The Basics of Setting up a File for Print

The Basics of Setting up a File for Print

Introduction

Here are some basic things you should be checking before sending your file to print.

The Basics

Correct Size

When creating your file it is inherent that you create the file at the size of the product you’re printing. For example, if you’re printing an A5 leaflet, its finished size is 148x210mm, so your canvas size will be the same size.



Artwork Orientation (Flat products)

Setting up artwork orientation correctly is crucial to ensuring your print turns out as intended.

For orientation information on specific products including Books, Calendars, Folded Leaflets, Creased Greeting Cards & more, see Special Product Information

  1. Consistency Across Pages: All pages in your PDF should have the same orientation. This helps us to ensure we are printing your job exactly as you expect.
  2. Choose the Correct Orientation: When printing, the paper stock will be flipped on the vertical axis, it is important to keep this in mind when setting up your artwork. If your artwork is predominantly vertical (portrait), ensure the orientation is set up that way in your file. This means the top of the page should be where you'd start reading a portrait-oriented document. Follow this same rule if your artwork is predominantly horizontal (landscape). This is the easiest way to ensure the print will be orientated the way that you want it.




Your artwork may include pages where it’s not possible to have the text upright on both sides. For example, landscape-oriented artwork followed by portrait-oriented artwork. In this case, when setting up your file please ensure all pages have the same orientation and are set up to flip on the vertical axis.






Bleed

Bleed is the extra space around the outside of your document that will be cut off when trimming. We recommend a minimum of 3mm bleed for all printing (unless specified).
Correct bleed will ensure there’s no white edge if the guillotine cuts slightly off.



Bleed needs to be enabled in three places:
  1. In your document set up (pictured above)
  2. The artwork or image needs to extend 3mm further than the trim. (Extended to the red line above)
  3. In the ‘Export PDF’ job settings.

Margins (Quiet Zone)

A quiet zone should always be considered when setting up your file. Margin set-up is dependent on your product. 
Make sure all your important info is out of the quiet zone to ensure no info is trimmed off or bound. The recommended quiet zone is generally 5mm from the trim edge but can differ on other products.

Colour (CMYK)

Ensure that you are creating your files in CMYK. This gives you more control over how the colour will be produced.

At our print hub, we use Coated Forgra39 as our colour simulation profile. When creating or checking files we recommend using this colour profile so that you get the CMYK values at which your file will print. (See Recommend Colour Settings).

Correct Number of Pages

It is important that the number of pages in your file matches the number of pages in your job. If you don’t have the correct number of pages this can result in your file failing preflight.

Fonts are Embedded

When you create a PDF version of your designed file, a copy of each necessary font is added to the PDF file itself. This process is known as embedding. Regardless of where this PDF is opened, whether it is on your computer or another person's computer, all of the correct fonts will be there and will render properly. By embedding your fonts in your PDF, you will avoid any issues regarding fonts that may alter your design’s look.

It's super easy to check whether fonts have been embedded in your pdf:
  1. Open PDF file
  2. Click File > Document Properties (Shortcut Ctrl + D or Cmd + D)
  3. Click on the Fonts tab to display the list of all fonts
  4. All fonts are either Type 1 (not supported by Adobe as of 2023) or TrueType
  5. All fonts should show as Embedded Subset





Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact your account manager.



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