Artwork Guidelines for Print

Colours

• CMYK Litho-Printed Packaging: All color elements (images, vector graphics, text) must be defined in CMYK. Black and white elements can be greyscale. Black text should be specifically defined as Black (not RGB black from imported applications).
• CMYK Picture-Disc Print: Use CMYK for halftone elements like photos. For solid colors and vector designs, Pantone inks are usually better. CMYK inks are typically printed onto a white ink base; we’ll assume this unless you instruct otherwise.
• Standard Spot-Colour On-Disc Print: Define colors as Pantone Spot Colours.

Bitmaps

• Colours: All color bitmaps must be saved in CMYK format. Black and white images should be Greyscale if printed on a B&W page. For color pages, CMYK for B&W images can offer a smoother look but risks a color tinge.
• Size and Resolution: Import bitmaps into DTP packages at their final print size, ideally at 400dpi (300dpi is acceptable if space is an issue). Do not resize them within the page layout program.

Important Note: Grey Component Replacement (GCR)

CMYK printing combines four inks, and total ink coverage should not exceed 275% to prevent drying issues. When converting RGB to CMYK, or designing in CMYK, you might exceed this limit. GCR helps by reducing the Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow percentages and increasing Black to compensate, ensuring your image prints correctly while maintaining visual fidelity.

Fonts

• Include all fonts used in your artwork, especially unusual ones. We may charge if we need to purchase fonts or for time spent making text changes.
• For embedded text like titles or logos, convert text to curves or outlines where possible. This preserves formatting and avoids font-related issues. Save a new file with outlines, keeping your original editable version.

Bleed

• For paper packaging parts (inlays, booklets) where elements extend to the edge, ensure a 3mm bleed.
• Do not use bleed for CD/DVD label artwork.

Printers’ Spreads

• For multi-page CD/DVD booklets, supply artwork in printers’ spreads (how pages are printed together, not how they are viewed). For example, in an 8-page booklet, pages are paired for printing differently than how they appear side-by-side.