How to Prepare Your Files for Commercial Printing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Do you know how to get your files ready for commercial printing? The truth is, even if you’re experienced with at-home or in-office printing, commercial printing is a different beast entirely. Taking time to learn the key terms, standards, and processes of commercial printing will help ensure the best possible results for every project, and this resource is here to help! Read on to learn the essential facts and steps for prepping your design files for commercial printing. 

Step 1: Choosing the Right File Format

First, you need to know which file format to save your design as. This will depend on the type of file you’re printing. There are two main kinds of print files:

• Raster files are pixel-based. Designs with photography and complex illustrations use raster files. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is, generally, the preferred format for raster files.
• Vector files are scalable files. They use mathematical formulas to let you change the file’s size and dimensions without making the assets pixelated. Designs that use solid colors like logos, simple illustrations, and charts are best suited for vector files. Vector file formats include PDF, EPS, AI, and SVG.

Note that many file formats used for at-home printing aren’t suitable for commercial printing, such as JPEG, PNG, and DOC (Word) files. That’s because these files lack the resolution, flexibility, or data quality required to work at a commercial scale.

Step 2: Understanding Print Specifications

Print specifications are the file standards your commercial printer sets to ensure high-quality results. One of the most important specifications is your design’s Dots Per Inch (DPI), aka its print resolution. DPI is different from Pixels Per Inch (PPI), which refers to the resolution of a digital image. The standard minimum DPI for commercial printing is 300, but your print partner may require something different. If so, defer to their guidelines

Another important print specification is color mode. While digital designs often default to RGB, commercial printers require CMYK. This is because the RGB color mode is optimized for digital screens, which create images with a combination of light and red, green, and blue colored pixels. On the other hand, the CMYK color mode is optimized for creating printed images through the layering of tiny cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dots. When you send RGB images for commercial printing they are converted to CMYK and the colors can appear less saturated than what you were seeing on your computer monitor.

Step 3: Managing Bleeds, Margins & Trim

To save time and materials, commercial printers usually print multiple copies on a single, oversized sheet that is then cut down. These cuts, while precise, have a minute amount of variation to them. To account for this, print designs with color or imagery that extend to the edge of the page require a bleed. The bleed is a portion of your print design that extends past the final trim line, preventing unwanted negative space between your design and the edge of the print. A standard bleed extends at least .125 inches past the trim line.

Conversely, margin, often used interchangeably with the term safe area, refers to the amount of intentional negative space you incorporate between your design’s critical content, such as text and illustrations, and the edge of your finished piece. There are no industry standards for margin/safe area sizes. Instead, margins are often dictated by the tolerances of the specific equipment it will be finished on. A common margin in commercial printing is .125 inches.

Finally, trim size refers to the final dimensions of your print. You need to know your final trim size to set up adequate bleeds and margins.

Step 4: Selecting the Right Paper & Finishes

The right paper and finishes can help you make a better visual and emotional impact with your prints. They affect many aspects of the final product including its color, luster, texture, thickness, and physical strength. Your commercial print partner can help you explore your options, with material examples and print samples. They can also provide expert recommendations on what papers, finishes, and treatments will be most effective for your content and print application.

Step 5: Proofing & Finalizing Your File

Once you feel your design is finished and your print parameters are settled, take a step back and review your work. Proofing is critical for preventing expensive and time-wasting errors.

Here are a few tips for establishing a robust proofing process:

• Once you’ve finished your design, let it sit for a day or two before returning with fresh eyes.
• Run through a checklist of common mistakes, including:
  
  • Incorrect file resolution
  • Inaccurate colors
  • Missing embedded fonts
  • Incorrect brand fonts
  • Outdated brand logos
• Have multiple stakeholders review the file, i.e. designers, copywriters, project managers.
• Ask your print partner for a final check to ensure the file is optimized for print.

Step 6: Submitting Your Artwork 

Once your design is as polished as you can get it, it’s ready to upload. Follow your print partner’s specific instructions, and don’t hesitate to ask for assistance or a walkthrough of the upload process if you’re feeling uncertain. Also,if your print job contains any protected or sensitive information, it can be a good idea to ask your printer what specific data protection protocols they use. At Wallace Carlson, we use an encrypted file upload and management system that’s password-protected to ensure your data is kept secure.

When in Doubt, Ask Wallace Carlson 

With this guide, you should be able to prep perfect files for commercial printing! However, if you ever find yourself in a situation you don’t know how to resolve, Wallace Carlson is ready to assist. Our staff are seasoned experts at reviewing and adjusting files for print. Whether you need help optimizing your design, guidance on formatting, or anything else, we’re always happy to help. For an easier printing process and beautiful results, every time, get started with Wallace Carlson Printing today!