Question 1

What is a bleed in printing?

Accepted Answer

A bleed is the part of your design that runs past the edge of the finished piece, usually by 1/8 inch (0.125) on each side. It gets cut off. It is there so your color or photo reaches the very edge, with no thin white sliver left behind.

Question 2

What is vector artwork?

Accepted Answer

Vector artwork is drawn with lines and shapes instead of a grid of pixels. Because it is shapes, it can be made any size, from a pen to a banner, and stay perfectly sharp. A logo should be a vector file: usually an AI, EPS, or SVG, or a PDF saved from a design program.

Question 3

What are the different types of paper stock?

Accepted Answer

Paper comes down to three choices. Its type: text paper is flexible, like a flyer, and cover paper is stiff, like a business card. Its finish: glossy, matte, or uncoated. And its weight, given in pounds or points, which tells you how thick and sturdy it is.

Question 4

What DPI do you need for large format printing?

Accepted Answer

Most large format printing needs 100 to 150 pixels per inch at the finished size, not the 300 used for brochures and business cards. What sets the number is how far away people stand. A poster read up close wants more, a banner seen across a room needs less, and a billboard needs very little.

Question 5

What file types should I send for printing?

Accepted Answer

For a logo, send a vector file: AI, EPS, SVG, or a PDF saved from a design program. For a finished layout such as a flyer or a business card, send a print-ready PDF. For a photo, send the largest original you have. If all you have is a JPG or a PNG, send it anyway and say so.

Question 6

What is a proof, and what should I check on it?

Accepted Answer

A proof is a preview of exactly what is about to be made, sent to you to approve first. Nothing is made until you say yes. It is your last chance to catch a wrong phone number, a missing letter, or a logo in the wrong place, so read it slowly.

Question 7

What is the difference between RGB and CMYK?

Accepted Answer

RGB is how a screen makes color: red, green, and blue light. CMYK is how a press makes color: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink. A screen can show colors that ink cannot print, so a file built in RGB can come out duller on paper, most of all in its brightest blues, greens, and oranges.

Question 8

What is a Pantone (PMS) color?

Accepted Answer

A Pantone color is a standard ink color with its own number, such as PMS 186. It is mixed to a published formula and printed as one solid ink, so it can be matched from one printer and one job to the next. PMS stands for Pantone Matching System.

Question 9

What is the difference between screen printing and embroidery?

Accepted Answer

Screen printing presses ink through a stencil onto the fabric. It suits T-shirts, large designs, and larger orders. Embroidery stitches your logo into the garment with thread. It has a raised, textured look and suits polos, jackets, and hats. The garment and the artwork usually decide it.

Question 10

What is an imprint area?

Accepted Answer

The imprint area is the part of a product where your logo can be printed, engraved, or stitched. It is given as a width and a height, and it is set by the shape of the item and the way the logo is applied. Your logo has to fit inside it, so it decides how large and how detailed the logo can be.

Question 11

What is a spirit pack?

Accepted Answer

A spirit pack is a bundle of team or school gear that each player, student, or family orders as one set: a T-shirt, a hoodie, and a water bottle, for example, all with the team's name or mascot. Teams use them so everyone matches from the first day of the season, and so ordering is one decision instead of several.

Question 12

Why did I get more (or fewer) pieces than I ordered?

Accepted Answer

Printing is made in runs, not counted out one piece at a time, so the finished count can land a little above or below what you ordered. The long-standing custom in the printing trade allows up to 10 percent over or under, and the bill is for the number delivered. If you need an exact count, say so when you ask for the quote.

Question 13

What DPI do I need for printing?

Accepted Answer

For anything people hold in their hands, such as business cards, flyers, brochures, and photo prints, aim for 300 pixels per inch at the size it will be printed. That is about as much detail as the eye can see at reading distance. Large pieces seen from further away, such as banners and signs, need much less.

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