5 Easy Steps to Better Printing

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1. Always Pay close attention to the details.

Quality printing requires a high attention to detail, especially when special effects are required. Bleed equaling 1/8″ should always be added to your files if bleed is required on the printed piece. Any piece requiring die cutting should include die lines to ensure the proper cuts and scores are made. Foil stamping, embossing, varnishes and coatings also have unique design requirements in order to complete the finished product. If your printing project contains any of these items, please contact your sales or customer service representative for specific requirements before preparing your files to eliminate any lost production time or additional production costs.

2. Check the color mode on your files.

Most design software will allow you to choose CMYK from a number of different color modes. When you are designing for print this will almost always be the mode you will have to work with. Generally, RGB does not convert well to CMYK. Don’t worry, any issues that may arise with the color of your printed piece should be visible on the color proofs.

3. Confirm that you have the correct resolution.

Higher input resolutions produce better final results. If you send a low resolution jpeg or a low resolution PDF, your print job will look fuzzy or grainy. At Magna IV we want your print job to be perfect! The ideal resolution of files to be printed is 300 dpi.

4. Make sure to embed your fonts.

Files without embedded fonts cannot be used for proofing or plating. Also, keep an eye on font licensing. If fonts are purchased without proper licensing we will have the same results as if the fonts were not embedded.

5. Utilize our Insite Marketing Portal and FTP sites.

We offer several methods you can use for transmitting files to us including FTP and our Insite PrePress Portal. If you send application files, you should compress or “zip” them before they are sent to the FTP. The Insite Prepress Portal System provides password protected 24/7 Web access to save you time. Our PrePress Portal has tools that permit uploading PDF files directly into the prepress work flow for immediate preflight report, online proofing and approval.