Quick Tips

from A'DEAS

BLEED, TRIM & SAFE ZONE:
Lets start by explaining TRIM. The trim is just as it sounds, it is where we will trim your document once it has been printed. BLEED is the area your digital artwork extends past the trim. Trim may vary slightly due to equipment tolerances so if your art doesn't bleed, then your piece could have white edges around it. We require a 1/8" bleed be added to all four sides of your document. This would make your 4.25" x 11" piece, have artwork that is created at 4.5" x 11.25". SAFE ZONE is the area inside the trim that you should use as a guide to not go past when you are creating your design. For example, keeping your text or logo inside the safe zone will help it not get too close to the trim and accidentally cut off due to equipment tolerances. We prefer a 1/4" safe zone but accept 1/8" safe zones as well.


WHEN YOU PROVIDE DESIGN INSTRUCTIONS: Keep in mind, to keep your instructions concise and clear. This will help the designer to use their design skills to create a nice piece for you instead of using your time to decipher difficult and incomplete instructions.

WHEN PROVIDING TEXT FOR YOUR DESIGN: Unless you are ordering TYPESETTING OPTIONS, you will be required to supply all the text for your design already typeset into a Word or text file that we will format and use in your layout (hand written information and digital scans and images are not acceptable text formats). Keep in mind, to keep your instructions concise and clear. This will help the designer to use their design skills to create a nice piece for you instead of using your time to decipher difficult and incomplete instructions.

IF ADDITIONAL DESIGN SERVICES ARE NEEDED: If additional design services or edits are needed, your Customer Service Rep will notify you of the additional time required to complete the request. You will be required to approve a formal request to add the service to your order before further proofs will be provided. Your order will be on “HOLD” status until the approval is received. Keep in mind, to keep your instructions concise and clear. This will help the designer to use their design skills to create a nice piece for you instead of using your time to decipher difficult and incomplete instructions.

STOCK IMAGES:You may request a link to our background and/or image gallery. You would need to search for the image and then provide the image# with your instructions. A’Deas would then download the image and use it in your file for your final proof. If you would like A’Deas to find an image for you, an additional $30 charge will apply. You will be required to approve a formal request to add this service to your order. If you choose to have an image from the stock image gallery used in your design, or you choose from a stock background, we will print from the high resolution file to ensure quality. However, because the images are proprietary, we can only provide a low resolution art file with our watermark for your review and cannot provide a digital, high resolution, un-marked art file for you.

FILE TYPE SUGGESTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS:

RESOLUTION: It is important that your files and images be 300 dpi to create a clear & crisp print piece.

PREFERRED FILE TYPE: Adobe PDF We also accept .eps .psd .tif .png and .jpg files. Please CONVERT Word & Publisher Documents, etc. to press quality .pdf files.

Creating an Adobe PDF  - Not all PDF files are intended for hi-res printing, so if using this method, it is important to choose settings that guarantee a high resolution – “Press Quality”. Some programs (like Word) create PDF files not intended for high-end printing and will not give a desirable output when printed. For specific questions regarding this type of PDF, contact our design department at prepress@adeasprinting.com

When creating your Adobe PDF -  choose the "Press Quality" setting. This creates a hi-res PDF that is quite reliable.

APPLICATION FILES: (such as Photoshop Documents .psd)
We can accept application files (if collected for remote printing and all support images and fonts are included.) To avoid any delays in processing your proof, we suggest you contact us before submitting these files so we can walk you through saving all the elements properly.

Be sure to visit our FAQ page for more helpful information about Design, Print & Direct Mail!