Every day we receive dozens, sometimes hundreds, of different artwork files for custom label printing. Sometimes the art we receive is perfect but often there are problems that need to be addressed before we can move forward with printing. Here are our top 5 mistakes that people make when preparing their artwork:
1. Missing Fonts - this has been a common problem with artwork since we moved to digital file preparation over a decade ago. You might have this wonderful fancy font in your artwork, but if we don't have it, when we open your file we will get an error message. The best way around this is to always outline your fonts before sending us your file.
2. Missing Bleed - I wrote about full bleed in a previous post. If you want your color to print all the way to the edge of your label you need to include a bleed. For example if you want to print a 3" x 5" label, the size of the artwork you would create would be 3.125" x 5.125". Also, you need to leave some space around the very edge of your label that is free of text. The reason we need this is because during die-cutting the label material can drift ever so slightly (up to 1/32"), so you need to make allowances for this in your artwork.
3. RGB vs CMYK - most digital color printers today (including your little desktop inkjet) prints in CMYK, also known as four color process. However, all computer monitors display color as RGB (Red-Green-Blue). Now if you create your file for the RGB color space, the color is going to look different when printed on a CMYK printer. You should always request a hard copy proof if color is very important to you.
4. Improper File Resolution - many times people send us a file of a picture that was on their web site and expect us to create a nice looking label from it. Unfortunately, in most cases the file on the web site is very low resolution, often as low as 72 dpi. We know if we print a file at that resolution it is going to look terrible. We recommend a minimum resolution of 300 dpi for best results.
5. Missing Graphics/Links - If you are using a newer version of Photoshop or Illustrator (CS or CS2) this is less of a problem, but for people using older versions it is still a major issue. All your graphic elements should be embedded into your document before sending them to us, otherwise when we open your file there may be missing graphics or links.
If you can avoid these common pitfalls when creating your artwork, your label order will be processed more quickly and you will receive the high quality result that you are no doubt expecting. If you are unsure about your file we are always happy to take a look at it or give us a call and someone in our prepress department will answer your questions. Also, we have templates for most of our sizes which we will be happy to email you. These templates can make preparing your files that much easier.
