Frequently Asked Questions

What are the requirements for file formats and resolution?

What is the layout for your Business cards?

What is the layout for Post Office Compliant cards?

What about for all other flyer layouts?

What quantities do you offer?

What are bleeds?

What color format do you offer?

What is a process black?

What is Flood UV and Spot UV?

Is AQ & Matt UV the same as Spot?

What is CMYK?

What is a 5th color?

What is gang run printing?

What is the printing process?

What are outlines (creating outlines)?

Can I cancel my order?

 

 

What are the requirements for file formats and resolution?

Resolution must be at 300 DPI and this must be selected from the beginning, you can not go back after you have designed your project and change your DPI this must be done from the start.

We only accept the following formats: high quality JPEG, EPS, PDF, PSD, TIFF, AI and Illustrator EPS files must be outlined.

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What is the layout for your Business cards?

Business card file size must be 3.75 X 2.25 and final cut down size is 3.5 X 2.   All images and text you don’t want cut off must be within the 3.5 X 2 area and bleed all background colors to the full dimension of the 3.75 X 2.25.   You do not want to add borders to your files because this will cause un proportioned cuts since we do not allow for crop marks.   Resolution must be at 300 DPI and this must be selected from the beginning, you can not go back after you have designed your project and change your DPI this must be done from scratch.

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What is the layout for Post Office Compliant cards?

Refer to business card layout steps above, these preparations only apply to business cards and 4X6 post cards.   Remember that your post card file size must be 4.125 X 6.125 and final cut down size is a 4X6

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What about for all other flyer layouts?

Example, quarter page flyers are 5.5 X 4.25.   All flyers must be prepared at the actual and final size but you will need to bring all text and images you don’t want to get cut off must be brought in a little over an 1/8 of an inch away from the edges, do not increase or decrease these dimensions or add any borders of any color.

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What quantities do you offer?

Due to our gang run business we offer the following minimums:

 - Business Cards 2000

 - Everything else the minimum is 5000 followed by 5000 increments

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What are bleeds?

Bleeds are the extension of the background 1/8 in. all the way around.   Example: a business card is 3.5 X 2, we ask that you provide the files at 3.75 X 2.25 we only need the background this size the text stays with in the 3.5 X 2.

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What color format do you offer?

Color format is the process used to make the color layout.   A printer or the printing press uses to make the combinations of colors, for example RGB (red, green, blue).   Our press prints 4 colors on the front 4 colors on the back CMYK format only (cyan, magenta, yellow, black).

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What is a process black?

Process black is when your CMYK color values are set at C=60, M=40, Y=40, K=100 this will produce a rich solid black, otherwise, a value of C=0, M=0, Y=0, K=100 will result in a very dull black.

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What is Flood UV and Spot UV?

Flood UV is an overall covering high gloss coating that is applied to the flyers.   Spot UV is the option of having certain areas of a job to have UV coating which is the high gloss of certain areas and no UV in other areas.   To set up files for spot UV is to create 2 additional files labeled front and back .. The two files will consist of two colors solid black and solid white.   The solid black will represent the UV coating and the solid white will represent the spot UV or where there will be no gloss

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Is AQ & Matt UV the same as Spot?

No, AQ Coating is a coating which helps ink dry without smearing, this process is added to 10pt and 14pt stock where UV is not applied on a flyer.   Spot UV is when only parts of either side of the flyer are covered with UV Matt UV is a coating that gives the flyer a satin finish and a rougher texture no UV is added when a client requires numbering or stamping.

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What is CMYK?

CMYK is the color format we use in our presses (cyan, magenta, yellow, black).

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What is a 5th color?

A 5 th color is a metallic or neon ink which could also be used on flyers.   A metallic is an ink which gives off a metallic look (silver, gold, etc) we have a variety of metallics.   Neon ink will glow with black light.

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What is gang run printing?

The method used by Chromatic Printing.   All clients share the cost of a run opposed to printing individual jobs one by one.   A run consists of multiple jobs put on a 20 by 28 sheet and then cut down to individual jobs, therefore, passing the savings to our clients.

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What is the printing process?

Jobs are entered and processed in a computer. Film is developed to make plates and then to print, once the run is printed and UV coated, its final stage is to get it cut and delivered.

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What are outlines?

Outlines are a feature in Adobe Illustrator to turn a font into a picture so you don’t need to include your fonts when uploading an illustrator file.

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Can I cancel my order?

An order can only be cancelled before the process of developing film and plates are made.   Once this process has commenced, the order can not be cancelled.
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