Files, materials & production
Practical answers for real print decisions.
Choose the question holding up your project—artwork, colour, binding, card handling, packaging fit, proofing or repeat production—and see what to inspect, test and include in the quote brief.
Browse by subject
Find the detail that moves your job forward.
Compare the options, check the vulnerable parts of the file and prepare the information a printer will need.
Artwork, files & colour
Files that survive the move from screen to press.
Bleed, colour spaces, PDF standards and proofs each solve a different part of the handover.
Print-ready PDF checklist
Trim, pages, images, fonts, bleed and a sensible export review.
Print guideFile preparation
What to check before an artwork handover is agreed.
Print guideAutomated print preflight
What a report can flag—and the human decisions it cannot make.
Print guideImage resolution for print
Judge image clarity where it matters: at the finished size and crop.
Print guideProof & colour
What a proof is for and what needs a written decision.
Print guideBrand & spot colour
Turn a colour concern into a reference, material question and proof decision.
Print guideBleed, trim & safe area
Set edge-running artwork and vulnerable content against the actual finished object.
Print guideRGB to CMYK colour
Understand where screen colour can move and how to keep the conversion traceable.
Print guideSoft proof or hard copy?
Choose a proof by the content, colour, scale, material or finish question it needs to answer.
Print guideRich black or 100K black?
Use different black constructions for the jobs they suit, then inspect separations and total ink.
Print guideFonts in a print PDF
Check embedding, subsetting and licence restrictions before a missing font changes the page.
Print guideOverprint or knockout?
Catch white objects, black text and spot-colour interactions that a normal screen view can hide.
Print guideFoil, emboss & spot UV files
Keep finishing masks separate, named and unambiguous without inventing universal tooling limits.
Print guideWhite ink & underbase artwork
Build a clear white separation for transparent, metallic or coloured materials and proof the real surface.
Print guideISO, FOGRA, GRACoL & G7
Separate print conditions, colour datasets, calibration methods and proof claims before approval.
Books & publishing
The page, paper and binding work as one object.
Trim, paper, binding, page plan and cover timing all follow the way the publication is read and handled.
Paper & binding
How the reading, handling and display use shapes the object.
Print guideBook printing sizes
Choose trim, orientation and layout around the reader and the finished object.
Print guideFirst-time author checklist
Move from a manuscript to a practical book-printing brief, one decision at a time.
Print guideBook cover & spine
Move from a cover concept to a production file only after the interior specification is stable.
Print guideChildren’s book layout
Plan illustrations, page turns, spreads and a real-size reading review before proofing.
Print guideBook colour pages
Map colour, monochrome and image-led sections while the page plan can still change.
Print guidePerfect bound or saddle stitched?
Compare opening, page extent, cover construction, spine and the way the publication is used.
Print guideBook gutters & margins
Build the page grid around trim, binding loss, content and actual-size reading tests.
Print guidePaper grain direction
Relate grain to spines, folds, creases and page handling instead of assuming it from sheet size.
Print guideBook paper opacity
Judge show-through, bulk and two-sided image behaviour without relying on GSM alone.
Print guideHardcover endpapers
Treat endpapers as part of the binding structure as well as a place for colour or pattern.
Print guideBlank pages & signatures
Keep intentional blanks visible and understand why the chosen binding can affect the final extent.
Print guideDust jackets & flaps
Finish the interior first, then build the wrap, spine and flaps on the supplied template.
Print guidePaper GSM, caliper & bulk
See why equal paper weights can create different page-block thickness, spine width and feel.
Print guidePUR or EVA perfect binding?
Relate adhesive choice to paper surface, spine preparation, cure time and finished-book use.
Print guidePaperback French flaps
Use flaps for a clear reading purpose, then build the full cover from the confirmed book specification.
Print guideSaddle-stitched booklet creep
Protect folios, borders and crossovers when nested folded sheets move towards the centre.
Print guideBook foldouts & gatefolds
Place a larger map, panorama or table into the reading sequence without treating it as a loose wide page.
Print guideSquare or rounded hardback spine?
Relate spine shape to the page block, case, joint and cover artwork instead of a prestige label.
Business & promotional print
Give brochures and catalogues a clear information order.
Format, folds, data, versions and dates need one controlled route from source to approved file.
Brochure, booklet or catalogue?
Choose the format by the information job, reading journey and distribution route.
Print guideBrochure folds & panel order
Plan what appears first, what opens next and what must stay clear of a fold.
Print guideProduct catalogue layout
Control product data, navigation, images, versions and proofing before the file is frozen.
Print guideVariable data printing
Keep names, codes, versions and their approval under one clear record.
Print guideCalendar artwork
Check dates, market, page sequence, layout and proof ownership before approval.
Print guideTables, charts & instructions
Make dense information usable at the finished size and from the correct data version.
Print guideCalendar binding & hanging hole
Separate the punch, hanging hole, trim and bleed zones so dates and captions remain clear.
Print guideSelf-cover or separate cover?
Choose a booklet cover construction around handling, pagination, paper bulk and the reader’s use.
Cards & games
Every card, token, rule and box has to work together.
Material feel, component files, pack dimensions and the reading route all affect play.
Card deck files
Card lists, fronts, backs, sequence and packaging components.
Print guideBoard-game components
Build one accurate list for boards, cards, rules, packaging and every game set.
Print guidePlaying-card stock & opacity
Compare core, show-through, stiffness, snap and surface through a complete-deck test.
Print guidePunchboard token artwork
Keep cut paths, fronts, backs, counts and component names aligned across each sheet.
Print guideCard deck box size & fit
Measure the finished pack, rule material and handling clearance rather than guessing from card size.
Print guideTarot guidebook printing
Fit card meanings, spreads, illustrations and future revisions into a guide readers can actually use.
Print guideBoard-game rulebooks
Turn rules into a printed component that teaches, answers questions and fits the game box.
Print guidePlaying-card borders
See why narrow frames reveal cutting movement and how to protect important card content.
Print guideGame-board folds
Keep tracks, grids, labels and orientation working across hinges and folded panels.
Print guideTarot & oracle card size
Balance hand feel, artwork proportions, table space, deck thickness and box fit.
Print guideCard finishes & shuffle feel
Judge a card surface through a complete deck in use, not from one untouched sample.
Packaging & product presentation
Structure begins with the product and the way it is unpacked.
Fit, protection, board behaviour, opening, inserts, dielines and product data meet in the same pack.
Packaging dielines
Structure, fit, cut/fold areas and artwork before final export.
Print guide2D barcodes on packaging
Plan what a QR or retail code must do before it becomes a print detail.
Print guidePackaging box choices
Compare folding cartons, rigid gift boxes and game boxes before the structure is fixed.
Print guideNFC packaging
Define the tap point, destination, content owner and printed fallback.
Print guidePackaging insert design
Balance restraint, removal, presentation, protection and material use around a physical product.
Print guideFolding-carton board thickness
Relate board weight, caliper, grain, panel size and creasing to the filled pack.
Print guideFolding-carton closures
Compare tuck and lock-bottom structures through product weight, packing and opening behaviour.
Print guideColour on kraft paper
Treat the stock shade as part of the image and decide whether white ink or a physical proof is needed.
Print guidePackaging windows & cutouts
Balance product visibility, panel strength, cut shape, artwork clearance and the structural sample.
Print guideRigid-box wrap artwork
Place artwork across panels, turn-ins, corners and seams using the confirmed construction template.
Print guideFolding-carton glue flaps
Keep the glue seam visible when artwork, coatings and finishes are placed on a folding carton.
Print guidePackaging artwork across SKUs
Keep product, market, language, code and dieline changes tied to the correct physical pack.
Print guideRetail carton or shipping box?
Separate the pack customers see from the protection needed during parcel and freight handling.
Print guidePrinted packaging & food contact
Map where food can meet a printed pack and keep material evidence and regulatory approval with the responsible specialists.
Print technology & production decisions
Process choices follow the file and the finished object.
Quantity, versioning, colour, PDF behaviour, finish and proofing narrow the sensible production route.
Digital, inkjet or offset?
Choose a production route around versioning, quantity, finish and the job’s real constraints.
Print guideAI artwork for print
What still needs a human check before generated imagery moves into a production file.
Print guidePlan a print run
Make an initial run, reprint and stockholding decision without pretending demand is certain.
Print guidePrint finishes in the hand
Choose foil, embossing, varnish and surface effects by the object and the reader.
Print guideSmall type & fine lines
Review the vulnerable details at finished size before a job-specific production check.
Print guidePackaging & recyclability questions
Ask the right material, recovery and claims questions before a finish is specified.
Print guidePackaging prototypes
Know what a paper dummy, white sample and decorated sample can—and cannot—tell you.
Print guideAccessible print design
Make a physical page easier to read through hierarchy, contrast and a real-size review.
Print guidePDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4?
Understand colour, transparency and workflow differences without treating either preset as universal.
Print guideExpanded colour gamut (CMYKOGV)
See how a fixed seven-colour process can serve a packaging range—and where spot ink still wins.
Print guideDigital foil & raised varnish
Compare file-driven decoration with hot foil and embossing through material, relief and run length.
Print guideLED-UV printing & curing
Understand what immediate curing changes for ink, stock, adhesion, folds and later finishing.
Print guideMake-ready, plates & tooling
Separate fixed setup work from the cost that changes with each printed unit and each version.
Print guideColour across reprints
Preserve the references and production facts that make a later colour comparison meaningful.
Planning, budget & use
Timing, stock and fulfilment shape the job after printing too.
Schedule, budget, physical use, repeat editions and component handling sit alongside the artwork.
Plan a print timeline
Work backwards from the date that cannot move, leaving space for decisions and approvals.
Print guidePlan a print budget
Separate the requirements that matter from the alternatives, then compare the written scope.
Print guideDurability & handling
Describe the real opening, carrying, display and storage conditions of the printed object.
Print guidePrinted kits & collation
Keep components, packing order, counts and handover decisions from separating.
Print guideReprint artwork & version check
Revisit content, files, materials, quantity and delivery even when the job looks unchanged.
Print guideCompare print quotes fairly
Put every quotation against one finished specification and expose the assumptions hidden behind the total.
Print guideOverruns & underruns
Clarify whether the ordered, produced, delivered and invoiced quantities may differ—and how that difference is handled.
Print guideApprove a paper substitution
Test the replacement against the paper properties the finished job actually relies on.
General guidance, project rules
Use the production template supplied for the job.
A 3 mm bleed, 300 ppi image target, CMYK export or PDF/X setting can serve as working references in some workflows. Book spines, folds, card safe areas, dielines, colours and finishes still follow the specification confirmed for the actual project.