When launching a marketing campaign, one rarely thinks about the actual printing process. We spend days deciding on the theme, the target audience and the distribution, but the actual printing of the marketing materials is equally important.
Before you embark on sending a document to a printing company, make sure that the documents are in the right file formats, that you use the correct PDF and fonts and that you saved it on the correct device.
Here are some basic tips that you can follow:
File formats: A professional printing company uses a certain file format to get the best results. Before you proceed to upload your work to the printer’s website (or stop by the shop to hand in the documents), first find out what their preferences are. The basic format most printing companies work in is PDF and TIFF formats. There is also a required document quality standard, which is usually 600 dpi for high quality printing.
- Presentation of fonts: Ensure that the fonts you used in a design are displayed correctly on your printing document by embedding the fonts onto a PDF format. If you fail to do this, the system will try to replace the fonts. This will cause your fonts to look different to your original design. You can also convert the text to a vector image that looks exactly like your text.
- Sending your document: Before you click the send button to the printers, make sure that you have saved the document in the required format. You can also compress the file (which is a good idea if you’re sending it in an e-mail or uploading it to a website). You do not only have to make use of the internet to deliver your designs. Confirm with your printing company if they would prefer a CD or DVD format, uploading the files using a File Transfer Protocol or sent it as an attachment with e-mail.
Minuteman Press in Cape Town is here to help you with all your printing needs. Contact us today!