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Products and Ordering
Can I order PMS color printing from
you?
We suggest you get the best value for your dollar
and go for full color. Since we are so efficient at producing
high-quality 4-color work, 2-color pieces will be priced the same
as 4-color. 2-color postcards and business cards will be converted
to 4-color process equivalents before printing. We suggest that if
the card is currently set up using PMS colors that the client make
the correction themselves because colors tend to shift when
converted from PMS to Process (CMYK). We generally would like the
client to decide what color works for them.
Is there an extra charge for
bleeds?
No. Unlike many other companies, all our prices
include full bleeds free of charge.
What kind of paper will my job be printed
on?
How well will my job match what I see on my
monitor?
Most people are surprised at how well their job
matches what they see. But because of wide differences in monitor
calibration, personal preferences and the different technologies
used, some printed colors may not exactly match the colors on a
specific monitor.
Will you match a sample I print out on my own printer
or a previously printed sample?
We offer fast turnaround and low pricing by printing
to a "pleasing color" standard, using standard ink densities.
Therefore, there is no guarantee that your finished piece will
approximate your printed sample. This is due in part to the widely
varying results from different output devices including inkjet and
laser printers, continuous tone proofing devices, high-resolution
film-based proofs and offset lithography. Even from one commercial
printing firm to another, there can be significant differences in
results. In particular, inkjet and laser prints are known to look
substantially different than true offset lithography.
If you require precise color match. We currently are
very acurate with the majority of orders that we develop and
print. However, there are limitations when we offer such a low
price on our services. Generally, pricing for guaranteed exact
color matching requires much more time and money on the client
side. Therefore, we do not specialize in a special order of exact
colors. There are substantial additional charges for precise color
match service. For example, there would be additional fees
(starting at $200), then we would produce and send you a hard
proof via overnight delivery. Also, if you request color
correction or other changes after you see your proof, there will
be a minimum of another $200 charged for color correction time and
a new set of film and proof.
Bottom line: We do not offer this service because it
is not what we specialize in. We offer a great product at a very
inexpensive price.
How long does it take for me to get the proof of my
job?
Once you have placed your order, you should receive
a PDF of your file within approximately 5 business days after we
receive your completed order.
Shipping Services
We ship via UPS directly to the
customer's address unless requested otherwise by the
customer.
What if I want to change something on my order after
I've placed it or approved the proof?
We require an electronic "paper trail" for all
changes made after your initial order is placed.You may make
changes to such things as quantity, shipping method or shipping
address. Please note that some changes cannot be made after
certain stages in the production process -- for instance, the
quantity cannot be changed once your job has been
printed.
How do I view my proof?
Essentially, we email a PDF proof to the customer
and they can view the proof to be sure they are designed to the
customers request. We also assume they will proof all information
and type are all correct. They then approve or request any changes
throughout the process. Like we mentioned earlier we cannot
guarantee that the color is going show correctly on your monitor.
Therefore, if that is an issue we do offer to mail out a color
sample that matches very closely to the final
output.
FILE PREPARATION
Can I send you documents created in MS Word or
PowerPoint?
NO! If you have created documents in Word or
PowerPoint that contain photos, clip-art or other color images, do
not send them in. We are a Mac-only shop. These programs are not
designed for high-end printing. They were intended for office use
on a inkjet or laserprinter.
What other file formats can you
take?
We can take any Mac or PC version of Quark,
Illustrator, Photoshop, Word (for text only) and PDFs.
What is the difference between the RGB and CMYK color
space and why does it matter?
RGB refers to the primary colors of light: Red,
Green and Blue, that are used in monitors, television screens,
digital cameras and scanners. CMYK refers to the primary colors of
pigment: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. These are the inks used
on the press in "4-color process printing", commonly referred to
as "full color printing".
The combination of RGB light creates white while the
combination of CMYK inks creates black. Therefore, it is
physically impossible for the printing press to exactly reproduce
colors as we see them on our monitors.
Many programs have the capability to convert the
layout/images from the RGB color space to the CMYK color space. We
request that you convert your colors from RGB to CMYK if your
tools allow you to. By doing it yourself, you have maximum control
over the results.You may notice a shift in color when converting
from RGB to CMYK. If you do not like the appearance in CMYK, we
recommend that you make adjustments while working in CMYK (usually
lightening). Generally, you should specify CMYK color builds that
look a little lighter than you want since the dots of ink "fatten
up" on press, giving you more pigment on paper than you see on
your monitor. Be especially careful to keep backgrounds light if
there is black or dark colored text over it so that the text
remains readable.
How do I check for proper imposition or
backup?
"Imposition" and "backup" refer to how the front of
a printed piece is oriented to the back. In the case of a
brochure, you normally turn it over right-to-left (like you turn
the page of a book) in order to have the back side read correctly
-- not upside down. Seems simple until you get to a postcard where
one side is layed out in landscape (horizontal) orientation and
the other side in portrait (vertical) orientation. We use our best
judgement when imposing a job so that it backs up in the most
natural or normal manner. Some designs, however, contain both
portrait and landscape elements on both sides making it difficult
to make a clear call. When reviewing your proof online, we will
always post the front and the back in the orientation that they
will print in relation to each other. So, if page 2 appears upside
down, that is how it will be printed on the back of page 1. (Some
people want it that way so that the recipient of the piece must
turn it over top-to-bottom in order to read it correctly.) Be sure
to print out a copy of your online proof and attach the two sides
to each other to create a "mockup" or "dummy." This is especially
important when a job will be folded.
Do I need to impose my business cards 8-up or 10-up if
they will be printed more than 1 to a sheet?
No, send us a single layout for each card of your
job unimposed. We will handle any imposition needed on our
end.
How should I take pictures with my digital
camera?
Digital cameras are wonderful tools that allow us to
capture our images in many different ways. The camera is designed
to actually take three pictures; one in red, one in green and the
other in blue (similar to the way a projection TV works). It then
combines the colors together and saves the image onto the picture
card. It is very important to make sure that the camera is set to
the highest quality setting possible. This means that if you can
only save one image on the picture card instead of 12, 64 or 128
images, then this is good! You want to create the best quality
picture that the camera can make. This will mean large file sizes
and slow downloads from the camera itself, but it will get you the
best possible results from your camera. Remember, images should be
at 300dpi in their final size in the layout!
More often than not, we notice that images that come
from digital cameras print darker than expected on the printing
press. Check to see if you have a brightness option in your image
editing program to lighten the entire piece. If you have the
opportunity to change the color space from RGB (red, green, blue)
to the printing press colors of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow,
black), then do so! It is always better to have you change the
color space if you can than for us to do it. Remember, not all
colors that you can see that are created by elements of light
(RGB) can be created by the elements of ink (CMYK) on press. If
you do not have this capability with your software, do not worry
about it. We can change it for you. Finally, we recommend that you
apply a little sharpening to the image. This will make the image a
little crisper and will print better on press.
How can I tell what resolution the image from my
digital camera is?
Some digital cameras will let you know what the
image resolution is while others will tell you what the pixel
dimensions of your image are. If you know what the pixel
dimensions of your images are, either from the camera itself or
through the image editing software, you can do a little math to
determine the resolution and the size you can print the image at
for clear and crisp printing.
Simply write down the pixel dimensions of your image
and divide those numbers by 300, if the image does not include
text, and 400 if the image does include text. For example: An
image without any text has a pixel dimension of 600 x 900 pixels.
Once each dimension is divided by 300 the result is 2 x 3 inches.
This means that you can use this image at 2 x 3 inches or smaller
in your layout for quality printing results.
If your image editing software does not tell you
what the pixel dimensions are but it does tell you what the
resolution is, then you know the maximum size you can use that
image in your layout. We recommend that images be at 300dpi in
their final size in the layout and 400dpi if the images include
text. Please keep in mind that resolution and physical dimensions
are in direct proportion to each other. If you have an image that
is 2x2 at 300dpi and increase its size in the layout to 4x4 the
new resolution is now 150dpi. So remember, when you bring an image
in to your layout you can shrink it down in size (because the
resolution will increase) but you will be limited as to how far
you can increase it in size.
What is your turnaround time on business cards or
postcards?
What is meant by bleed?
Bleed is the area outside the trim area of a
document in which graphical elements are printed. This area is
then trimmed off, resulting in color going all the way to edge of
the piece. If you didn't bleed elements and instead placed them up
to the boundaries of the trim area, irregularities encountered
during cutting might produce a piece where a thin line of
unprinted stock shows along one or more edges. And that could ruin
the overall effectiveness of the card's design. Standard bleed is
1/8 inch.
I need cards but I can't design them myself. Can you
help?
Yes, we specialize in custom design cards. We offer
design services for an additional fee. Additional text changes in
the future are not included with the initial design setup
charge.
What is meant by linescreen?
Simply put, linescreen is how tightly the individual
printing dots that make up a printed piece are placed on the
paper. A fine linescreen, like we use, minimizes the appearance of
the dots resulting in a smoother image.
What is meant by CMYK?
Full color printing is generally done with only four
colors; cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. CMYK is just another way
to say process, or full color, printing. All elements to be
printed must be separated into the four color channels. Scanned
color images are RGB. At some point , they must be separated;
either automatically on the scanner or manually in an image
editing program. | 
