Graphic Support
High quality print starts with high quality TO print!
Our printers are awesome, but they can’t perform miracles. If the input file has issues, in fact, those issues may actually be amplified by high resolution printing. To get the best quality results for your print project, avoiding pixilation or layout errors, let us help.
What is a Print-Ready File?
“Print-ready” is the term we use for a graphic computer file with all of the characteristics required to get the best print results. If any ONE of these characteristics is missing, your file needs to be processed, fixed, or replaced or your print job will not turn out as hoped.
Here is a checklist to help you determine if your file is ready to go:
- The document is sized correctly. If you want to order a 5.5″ x 8.5″ product, your file needs to be that size.
- Your artwork has bleeds. A bleed is an additional 1/8″ of the background graphics around each edge of the document, so an 8.5″ x 11″ document with bleeds is 8.75″ x 11.25″. The whole document is not enlarged, only any colour that you want to extend to the edge of the page on your product. Crop marks may be added to show where the cut will go through your bleed when the printed product is trimmed.
- The colours are set to CMYK, not RGB. Printers use CMYK colours, which may vary from what you see in RGB. PNG files are only in RGB colour, so they cannot be printed without first being converted to a CMYK pdf.
- The document has ample margins; in other words, the content is not too close to the edge. Allow a minimum 1/8″ (1/4″ on larger prints) margin, called a safe zone, on each edge of the document. Any content outside of the safe zone may be cut off in trimming.
- Image resolution should be minimum 300 dpi at 100% size.
- Fonts used in the design are embedded in the pdf file or have been converted to curves/outlines before the document is exported for print. This ensures that unexpected font changes do not happen.
- You have good contrast between the text and background and your fonts are large enough to be read. No point having text that is impossible to read.
- The layers you want to be printed are printable layers, and those you don’t want printed are not. Make sure there are no design guide lines or marks visible in your print file.
- There are no spelling or grammar errors. Once you send the file to print, there is no way to correct them.
- It is saved as a pdf file with settings for high quality print
Not a Computer Person? We Can Help
We offer some of the lowest prices available and a flat rate to turn your idea or low quality file into artwork that is print ready. Get the results you want at one predictable price.
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Free “Just do it” Graphic Support
Small layout issues don’t have to delay your print job. We have you covered. If your print file has an issue that is easily fixed on our end, we just to it. Free. No extra charges. No delays. No hassle.
Even more graphic support for a low, flat fee
While many print shops and graphic design studios charge $35 or more to even touch their computer, and $85 or more per hour to proved graphic support, we have several tiers of flat rate support that you can choose depending on your goal.
Graphic support for revisions to your artwork file is only $25, or we can create your file for a flat rate of $65. Add the level of graphic support you need for each product you add to the cart.
Advantage of Flat Rate Graphic Support
Simply put, you get the comfort of knowing what you will pay. When hourly rates are given, you only know half of the story – the price – but not the number of hours that you will be billed. If you order a set amount of time for a flat rate, it is better, but you still don’t know if you have purchased enough time or more time than was needed. We just make it simple.
It shouldn’t need saying, but….
There is a limit to what can be done for $65. If your project involves significant graphic work with multiple images (“here’s 25 images, can you take the backgrounds off of them?”), images sourced (“can you go online and find me some pics?”). or needs content developed (“please write something good about my business” or “make a logo”), you are asking for much more than even advanced graphic support. You are asking/expecting us to make decisions on for your business and create content to make you money. That’s your work, not ours.
Take your time and plan your project ahead in full before ordering graphic support. There is a limited number of edits with each tier, so try to avoid last minute changes.
Graphic Support Insurance
It is heartwarming to be trusted, but this is one area we would prefer you to be more supportive than trusting. As carefully as we review your finished artwork before printing, there may be some errors that we may not see.
We will carefully proof your file, but we don’t know your phone number, GST number, product numbers or names, or other information by heart, or at all.
An error made in reading your handwriting can make an entire order of flyers useless.
Insure your artwork: request a proof with your artwork and look it over carefully!
Frequently Asked Questions
Experience has shown us that offering you great graphic support at a low price makes sense. It is much less time consuming to “just do it” than it is to have tons of back and forth emails with you, and often with your “professional” graphic designer explaining bleeds, etc.
Our fees are intended to cover the cost of our software subscriptions and the time it takes to convert your idea or low quality artwork into a file that is ready to print. Unlike most, we do not charge an hourly rate.
See what graphic design can cost.
Please also note that we do not provide copies of the source files for your artwork.
The words “artwork” and “design” refer to the electronic file we require to do any print job. Even a “simple” sign involves graphic layout, choice of fonts, colour, etc. A file is created, formatted, and stored.
With hundreds of fonts and thousands of colour options, even text only artwork is rarely as simple as people think.
We can create a digital file of YOUR design. But if you want us to spend hours of time trying to understand your business and select colours, shapes/images, or fonts that represent your goals and culture, then no, you want something outside of the scope of graphic support.
A big part of providing graphic support is knowing the size, materials, and use of the artwork. This is best achieved by tying it to an individual product.
Also, it is important to understand that artwork used for one product is often not suitable for another. For example, artwork designed for a half letter paper flyer is not the correct proportions for a 24″ X 36″ large poster.
Each product page has a file upload feature. Use that to launch the file uploader and include your files that way.
Please note that it is your responsibility to access the legal right to use any graphic you submit.
We will design your project artwork for you and send you an electronic proof to review. Following that, a maximum of 2 revisions and proofs are allowed. If you want to make additional changes, the $25 revisions charge will apply
