File preparation: Images and Fonts
Preparing your files correctly is crucial to achieving high-quality print results. This guide will help you understand the best practices for images and fonts to ensure your designs look professional and print precisely as intended.
Image Resolution
To ensure the best print quality, all images in your design file should be high resolution, the standard being 300 DPI (dots per inch). Lower resolutions can result in poor-quality print, so be sure to keep this in mind when scanning, editing or sourcing images.
When sourcing images, aim for professional-quality visuals or stock photos. Avoid using images or logos saved from websites, as these are typically 72-96 DPI and unsuitable for printing, whereas files with resolutions above 450 DPI will be downsampled to 300 DPI.
| NOTE: Images of less than 100 DPI will lower your design quality and be automatically rejected. |
Image Colours
For accurate colour reproduction, we recommend using the CMYK colour mode. If your images are in RGB, they will be converted to CMYK during processing, which may cause slight colour shifts.
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Fonts
To ensure your text prints clearly, use a minimum font size of 5pt. For smaller fonts (5-7pt), set the text colour to 100% black to improve legibility.
All fonts should be embedded when exporting your design as a PDF. This guarantees that the text will display correctly regardless of the system used to open the file. Alternatively, you can convert fonts to curves, paths or outlines before submitting your file to prevent font compatibility issues.
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