Best Practices for Preparing Artwork for Commercial Printing

Commercial printing projects are a great way to market your brand. However, using artwork in these commercial projects can get tricky, as you want the artwork to maintain its original integrity through reproduction. The best way to accomplish this is to use a trusted Denver commercial printer that has a reputation for top quality work, and a regular process that backs it up. 

There’s an attention to detail required when preparing artwork for commercial printing to make sure the final product meets the standards of the customer. The commercial printer should also have their own high standards in place, and that comes along with the best practices of getting the project to emerge exactly as the customer intended. 

Color is Crucial

When printing large projects, one of the most important things is making sure the color comes through properly. No one wants colors to look muted when they’re supposed to be bright. Colors are also critical in logos and other branding, so they have to be exact. Using the CMYK color mode for full-color printing is crucial, instead of the RGB mode (which is used for digital displays).

The right resolution is also vital for large projects, and images should have a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (DPI). This will make the images crisp and clear, and keep away from distracting pixilation of images. The overprint settings are also important to getting the right colors. This is the process of printing colors on top of each other, and maintaining the right settings will make sure the colors come through properly. 

Get Graphics in Order

One of the most important things is making sure your document size matches the final print size. This includes double checking the dimensions and resolution. If you’re using custom fonts, embed them within your document to make sure they display correctly. His is especially important when saving your files. If possible, use a print-ready format. PDFs are widely used, as they will maintain image quality and properly embed fonts. 

Whenever possible, use vector graphics for logos and text to make sure the sharpness is maintained. Vector graphics can also deliver better clarity regardless of size. It’s also important to collaborate with the printer to understand the specific process that will be used. Different processes may have different color profiles or resolution requirements, and working together with the printer will give you all of the information you need to get them the right images and files to make the project a success. 

One of the most important things throughout this process is communication, and working with a printer focused on customer service is crucial. They’ll be able to get all the right information to you, and walk you through the entire process. Be sure to get a proof of the project before the final product is created, so that you can get the peace of mind of knowing that it’s going to come out the way you want it. For more information, reach out to the experts at Cottrell Printing today.