{"id":80,"date":"2026-10-07T11:13:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T11:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/?page_id=80"},"modified":"2026-10-07T20:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:08:01","slug":"preparing-artwork","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/help\/preparing-artwork\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing artwork"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-80\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-80-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-80-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-80-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p>Correctly prepared artwork helps your printing come out sharp, clear and trimmed as intended. I accept <strong>PDF and JPG files<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Bleed and safe margins<\/h2>\n<p>Bleed is extra background artwork that extends beyond the finished trim edge. It allows for small variations during cutting and helps prevent unwanted white edges.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The required bleed and safe margin vary depending on the product. Check the requirements for your order with me before preparing your artwork.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Extend background colours and images through the full bleed area. Keep important text, logos and other essential details inside the safe margin.<\/p>\n<p>For example, <strong>if your product requires 3 mm bleed on each side<\/strong>, an A5 design measuring 148 \u00d7 210 mm would need an overall artwork size of <strong>154 \u00d7 216 mm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Colour mode<\/h2>\n<p>Supply your artwork in <strong>CMYK colour mode<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>RGB is used for screens. Converting RGB artwork to CMYK for printing can change its colours, so prepare and export your files in CMYK wherever possible.<\/p>\n<p>Screen colours may still look different from the finished print.<\/p>\n<h2>Image quality<\/h2>\n<p>The quality of your finished print depends on the quality of the images in your artwork.<\/p>\n<p>For standard print products, use images at <strong>300 dpi at their final printed size<\/strong>. Enlarging a small image can make it look blurred or pixelated, even if you change its resolution setting.<\/p>\n<h2>Logos<\/h2>\n<p>Where possible, supply logos in <strong>CMYK colour mode<\/strong>. Converting an RGB logo to CMYK may change its colours.<\/p>\n<p>Use a sharp, high-quality version of your logo. A vector logo is ideal because it can be enlarged without losing clarity.<\/p>\n<h2>PDF files and fonts<\/h2>\n<p>When supplying a PDF, make sure all fonts are <strong>embedded or converted to outlines<\/strong>, sometimes called curves.<\/p>\n<p>If a font is missing, it may be replaced with another font or display incorrectly. Embedding fonts or converting them to outlines helps preserve the appearance of your design.<\/p>\n<h2>Not sure if your artwork is ready?<\/h2>\n<p>Send me your file before ordering, and I\u2019ll advise whether any adjustments are needed.<\/p>\n<h2>Artwork amendments and setting<\/h2>\n<p>Already have artwork but need something changed? I can help with amendments such as updating wording, prices or contact details, depending on the file supplied.<\/p>\n<p>I can also help set up supplied artwork for printing (specifically bleeds). Send your file and tell me the required print size so I can check what work is needed.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Artwork amendments:<\/strong> \u00a35 per page.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Artwork setting:<\/strong> \u00a33.50.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Not every file can be edited successfully. I\u2019ll check your artwork and confirm what can be done and the cost before starting. If it needs rebuilding or a new design, I\u2019ll let you know.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Correctly prepared artwork helps your printing come out sharp, clear and trimmed as intended. I accept PDF and JPG files. Bleed and safe margins Bleed is extra background artwork that extends beyond the finished trim edge. It allows for small variations during cutting and helps prevent unwanted white edges. The required bleed and safe margin [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93,"parent":76,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-80","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","post","post-with-thumbnail","post-with-thumbnail-large"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253,"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80\/revisions\/253"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/76"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mftradeprint.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}