How To Package A Photoshop File For Print

What is a PDF?

PDF is an acronym for Portable Document Format and is the standard for the secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents. A PDF is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, graphics, and layout of any source document, regardless of the awarding and platform used to create information technology. Adobe PDF files are compact and complete, and tin be shared, viewed and printed by anyone with free Adobe Reader software.

What types of images will reproduce well for print?

All images used in a project should be loftier-resolution raster or vector files. If you lot are scanning the images yourself from photographs, set the resolution to at least 300dpi (dots per inch). It is not advisable to 'lift' images from websites. Most of the images are set at a web resolution of 72dpi, which isn't high enough for print and the images may appear blurry or pixelated when printed.

What is a raster prototype?

A raster image, also called a bitmap, is a way to correspond digital images. It tin exist created in a broad variety of formats, including the familiar .gif, .jpg, and .bmp. The epitome is represented in a series of bits of data that translate into pixels on the screen. These pixels form points of color that create an overall finished image.

When a raster paradigm is created, the image on the screen is converted into pixels. Each pixel is assigned a specific value that determines its colour. This format uses the red, green, blue (RGB) color arrangement. An RGB value of 0,0,0 would be black, and the values go all the way through to 256 for each color, allowing the expression of a wide range of values. In photographs with subtle shading, this tin be extremely valuable.

When the image is viewed, the pixels usually smoothen out visually for the user, who sees a photograph or drawing. When diddled up, however, the individual dots of colour go apparent. While this effect is sometimes a deliberate choice on the part of an artist, it is usually not desired. Depending on resolution, some images can be enlarged to very big sizes, while others quickly become hard to run into.

What is a vector image?

A vector image uses a mathematical formula to depict a pic. A vector prototype defines points and the paths that connect them to grade a digital representation of the image. Because mathematics can be easily scaled, this type can be enlarged just notwithstanding have smooth edges. Their use is limited, still, and they are most suitable for typography, line fine art, and illustrations. A raster image usually remains the best choice for a photograph or shaded drawing.

Will my printed piece look exactly similar it does on my computer screen?

In that location will be some differences. Scanners and digital cameras create images using combinations of simply three colors: red, light-green and blue (called RGB). These are the colors that computers use to display images on your screen. Four-color printing presses impress full-color pictures using a different set of colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (chosen CMYK). RGB images need to be converted to CMYK before printing. This is easily washed using an epitome editing program like Adobe Photoshop. Kopytek cannot be responsible for undesirable results if you lot furnish low-resolution or RGB images. It is also important to retrieve that all monitors may show colors differently depending on the monitor'due south quality and calibration.

Exist aware that information technology is possible to make colors in RGB that cannot be reproduced exactly in CMYK. Information technology is best to select any colors used for a projection using CMYK definitions instead of RGB.

Spot colors are also usually used in printed projects.

What are spot colors?

A spot color is a specially mixed ink that is applied on the press, as opposed to a mix of the iv-color process colors. Spot colors tin can be produced in a more than vibrant range of colors, and tin have special characteristics which aren't available in procedure inks, such as neon or metallic ink. Kopytek uses the Pantone Matching Arrangement (PMS) for producing spot colors. Each PMS colour has a unique number and formula for ink mixing.

It is important to note that if a project designed using spot colors is converted to CMYK, some colour shifting will occur. Refer to the Pantone Bridge color books to make sure the spot colors chosen will reproduce closely when converted to CMYK.

What is a drain?

Bleed area is the extra (usually 1/8″) of color beyond the finished size of your printed piece. It allows us to print your piece oversized and cut information technology down to size, thereby giving the advent that the printing bleeds off the edge of the folio, rather than having white borders. Because cutting may vary slightly, it is a good thought to brand sure all of your valuable data (ie. text) is within the "condom design zone" (at least i/8″ inside the finished surface area.)

For example, a standard business card measures three.5 x 2 inches. When creating your design file, create the page size equal to the printed size of your piece (3.5 x ii). Extend any colour that you want to bleed off the page at least .125 inches by your folio size. Brand sure to salvage the file as a .PDF with crops and bleeds. Make certain to save the files as a high-resolution PDF with crops and bleeds.