It’s easy to get great results when you follow these simple tips when submitting files to us!

1. For the best results, make sure your files are CMYK. This will avoid color shifts.
2. If you are submitting a TIFF, PSD or JPG, your files should be 100dpi at output size.
   • If using Photoshop, click "Image" from the top menu items and then select "Image Size"
   • Make sure the Document Size settings are in Inches and reflect the size of your job.
   • The resolution should be 100 “pixels per inch”
   • Click “OK” (or cancel) and then select "View" from the top menu items and choose "Actual Pixels" (basically you are viewing your image at 100%). If it looks good, it will print good!
3. If you are submitting an EPS, AI, CDR or other vector format, please include a small .JPG of the output for a proof.

The safest way to submit most files: 100dpi CMYK TIFF at output size.

• The easiest way is to upload the file to us over the internet. We've set up an easy to use quote form that will handle this for you. Just click here to go there.
• The traditional way is on a CD-ROM. Just save your file to disk and mail or drop it off.

• Don’t expect files saved in vector format (.ai .eps .cdr .pdf) to print correctly unless you have provided a .JPG image as a proof. Vector formatted graphics are notorious for color shifts. Here’s a simple test:
  • Open your vector file (.ai, .eps, .pdf) in Photoshop as an RGB. Then duplicate that image and covert it to CMYK. You may see some a major color shift.
  • If the color shifts then there’s problem. A .JPG proof helps us verify what the output should look like when submitting vector files.
• Don’t expect good quality from a low resolution .JPG file.

Important Information About RGB and CMYK

Many graphics software programs give you the choice to work in either RGB or CMYK. These are called “color spaces”. Scanners and digital cameras create images using combinations of just three colors: Red, Green and Blue (called “RGB”). These are the primary colors of light, which computers use to display images on your screen. Printing presses print full color pictures using a different set of colors, the primary colors of pigment: Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Black (called “CMYK”). This is “4-color process” or “full-color” printing that comprises the majority of magazines and marketing materials you see every day. At some stage your RGB file must be translated to CMYK in order to print it on a printing press.

It’s Best If You do the RGB-to-CMYK Conversion of Your Images

You will have more control over the appearance of your printed piece if you convert all of the images from RGB to CMYK before sending them to us. When we receive RGB images, we do a standard-value conversion to CMYK, which may not be perfectly to your liking. We want you to be happy, so please, take the time to prepare your file properly. We cannot be responsible for sub-par results if you furnish your images in RGB. Even though monitors always use RGB to display colors, the colors you see on your monitor will more closely match the final printed piece if you are viewing them in the CMYK color space.

Be aware that it is possible to see colors in RGB that you can’t make with CMYK. They are said to be “out of the CMYK color gamut”. What happens is that the RGB-to-CMYK translator just gets as close as possible to the appearance of the original and that’s as good as it can be. It’s something that everyone in the industry puts up with. So it’s best to select CMYK colors for fonts or other design elements in your layout. That way, you will have a better idea of how they will appear in your printed piece. You most likely won’t notice a color shift in a color photograph. It is more likely to happen if you pick a very rich, vibrant color in your layout. It probably won’t look bad, it just won’t look exactly the same.