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How do I create a PDF print File?
We have adopted a PDF workflow to offer consistent quality, low prices, and fast turnaround. All files uploaded through our website must be in PDF format. This ensures your order gets printed precisely how you want it.
What is a PDF?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Adobe created it, and it is the standard for all document transfers, not just web documents. Formatted properly, PDFs can provide smaller file sizes, eliminate font issues across platforms, include formatting features, and carry forward images. They provide as much resolution to the printer as required, provided the source document is of a high enough resolution.
What do I need to Know about Preparing my PDF?
- Choose your artboard dimensions: When creating your artwork, choose the artboard dimensions to match the dimensions you want the printed product to be, and include the desired white space.
- Position your design on the artboard: Ensure your design is appropriately placed on the artboard. Any portion of any graphics lying outside the artboard will not be printed. However, they will add to file size and complexity. You may wish to use a photo editing package to crop overly large images instead of masking. This may significantly reduce file size for some files, which results in a faster upload to our server.
- Work at full scale: Whenever possible, work at actual size. If limitations in your software do not allow this, work at a 50%, 25% or even 10% scale, and you can then enter the scaling on the order form or use a filename QuickSets to automatically have the scale adjusted on the order form. Please read our File Resolution page if you will work on scale. (When you enlarge your file for printing, you must work at a higher resolution.)
- Embed the fonts: When saving your file as a PDF, embed the fonts. This provides our RIP software with the necessary information to print your job, even if we don't have the fonts you work with on our computers. Embedding the fonts in a PDF file does not install the fonts on our system, so you must embed the fonts in every document you send us.
- Check the resolution of the images you use: Bitmap, jpg, tiff, and other rasterized images have a fixed resolution. This means that the larger they are printed, the lower the quality of the final output. That does not mean you should not enlarge an image, but you must be careful not to breach certain thresholds. For most signage, you want to ensure that images have a resolution of 180 ppi once they are sized in your application to final print size. This provides a good image close-up. If your signage has a significant viewing distance (such as 20+ ft. as in billboards), the resolution can be as low as 45 ppi or less. When viewing the actual size on the monitor, you can be the judge. Simply back away from the monitor. You must be aware of your client's expectations regarding viewing distance and the point where the pixelation becomes acceptable.
- Embed the images: During the development of your artwork, you are free to work with either embedded or linked images. However, you must "parse" or embed the images on the final copy being sent with your order. Most software allows you to do this at the "Save as PDF" stage.
- Work in CMYK: To learn more about getting predictable colour results, visit our Colour Accuracy: What to Expect from CMYK Printing page. While CMYK printing does have some limitations, we have an excellent colour gamut. Some RGB images may print better as RGB, but unexpected results may sometimes occur. Working in the CMYK colour mode provides the most consistent colours.
- Use Pantone colours for most spot colours: Our RIP will match spot colours even better if you name them using Pantone standard names pulled directly from your application's Pantone-approved palettes. These standard colours do not necessarily provide perfect matches but give the best possible results. Avoid using percentages of spot colours, spot colours in gradients, or having transparencies interacting with spot colour-filled vector images. In these cases, try using CMYK colours instead. This is because the RIP software will treat the interacting elements as CMYK and the balance as spot, creating colour differences.
- Proof your artwork in Adobe Reader: Proofing your files for resolution and image details is straightforward. After saving it as a PDF, open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader (available free from Adobe). Do not use your application as the final check; use Reader. If you have designed at full size, set your zoom to 100%. Scroll around and proof for resolution and fine detail. Reduce your view to check larger items, and "view fit to page" to ensure you have left adequate white space for any mounting, cutting, and aligning methods that you may use. Remember to hold white space or use a full bleed image for hemming banners. Don't submit it for printing if you don't like what you see. You are welcome to contact us to discuss any issues you may have.