitally encoded information than printing standards recommend.

Why should I make a PDF to print from?

Making a pdf saves a lot of time and trouble in so many areas. A correctly created PDF contains all the
information needed to print in one file. That save you time and trouble of collecting all the “loose” images, fonts and supporting files to send to us to print. Sending one PDF saves time downloading, as it is a more compressed file version than all the “loose” files. Prepress having to check just one file for accuracy is quicker and saves you money since Prepress doesn’t have to shift through multiple images and fonts to make sure they are correct.PDFs with fonts embedded prevents the chances of fonts reflowing or not importing correctly on another computer system. Almost all printers are using computer technology and PDF is the standard they all use.

I didn’t see any mistakes in my job on the screen, but there are mistakes. What should I do?

We recommend you print a laser or inkjet proof of the PDF you are sending us BEFORE you send it and review it carefully. This way you are reviewing the file we will receive AND may catch an error that was quite unnoticeable on your monitor.

My fonts look jaggedy in my PDF–Why?

This one could take days to answer, there are so many reasons! The top four things to check:
1. Check that you are using a properly installed font, and not a system font. 2. Check that your font has both a screen and printer version if it is a postscript font. 3. Check to make sure the fonts are embedded properly. 4. Check to see if you created a low resolution PDF instead of a high resolution PDF.