helpful info
On this page you’ll find info about… Our Process | Vector Files | Printing Proofs | Print Bleed & Crop Marks | Setting Up Clear & White Toner
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Quote
Please email for a quote – the more information you can give us the quicker we can reply with a quote, so make sure you give us an idea of quantity, size, print set up (eg, do you want foil, colour or both, do you want smooth, textured, coloured card etc). The more info you can provide the better. Note that if we can see a more economical option by way of a small set up adjustment, we will include this in the quote we provide.
We try to make our quotes as clear as possible, with the specs covering the quantity, size, paper stock, type of printing, colour of foil, type of finishing, whether the cards are creased, etc. If it is not stated in the quote it is likely not included.
Design is quoted separately to printing. When we say “files provided” they are expected to be print ready (we are happy to advise requirements).
We are very happy to quote options and provide expertise. If you have any queries with the quotes or if you require advice, please ask.
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Design
We offer both design and printing, and either as a standalone service. We work with both printers and designers around the country and are happy to work with provided files.
If we are doing design for you, upon confirmation of your quote your details will be put into our design schedule and one of our graphic design team will be in touch with initial options for you to review. You will work with them to finalise the design before they proof your files for you.
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Proof
For print requests where files are provided: Upon confirmation of our quote, your details are put into Trello (our work management system), one of our team will prepare that for you and courier a printed proof. If you’ve been working with one of our design team they will prepare a proof once the design is finalised.
The proof usually leaves us within a day or two on a traceable but non-signature overnight service via Courier Post.
We do not charge extra for providing a proof – it is a really important part of the process to ensure everything is as expected.
We will provide a digital print out of your design, whether it is an invitation, a business card, a postcard… etc. We can send colour options and paper stocks etc if you’d like to see choices. Stickers and labels are provided on adhesive stocks – it is expected that you will test the labels to check compatibility before confirming with us.
Proofs are not foiled, embossed, sandwiched, edge painted, laminated etc, due to the cost and set up involved with these processes (see foiling block image below for clarification). Stickers are not cut (the finals will be) – again, due to machine set up. We include samples and examples of existing prints to show the finishes though, so you see it all but in pieces.
If the proof is not as expected please let us know – if you want to see a different foil colour, or more paper stock options, or another size that’s fine! This is exactly why we do a proof, and we are happy to send a second set of proofs and samples if required.
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Invoice
Once the proof is approved please confirm via email, and if you can advise the set up you’d like to have, quantity, colours etc, then we can make up an invoice. The invoice will have bank details for direct credit payment, and your request will go in to the printing queue as soon as your payment is received.
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Print
When your payment is received your request goes in to the printing queue. Please allow –
7-10 working days:
Foil stamping, debossing, embossing, sandwiching.
2-4 working days:
Foil stickers (unless stamped), toner-based foiling, digital printing, gold/white/clear toner, laminate coatings, booklets, ribbon/stickers and labels.
If this doesn’t suit your time-frame please communicate this to us to see if we can do anything to accommodate your request. Please keep in mind that we are a small team, and we are doing our best to get through work as efficiently and with as much care as we can.
vector files
JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP files are “raster” files, and are made up of pixels. A pixel is 1 tiny square of colour, and many pixels side by side make up an image. When you enlarge an image beyond its original dimensions, the image become fuzzy and is considered low-quality. A high-res raster image is usually fine for colour printing to a certain size (not huge). If it looks fuzzy on screen it will not print well. This format is not suitable for foiling.
Vector graphics are made up of scale-able lines and curves formulated by a mathematical equation, allowing them to be blown up huge. Their edges are perfect lines, no fuzziness and no squares no matter how far you zoom in. You can blow vectors up to billboard size, and this is the type of file we need for foiling, and this will also give you the best print result for digital colour printing.
Even if your file looks okay on screen zoomed out, this is not always an accurate representation of how it will print. Screens work at 72 dpi (dots per inch), whereas ideal print is 300 dpi.
IMAGE BELOW: You’ll see that the vector based file represented on the left maintains its integrity and looks great close up – the edges of the graphics remain perfectly smooth, while the non-vector image to the right does not have great resolution and goes fuzzier the closer you get. If your file goes fuzzy and shows square edges when you’re zoomed in really close, this is not a vector.
PLEASE NOTE: Simply saving your JPG as a PDF does not automatically make it a vector. A vector-based PDF is created from the original artwork.
If you have any questions please just ask us – we’re very happy to help where we can!
PROOFS
Your proof package will include a digital print out of your design together with samples and examples representative of the finish and options you are considering for your final prints. We can show card stock options, foil samples, embossing samples, debossing samples, examples of cards that are sandwiched, cards showing the difference between having lamination + without… etc.
The reason your proof isn’t sandwiched, foiled/embossed etc is due to the time involved with creating these finishes.
Foiling/debossing/embossing blocks are a thick, metal printing plate used to stamp the impression. These are a reasonable part of the cost of creating these finishes, and also take some time to get set up on the machines (to get it stamping at the correct pressure and in the right place) so we do not foil/emboss/deboss your proofs. Given the cost of the block and the machine set up required, this is not economical use of your money or our time for a single impression on a proof, so we save this for the final set of prints. Also, the proof is for you to confirm the design, so if a change is needed to the block we want to address this before we get that made up for you.
We try to provide as much information and as many samples as we can to show you standard of our work, and so that you can get an idea of what your final prints will look like.
IMAGE: foiling block
bleed and crop marks
Crop Marks (or Trim Marks) are lines at the corners of a file showing the printer finishers where to trim the page. They should be away from the edge of your finished file size, not touching the corner. In programmes like Illustrator, Indesign and Canva you can export your file with crop marks without manually adding them yourself. You will find instructions in the programme’s help menu or by a quick google search. If you get stuck, please ask.
Bleed is a little extra image around the edge of your file that is intended to be cut off. It is so that you don’t accidentally end up with a white stripe around the side of your prints when they are cut down. The printing and finishing process is quite accurate, but if the sheet size or the printing or the guillotining is even a smidge of a millimetre out, you’ll get a white edge. We ask for 3 mm bleed on supplied files (3 mm each side, that is, so a 100 x 100 mm square is provided with the image at 106 x 106 mm – that’s 3 mm each side).
Note: the blue and yellow lines on the images below is to explain to you what’s what – this should not be on the files you provide us. Left shows printed paper or card (flyers, brochures, invitations etc). Right shows a circular sticker file. If you have any questions please just ask us – we’re very happy to help where we can!
setting up white + clear toner
To print white, please make your white print area a Magenta Spot Colour called “White”. To print clear please print a Cyan Spot Colour called “Clear”. Examples below showing your file, the spot colour set up plus the final result. To see photos of the print finish please check out the white & clear toner printing page.
For foil you can set up a spot colour called “foil”.
