How to prepare Photoshop files

Full colour postcards business cards flyers brochures letterhead digital and offset printing > How to prepare files and doing business with us > How to prepare Photoshop files

 

What appears below is just a brief description on how to prepare your Adobe Photoshop file for printing. This page is the 'quick fix'.

 

Create a New Document

Click on "File", then click on "New" (File > New)

You will then be presented with an image similar to the one below.

DO NOT create the document with the correct size. You must allow for the possibility of bleeds, so make the document 6mm larger than you need. For example, the document in the image is being set up for A4 (i.e.: 210mm x 297mm), but the actual size that is being created will allow for bleeds, so it is 6mm larger (i.e.: 216mm x 303mm).

Some standard sizes, after adjusting for bleeds, are:

  • A1 — 600mm x 846mm — eight times the size of a standard A4 letter
  • A2 — 426mm x 600mm — four times the size of a standard A4 letter
  • A3 — 303mm x 426mm — two times the size of a standard A4 letter
  • A4 — 216mm x 303mm — the size of a standard A4 letter
  • A5 — 154mm x 216mm — one-half the size of a standard A4 letter
  • A6 — 111mm x 154mm — one-quarter the size of a standard A4 letter
  • A7 — 80mm x 111mm — one-eighth the size of a standard A4 letter
  • DL — 105mm x 216mm — one-third the size of a standard A4 letter
  • Double-DL — 204mm x 216mm — two-thirds the size of a standard A4 letter
  • Half-A4 Long-drop — 111mm x 303mm — the size of a standard A4 letter that is folded in half length-ways
  • Business cards — 60mm x 95mm
  • Appointment cards — 60mm x 95mm

Choose "CMYK Color" mode - DO NOT choose RGB — and don't be lazy, have a look and check that the colour mode is correct.

 

Bleeds

As mentioned above, please keep bleeds in mind when you are designing your artwork. If your artwork has a white border, then bleeds are not required. However, if your artwork is NOT white on all four sides, then you MUST allow bleeds in your files, and those bleeds MUST be included on all four sides. Given Adobe Photoshop cannot cope with bleeds, this problem is easily fixed up by making your document 6mm larger than it would normally appear.

 

Borders and Safe Areas

The printing and cutting processes has a mechanical tolerance of up to 2mm. So, if you have a border in your artwork, it is essential that your design has at least 5mm of white space from your border to the trim line (or 8mm if you have bleeds). If your border is less than the 5mm (8mm if you have bleeds), then your job might lose its symmetrical appearance.

If your job is bigger than a business card, then we suggest your border is about 7mm (or 10mm if you have bleeds).

It is also essential that no text or essential parts of your artwork come within 5mm of the trim line.  Again, due to the mechanical tolerance during the printing and trimming processes, any content within 5mm of the trim line may be cut off. In fact we advise that any essential text and images should be placed at least 5mm from the edge of the finished product (if you have bleeds, then 8mm from the edge of your file).

 

Resolution

Do not use images that you have found on the worldwide web. Almost all of those images have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (72dpi or 72 pixles per inch), and they result in blurred or 'pixilated' images being printed.

If you want your printed product to look professional, then all of your images must be at least 300dpi at the final output size. 

DO NOT attempt to change a low resolution image to a higher one by changing the dpi in your imaging software — you cannot change a 72dpi image into a crisp and clear 300DPI, all you will get is a blurred image that is set at 300dpi

 

Be careful with Rich Black

Do NOT use Photoshop's default Rich Black at all. Photoshop's default black is great for webpages and other electronic presentations, but it is not very good on printed jobs.

If you use Photoshop's default black, then your job has a very good chance of suffering misregistration — the job might print in a blotchy way and might look dreadful.

 

If you are going to have your job printed digitally, then do not use "Rich Black" at all, as it can produce a somewhat mottled appearance. We suggest that 100% "K" (i.e.: 100% back) should be sufficient if you order a Fast Digital product.

If you are ordering a Discount Priced product, then we suggest you do use "Rich Black", and your setting for Rick Black should be:

  • Cyan 70%
  • Magenta 40%
  • Yellow 15%
  • "K" (Black) 100%

 

Flatten Artwork

Design your artwork as you normally would, but please keep the 'bleeds' issue in mind when you do.

With your artwork at its final stage, flatten your image (if you used layers), by choosing the 'Layers' drop down menu, and select 'Flatten Image'.

 

Save Your Photoshop File

When you save your file:

  • Make sure you give your file a new name. If you do not, then you will NOT be able to edit it at a later time; and
  • Save it as a TIFF file.

So, your file is saved. Well, it's all finished and it's all done.

 

 

Is this the wrong page? Are you using different software? Try the links below: