FAQ

A0 = 841mm x 1189mm 16 x A4 Sheets

A1 = 594mm x 841mm 8 x A4 Sheets

A2 = 420mm x 594mm 4 x A4 sheets

A3 = 297mm x 420mm 2 x A4 sheets

A4 = 210mm x 297mm 1 x A4 sheet

A5 = 148mm x 210mm ½ of an A4 sheet

A6 = 105mm x 148mm ¼ of an A4 sheet

If using PowerPoint to create your poster,  always set you page size before you start, (Click design, Select page sizes, enter page sizes in CM not MM)

Bleed is where the background colour or artwork runs of the edge of the page, leaving no white border.

When setting up your document, you can either:

 1. add 3mm to each side of the document

e.g. A4 standard is 297mm x 210mm – with bleed 303mm x 216mm

Ensure you text/ artwork is at lease 5mm in from the edge.

It will be printed on oversized paper and the pages trimmed to the correct size

2. Set your page up with the correct size, ensure any text or artwork is 5mm in from any edge.

It will be printed on oversized paper and trimmed to bleed, meaning your document will be slightly smaller

e.g. A4 standard is 297mm x 210mm – cut size will be 291mm x 204mm

If you are using design software, it is possible in most cases to export with bleed. Please check for your individual software manuals.

Please Note If all of your pages have white borders you do not need to worry about bleed.

Margins are the space left at the edges of the sheets, these are essential when binding pages.

Ideal margins for binding edge:

Wiro bind – 10mm-15mm

Velo / Thermal – 10mm

With all other edges, please leave at least 5mm

If you are printing on both sides of the paper, (double sided print) and binding your document, you may need mirror the margins, this means ensuring the space needed for binding is set up correctly on both sides of the printed paper.

This is easy to do and it is best completed before you start to create your files. Using Word, select  Layout, click on Margins, Click Custom margins, Pages, Multiple Pages select Mirror Margins.

If you require a large margin on the binding edge, on the same margin page you can select a bigger gutter margin on the left or top.

If you do not know the size of your document, you can add crop/ trim marks. Please check for your individual software manuals for how to add these.

Crop marks are not essential.

All files that are sent should be “print ready PDF’s”. When you have completed your work, Select File, Save As, Select PDF from the drop down Menu.

Once your file is a PDF, in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen it will show the page dimensions. This may be different to what you were working with, this is not unusual.

When you send us the file, please mention the correct page size and we can change this for you, in most cases, we would send you the file back to approve before printing.

VERY IMPORTANT- Once you have saved your work as a PDF, please complete a detailed review and ensure everything is as it should be.  If not, revert back to the original file, amend and follow the same process.

Booklets are printed by laying 4 individual pages on to a larger sheet, 2 on the front and 2 on the back. In the correct order, these are printed, folded and stapled with 2 staples in the spine.

When we are producing printed stapled booklets please ensure that

1. Page counts are in multiples of 4 (4,8,12,16 etc)

2. Please send us single pages not spreads

3. No Crop marks

4. No Bleed

5. Margins will need to increase based upon the number of pages you have.

e.g.         4 pages 5mm Margin

8 pages 6mm Margin

12 pages 7mm Margin

If you are using a Mac version of Word, please check your pages numbers on the PDF version, as these are frequently cut in half. If this happens, on the Word document highlight the page number and drag it up 1 or 2 mm then recreate the PDF file.

GSM is an acronym standing for “Grams per Square Meter”

• Printed using a 12 colour Canon Prograf Large Format Printer
• 5 main paper stocks
• 200gsm Photo Satin – Best Quality paper – Best for wall posters
• 120gsm Matt – Good Quality, – Best used for posted in frames
• 90gsm Matt – Used for architectural drawings, not suitable for block colour images
• 230 gsm Textile – Can be folded for easy carriage and if it becomes creased, these can be removed using a warm iron.
• Posters are trimmed to bleed or to exact sizes if required
• Posters are packaged in re-usable Poster tubes for easy storage and carriage

• Printed using a Xerox Versant 80 Digital Press
• 4 main paper stocks
  • 100gsm matt – Good quality paper, standard home office is usually 80/90GSM good for everything
  • 160gsm matt – Heavier weight paper, for images/block colour and double sided printing
  • 170gms Silk – Heavier weight paper, slightly off white, give a smooth silky finish.
  • 300gsm Matt – Heavy weight paper/ thin card. Good for everything
• Page sizes up to A3 (420 x 297)
• Colour and Black /White options
• Single and double sided options

4 main simple binding options

• Velo
  • A4 landscape or portrait – (Smaller sizes possible)
  • Pages punched on the binding edge
  • Comb inserted and heat sealed
  • Complete with a leather effect black backing card and clear plastic cover
  • Very secure, the only way to change a page is to break the bind
  • Max pages C.550 using 100gsm paper
• Thermal/ Fastback / Simple Perfect
  • A4 landscape or portrait – (Smaller sizes possible)
  • Pages are glued using coated fabric strips and heat
  • Complete with a leather effect black backing card and clear plastic cover
  • If you have a small margin, this works very well
  • Max pages C.350 using 100gsm paper
• Wiro
  • A4 and A3 landscape or portrait – (Smaller sizes possible)
  • Pages punched on the binding edge
  • Black or silver wire inserted and closed
  • Complete with a leather effect black backing card and clear plastic cover
  • Very secure, great for laying flat on a desk
  • Max pages C.160 (320 if double sided) using 100gsm paper
• Corner Stapled
  • A4 and A3 landscape or portrait – (Smaller sizes possible)
  • Machine stapled
  • Easy and convenient way of keeping papers together
  • Max pages C.50 (100 if double sided) using 100gsm paper

• Printed using a Xreox Versant 80 Digital Press
• 3 main paper stocks
  • 160gsm matt – Heavier weight paper, for images / block colour and double sided printing
  • 170gms Silk – Heavier weight paper, slightly off white, give a smooth silky finish.
  • 300gsm Matt – Very heavy weight paper/ thin card. Good for everything
• A5 and A6 sizes
• Single and double sided options
• Orders from 100 to 1000 flyers

• Printed using a Xerox Versant 80 Digital Press
• 3 main paper stocks
  • 100gsm matt – Good quality paper, standard home office is usually 80/90GSM good for everything
  • 160gsm matt – Heavier weight paper, for images/block colour and double sided printing
  • 170gms Silk – Heavier weight paper, slightly off white, give a smooth silky finish.
• A5 and A4 sizes
• Different weighted paper options for covers
• Colour or B/W options
• Max order on an Express-Plus service 30 booklets no limit for same day orders

• Printed using a Xerox Versant 80 Digital Press
• 2 main paper stocks
  • 300gsm Matt –  Heavy weight paper/ thin card
    • Double sided print
  • 350gsm Matt  Heavy weight paper/ thin card
• Sizes based on art work or standard business card size (85mm x 55mm)
• Orders from 100 to 1000 cards

Ink that goes all the way to the edge of the paper is called “bleed”. This means that the printer is going to request bleed to be included on all four sides of your document.

The most common way printers achieve this result is to print on a larger sheet of paper than needed and trim it down to size. If your artwork is the exact size of the finished piece, it’s possible that a slight shift while trimming will result in a white edge on the final piece. Bleed is artwork that extends past the trim line of the document.

We require Print ready PDF, this means;

1. Files are in PDF Format
2. Files created and set to the correct size
3. Pages have a 5mm Safe Zone” – keeping text 5mm away from the edges
4. Have 3mm Bleed margin on all edges and trim lines (where applicable)
5. Exported As CMYK colour profile (preferred)
6. Correct margins for binding style (where applicable)

If you do not have a Print Ready PDF, need some help or want some reassurance

Our checking service will

• Check the PDF page size versus the order and if necessary, scale equally (without distorting the artwork)
  • Where it is not possible to scale the artwork equally – This will normally add white margins to the top and bottom or left and right depending on the original size
• Check the bleed margins and safe zones – is there enough space so the text / image will not be clipped?
  • Where this is a problem, we will attempt to fix the issues by adding a bleed if possible or trimming slightly differently.
• Identify obvious print defects – We will contact you with the specifics of the issue.

We will also

• Contact you with any issues identified that cannot be fixed or pass you the files we have amended that require approval.
• Confirm that all checks have been completed.
• Confirm that your order has been processed and when it is scheduled for collection or dispatch.
• Share with you next working day tracking information (direct from DPD)

We Will NOT:

• Proof read the content of any document
• Identify spelling or grammatical errors

Checking service is by product not by order.