File Setup & Artwork Guidelines

We recommend submitting print-ready PDF files whenever possible — they preserve fonts, colors, and layout perfectly. We also accept the following formats:

• 300 DPI minimum for all images and artwork. This is the standard for sharp, professional print quality.
• 72 DPI is for screens only. Images that look sharp on your monitor will appear blurry and pixelated when printed.
• Do not upscale low-res images. Increasing the size of a 72 DPI image in Photoshop does not improve print quality — it must be high-res from the source.
• For large format prints (banners, posters, yard signs), 150 DPI at full size is acceptable since these are viewed from a distance.

Screens display color using RGB (Red, Green, Blue). Printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). If you submit an RGB file, colors may shift when converted for print — especially bright blues, greens, and oranges.

• Always design in CMYK for the most accurate color output.
• In Photoshop: Image → Mode → CMYK Color
• In Illustrator: File → Document Color Mode → CMYK
• Rich Black for large dark areas: C:60 M:40 Y:40 K:100. For small black text, use 100% K only to avoid color fringing.

After printing, sheets are cut down to their final size. Because cutting isn't always perfect to the millimeter, you need to account for a small margin of variance. This is where bleed and safe zones come in.

• Bleed (0.125"): Extend your background color or image beyond the trim line so there are no white edges after cutting.
• Safe Zone (0.125" inside trim): Keep all important text, logos, and graphics inside the safe zone to avoid anything getting cut off.
• Trim Line: The actual cut line — your finished product size. Do not place important content on or near this line.

• Outline or embed your fonts before saving. If we don't have your font installed, text may reflow or substitute to a different font entirely.
• In Illustrator: Select all text → Type → Create Outlines.
• Minimum font size: 6pt for body text. Anything smaller may not be legible after printing.
• Black text: Use 100% K only (not rich black) to avoid color registration issues on small text.

• Never use images downloaded from Google or pulled from a website — they are almost always 72 DPI and will print blurry.
• Use vector logos (.AI, .EPS, .SVG) whenever possible — they scale to any size without losing quality.
• Stock photo sites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Unsplash are good sources for high-res print-quality images.
• Embed all linked images in your file before sending. Linked images that aren't embedded will appear as blank boxes.