Guidelines for Bleeds, Cut Lines, and Safety Margins
The 1/4 inch of extra space is intended for bleeds. Bleeds are text or images that extend all the way to the edge of the finished page. Since printing equipment can’t always accommodate printing all the way to the edge of the page, extra space must be added to allow for it. This excess space (1/8 inch on all sides) is then trimmed off once the printing process is complete. We recommend adding guides 1/8 inch from each edge of your document to indicate the cut line (the line where your document will be trimmed). The bleed area will fall outside this line (called the bleed line).
In addition to the bleed line, we also recommend adding a second set of guides 1/8 inch inside the bleed line (1/4 inch from each document edge). We call this the safety margin, and any text you’re including in your document should not go past this margin. Any text that extends beyond this margin will fall outside the mechanical tolerances of our paper-cutting equipment and may get cut off inadvertently.
If your artwork includes folds (such as a tri-fold brochure), add guides at the fold lines and 1/8 inch on either side of the fold as a safety margin for each panel. This will help ensure that your piece maintains proper symmetry when it is printed, cut, and folded.
If your design includes a border that does not run along the outer edge of the page, we recommend leaving at least 1/4 inch (0.25) of white space between the cut line and your border. This will ensure a more symmetrical appearance once the print piece is trimmed. If your design includes a border that does run along the outer edge, we recommend a border width of at least 1/4 inch (0.25) inside the cut line and 1/8 inch (0.125) outside the cut line, for a total width of 3/8 inch (0.375). An explanation of why this is needed can be found here.
When designing for print it’s important to use high-resolution images with CMYK color. While 72 dpi and RGB are acceptable (and preferable) for web-based viewing, print-based images need to be 300 dpi and must use CMYK. Otherwise, they will not reproduce properly on printing equipment. Do not try to compensate for a poor resolution image by simply increasing the DPI manually. This will only lead to heartache and gnashing of teeth. For more about image resolution, visit this help center article.
We all know about shades of gray, but in printing, there are also varying shades of black. For richer, darker black, we recommend a CMYK setting of C=30%, M=30%, Y=30%, and K=100%. This is known as Rich Black.
Deliver useful, targeted information to your customers in a highly professional package with a well-designed, professionally printed booklet. Booklets are ideal for a variety of projects…from price books to product brochures, cookbooks to software manuals, maintenance schedules to frequently asked questions.
Postcards are a marketer’s dream. Their compact size makes them ideal for simple, targeted mailings, as well as larger, more full-fledged campaigns. Postcards are inexpensive and perfect for introducing new products, announcing upcoming events, or keeping in touch with customers on a regular basis.
Share your story and connect with customers in an easy, timely way. Whether you focus on industry news, community happenings, or general interest topics, a regular monthly newsletter will give your brand the front-of-mind awareness you need to keep business booming.
Memo pads are the perfect ninja marketing tool, stealthily getting past defenses and delivering your message every day. Give them away to customers at your next meeting, trade show, or marketing event, and have your message reinforced over and over again. With personalized memo and notepads, your company will be the first thing customers see when they reach for a piece of paper. Have your company’s logo, contact information, and a slogan or inspirational message printed on your notepads to keep your company on the top of their mind.
Get your messages out to the masses. Flyers are a cost-effective way to cover a large area without breaking the bank. Hand them out at events or on street corners. Leave them in public places or deliver them to doorsteps. Flyers are a powerful sales force that are, quite literally, easy to grasp.
Door hanger advertising is a unique way to catch a prospect’s eye in a place where they aren’t expecting it. Because door hangers must be removed from the doorknob, they are likely to be read and make an impression that lasts beyond a simple glance.
Tame disorder, increase your productivity, and streamline your workflow with carbonless forms. From invoices to order forms, packing slips to receipts, inventory checklists to service contracts, a well-designed carbonless form will save you time, money, and headaches by providing an instant duplicate you can provide to customers and co-workers alike.
Need an extra copy to file with sales staff and accounting? Consider 3-, 4-, or 5-part forms.
Add a second ink color to make information easier to find.
Make organization and filing a snap with pre-drilled holes.
Keep your company in front of customers’ eyes with a custom calendar. Calendar printing is a powerful way to make sure your business or brand is seen by dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people each and every day.
Get your message out to potential customers quickly and concisely with a well designed brochure. Small enough to slip in a pocket or an envelope, brochures conveniently provide an extra punch to your marketing message in an inexpensive package. Put brochures to work for you in your next marketing campaign to:
Big posters get big results! Their large size makes them hard to ignore, and they’re easily noticed by passers-by. Advertise a grand opening, special event, new product, drink special or list of upcoming performers in a highly visible way. It’s no wonder posters are a favourite promotional tool for bands and political campaigns.
Full-color vinyl banners offer a high-impact, hard-to-miss means of getting your message out to the world. Grab attention at events, grand openings, and trade shows. Durable enough to be used inside or outside, banners are a versatile source of marketing muscle.
Announce a sponsorship, upcoming event, special sale, or exciting new product.
Place vertically oriented banners next to each other to create a striking visual display.
For a professional look, consider pole pockets to mount your banner to a free-standing display.
Look professional and prepared with presentation folders that complement your promotional materials. Whether you use them for conference handouts, product literature, business proposals, or press kits, presentation folders are an excellent way to bolster your brand while keeping important information tight and tidy for your team members or clients.
Most customers don’t decide to buy on the spot. Over 70% of sales are made in the weeks following an exhibition or trade show. Send your customers home with the information they’ll need to make the right decision by giving them a well-crafted sell sheet with photographs, pricing information, and a compelling call to action.
Personalized notecards allow you to send invitations, introductions, expressions of thanks, and other correspondence to prospects, peers, and customers. Create excitement about an event, promote a corporate outing or meeting, advertise a seminar, or design original greeting cards to add that personal touch to your business correspondence.
Your imagination is limitless, and so are our printing capabilities. For ideas that don’t fit nicely into predefined categories, we’re here to help. Whether you need irregular-sized handouts to help you stand out from the competition, specialty-cut windows in your brochures and sales materials, or custom packaging and markups, we can provide the printing services you need to set your creative side free and bring your ideas to life.
Bring attention to your next banquet, awards ceremony, trade show, company party, or other special event with custom announcements. Announcements are an elegant way to keep customers and employees up to date with special events in the life of your business. Whatever the event, we can help you get your message out on time and within your budget.
Table tents are perfect for marketing anywhere people gather: restaurants, lobbies, front counters, service desks, conference tables, trade show booths. Use them to announce new products, promote upcoming events, and build general brand awareness in the community. Have some extra display space in your office or lobby? Put table tents to work for you!
Hours researching, writing, and preparing can be undone in an instant if you present your report with sub-par printing. Whether you need it copied or printed, in one color or full-colour, we can handle it! Let us add a professional shine to your work with a professionally printed report.
Concise, yet packed with information, rack cards are a marketing machine. These narrow wonders are designed to be displayed in racks and are incredibly tempting for customers to grab and take home with them. If you’re in the tourism, hospitality, or restaurant business, rack cards are an absolute must for getting your message out to hurried consumers.
Give your trade show, conference, exhibit, sporting event, forum, or symposium the professional look it deserves with high-quality program printing. A well-designed program increases interest, provides valuable information, and makes a great souvenir…keeping your message in the eyes of potential customers for years to come.
A well-designed letterhead shows customers they’re dealing with an organization with an attention to detail. A poorly designed or outdated letterhead can have the opposite effect. Use your letterhead to create an image your customers can feel comfortable trusting.
Be sure your mailings arrive in style with printed envelopes that beg to be opened. Whether a simple, one-colour remittance envelope or a full-colour piece featuring bright, colourful imagery and text, we can design and print envelopes to suit any need.
Small enough to fit in a pocket, yet versatile enough to use anywhere, your business card is the most important piece in your marketing arsenal. More than just names and numbers, effectively designed business cards provide a bold first impression with your prospective customers, and put your contact information right at their fingertips when they are ready to buy.
Rubber stamps are perfect for stamping large quantities of documents. Use them to endorse banknotes, add signatures and addresses to forms, certify inspections, and more.
With self-inking stamps, you can conveniently make thousands of repetitive impressions without re-inking. This time-saving solution is sure to earn your stamp of approval!
Need a quick way to add your signature to a document? Create a custom rubber stamp of your signature to simplify the signing process. Save time and money with an easy-to-use self-inking stamp. Streamline your mailing process with a return address stamp.
When your business needs a fast, economical alternative to full-colour process printed materials, short-run digital colour printing can save you time and money. If you need runs of 500 or less, or need colour printing immediately, our short-run colour copies can provide you with a quick solution!
Product labels are among the most important communication tools between your company and potential customers. They also provide an assortment of creative ways to market your message. Place your brand on paper, glass, fabric, stone, and everything in-between.
Labels aren’t just for products. Consider labels for return addresses, warnings, or a quick way to tag specials and sales!
Need to move or easily remove your label? Print on a white or clear static cling!
Need durability without breaking the budget? Consider glossy paper or vinyl to provide extra life to your labels.
Let your customers know your business means business with professionally printed cheques. Every one of your marketing materials makes an impression, and nothing is noticed quite like a cheque from your company. Available in a variety of shapes and styles, our secure cheques will give you professional peace of mind.
Save time with computer printed cheques.
Get your cheques faster than from your bank.
Paper jams, toner issues, misfed sheets, quality concerns, and costly repairs. If you’re tired of wrestling with your office copier, bring your copy jobs to us instead. Our commercial-grade copying equipment provides crisp, clean images and perfect reproductions at a surprisingly affordable cost. Plus, at more than 100 copies per minute, we can handle even the largest copy jobs quickly and professionally.
Our staff has the skills, training, and expertise to make sure your copy jobs always come out right — whether you need 100 simple handouts copied for distribution; 1,000 two-sided sheets copied and folded; or 10,000 multi-page documents copied, collated, and bound.
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