Art Guidelines

FILE TYPES

We prefer to receive PDFs.

Other acceptable file formats:

JPEG - make sure it’s CMYK & the resolution is at least 300 dpi

EPS & AI (Illustrator) - make sure to embed all links & outline all fonts

InDesign - export & package the file so all links & fonts are included (Outlining all the fonts will also be helpful since some fonts do not like to work even though they have been packaged.)

CDR (CorelDRAW X8) – make sure to embed all images & convert all text to curves

NOT recommended, but we will accept: Word Docs, Excel, Publisher, or Pages. Beginning October 1, 2023 submission of Microsoft/Apple file types will incur a file preparation fee in addition to design/layout time.

IMAGE RESOLUTION

For high quality printing, the resolution must be 300 dpi or greater. Using images taken from the internet will not work because they are typically a low resolution of 72 dpi and will appear pixelated and/or blurry. Scaling up artwork to fit a new size is also not recommended.

COLOR MANAGEMENT

Acceptable colors are Black, CMYK, and PMS.

NOT recommended: RGB, Lab, Index Colors, Renamed Spot Colors

MARGINS

We recommend all text be 0.25” away from the edge of your art. Text outside of this  margin (aka "safe area") may be partially trimmed during cutting. Smaller margins (at least 0.125") may be acceptable depending on your project.

BLEEDS

We recommend 0.125" bleeds on smaller projects and 0.25” bleeds on large signs or banners.

Please include the bleeds when designing so we do not have to scale the artwork up (which may not be possible depending on how close text is to the edge), scale the artwork down (resulting in a white border around the art), or create the bleeds ourselves (additional charge).

FONTS

Please outline all fonts. This helps us if we need to fix anything with the file, since we do not own every font and may not be able to open your art because of that. Outlining also helps prevent any issues with the fonts not reading properly when printing.