How to set up your art files:
Please use these guidelines to prepare your art files for printing.
DOWNLOAD A FREE ART TEMPLATE: Correct set-up of art files is made easy when you select the appropriate template for your project from the list found here.
Applications: We prefer native Adobe Creative Cloud 2023 (InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop) files but we are happy to accept PDFs. We ask that Microsoft Office, Corel, and Quark XPress users save their projects as PDFs.
Save your working files! If we need something technical changed, like bleeds, overprints, etc., such changes can only be done to your working files. Art charges may be incurred if we have to fix the files you submit.
Page Setup
Take the check mark OFF "Facing Pages." Make your page size the same as the trim size. Set your margins at a minimum of 1/8th-inch. Then add 1/8th-inch bleed on all four sides. Please see the example below.
Single Pages
If your layout has multiple pages, please DO NOT select the “Facing Pages” option. Advancements in technology require that layouts be in Single Page format only. Don’t forget to make sure you have bleeds on all four sides!
Bleeds
Please set up your layout to include 1/8th-inch bleed on all four sides so that the images and colors that you would like to see printed all the way to the trimmed edges will print correctly. For example, if your project is 3-1/2 inches by 2 inches, then please size your background color or image to 3-3/4 by 2-1/4 inches.
Trim Marks & Color Bars
No trim marks or color bars, please! Advancements in technology have changed the way we do things.
File Formats for Links
Illustrator: AI, EPS, or PDF
Photoshop: Flattened TIF with LZW compression and 300 dpi.
PNG, JPG, and GIF files must be converted to flattened TIF at 300 dpi.
Color Mode
COLOR: All your color files must be in CMYK or Pantone (PMS) colors.
BLACK-&-WHITE: All your Black-&-White files must be in Grayscale color. Black-&-White elements may look Black-&-White, but they will print in color unless converted to Grayscale.
Getting Your Files Ready to Send to Us
HOW TO PREPARE NATIVE FILES: Please collect all your links, fonts, and layouts into a project folder. InDesign will do this for you automatically. From the File Menu, scroll down to “Package” and let InDesign do all the work! Use Stuffit or WinZip to compress the project folder into a ZIP file.
HOW TO PREPARE PDF FILES: You may prefer to send us a high resolution PDF, instead. In that case, please choose the “Press Quality” option and make sure that bleeds are included. But no marks or color bars, please!
Sending Your Files to Us
Send us your ZIP or PDF file via Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer. If your ZIP or PDF file is small enough to email, send it to jmoore@cal-litho.com.