Small Format Artwork Set Up Guide | Hayman Creative

Small Format Printing - Artwork Set Up Guide

The way you need to set up your artwork for small format printing is basically the same, irrespective of whether you are preparing artwork for a business card, leaflet or packaging etc...

Please see the following examples of how to provide a PDF file with Bleed and Crop Marks correctly...

This PDF would not be correct - as it has no crop marks and no bleed.

Note: If your artwork has nothing that goes to the very edge - then it would be OK to provide a PDF like this!

This PDF would not be correct - as it has no bleed and the crop marks are right up against the corners of the artwork

This PDF would not be correct - the crop marks are now correctly offset from the artwork, but there is still no bleed.

This PDF would not be correct - bleed has been correctly added, but the crop marks are not offset.

This PDF is now correct - the crop marks are now correctly offset from the artwork and bleed has been added.

Generally, unless you have been instructed otherwise - please add 3mm of bleed and offset the crop marks by the same amount.

Note: not all software gives you the option to specify how much to offset the crop marks. In this instance just ensure they look 'visually' correct.

If you have a multi page document such as a booklet, or a set of playing cards (to go with a game board), or similar: It is important that you give us a multi-page PDF file with bleed and crop marks if necessary. What we don't want is you trying to lay them up on a sheet, or trying to do the imposition etc. We have great software that matches our programable guillotine settings. Please just set up your artwork with only one of your pages on one page of the PDF e.g. for a 20 page A5 booklet - we would like to receive a 20 page A5 PDF.

"RGB or CMYK", that is the question!

CMYK litho printing at Hayman Creative Nottingham

Firstly, RGB is a measurement of light, add them all together and you end up with a pure white light. CMYK, on the other hand, is a measurement of Cyan (blue), Magenta (pink), Yellow and Black. Add them all together and you'll end up with a very deep Black.

If you look carefully at the colour comparison chart, you will see that there are some RGB colours that cannot be reproduced and printed in CMYK colours, used in most commercial printing presses. These colours may look fantastic on your RGB monitor, but will look flatter when printed, as the colours are 'squashed' in to the CMYK colour range.

If we receive artwork and images in their native RGB colours, somewhere in the printing process, the colours get translated to CMYK colours that are used in full colour printing on the press. If you can convert your artwork to CMYK before giving us your files - it just means you take control over how the files will look once printed - with no unexpected surprises!

Pantone & Spot Colours

One of our strengths is that we can print Pantone colours, also known as Spot Colours.

Pantone colours are commonly used where a company's branding needs printing accurately time and time again. For example the Cadbury's well known Purple Colours used on most of their chocolate bars. The retail shop 'Boot's' is also a well known brand that uses a Spot Colour Blue in its branding, packaging and signage.

Pantone colours can be used alongside CMYK colours or by themselves. Within the range are a vast number of colours that are more vibrant than CMYK colours, including fluorescent colours and gold & silver metallic colours.

For more information please take a look at The official Pantone Colours Website.