2322 Marconi Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
United States of America
314-773-1480

Artwork Guidelines

If you don't already know this stuff, you probably shouldn't be laying out the project. There are many issues involved in this process, and we don't teach a class. After all, these are only "Guidelines." That being said, there are no absolutes! Anything may work. You might want fuzzy type, pixilated photos and misspelled words. We're good with that... APPLICATIONS YOU SHOULD USE: You may create your layout using any of the following popular application packages: If your application does not appear on this list, it most likely means it would be be too problematic for professional design and printing. The use of .pdfs as the final art supplied to us is recommended. Quark Xpress - Photoshop - Illustrator - InDesign

FILES: Files must be made from our templates and they must run correctly or additional charges could apply.

COLOR: Don't count on your monitor to provide an accurate representation of the color you select. Each color used in your document should be defined as CMYK. Offset printing uses four standard inks ­ cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) - to reproduce full-color images. RGB images are fine for the Web and certain output devices, such as color inkjet printers, and they work well for online documents that don't need to be printed. Also, the "Disc Imprint" colors are PANTONE, and the standard is 2 color. You may do CMYK on the disc imprint but it will be an extra charge.

DIGITAL MEDIA ACCEPTED: Files may be sent on CD, DVD or digital memory cards. Please, only include files that are for the specific project.

COLOR PROOFING: The final proofing of your job will be by .pdfs, emailed to all parties. If you are laying out the job you may proof to us before you prepare your final output to make sure everything is correct.

WE PROVIDE FREE: Barcode: We provide a free bar code with our package when requested. Generally, for retail scanning purposes this is placed in the bottom right hand corner of the "traycard" in an all white box, 0.5"H x 1.5"W. We can email you this artwork element at your request.

TERMINOLOGY: Resolution: Images should be scanned or produced at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) at the appropriate size. Dot Gain: Dot Gain is a phenomenon in printing where halftone dots get bigger due to expansion caused by the ink absorption and spreading in the paper. A 20% dot gain is recommended for compact disc paper stock. Bleeds: Use our templates for the proper bleed. Your application will allow you to create bleeds simply by running your graphics image beyond the edges of the page. We suggest you set your images to print 1/4 inch beyond the edge of your final printed pieces.

CD TEMPLATES YOU MAY NEED!

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