When we talk about Special Printing Services, we talk about serious business. They are the ones who take your brand to the next level. To portray what you want in an ideal manner is the main job of printing services and they should be appreciated for that. There are different stages of getting the final output and each step is highly important. The most important aspect is of artwork. If emphasis is given on artwork, then all you need is to select is a good service.

Special Printing Services receive many different artwork files in a single day. They not only have to deal with them carefully but also present every one of them in a personalized manner. The artwork may be perfect but still there are many things that need to be considered. As a professional, its quite embarrassing when the client comes back and say that your work is not up to the mark. When you send the artwork for final printing, it is a must to use needed characteristics. It helps in minimizing delays and eliminate any errors that may occur later. In this blog, some of the common mistakes are mentioned along with the tips to avoid these mistakes –

• No fonts

Almost all the Special Printing Services know that missing fonts is one of the most common mistakes made with product artwork. It occurs when you open your file but are surprised to see the message of no font present. Th error message will confirm this. If you go ahead without the fonts then it will add the font by default. But it significantly affects the appearance of the document which is not a good thing. The way out of this problem is to always convert the file before sending it ahead. The solution is quite simple and saves a lot of time too.

• Missing bleed area

If we talk about a mistake by Special Printing Services in print file area, then missing bleed area comes in the mind at first. Bleed is important if you want your color to print till the edge without missing anything. But one thing to remember is to leave some space around the very edge of your product. It should be free of text. This is needed as during the process of die-cutting, there is a slight possibility of the material drifting. Therefore, you need to make allowances in the artwork.

• Data not within the safety line

You need to be very careful about this. You may not notice it but when it comes to printing, it can be dangerous. Special Printing Services always suggest to position the text and image withing the safety line. Otherwise, the file will be deemed useless. If the text is too close to the trim line, then problems may arise during printing. It will get cut off during printing and cutting.

• Improper file resolution

As a layman who has no idea, this problem can arise. Special Printing Services should be ideally equipped to deal with it. Brands just download the image from Internet and sends it forward but they don’t realize that resolution problems may occur. In many cases, it is of very low resolution, sometimes even 72 dpi. The solution is in the form of forwarding an image which is of at least 400 dpi. This is going to give optimum results.

• Tight borders

This seems like an obvious point to state. If we specifically talk about a file which stretches right near the edge, then thin borders are a very bad option. You are asking for trouble in this case. The border being at the edge will always be noticeable. Although the advancement in the field of printing has been extraordinary but there is a noticeable movement when printing and die-cutting. The solution of this problem as mentioned by Special Printing Services is to use thick borders. It should be more than 4 point. This makes the movement less noticeable.

• Common typing mistakes

This is considered as something which is inevitable. Special Printing Services have to deal with it almost every time. And this problem isn’t limited to just printing. In any vertical which has text, this problem arises. The only solution to this problem is to proofread it as much as you can can. You can never proofread enough. The importance of proofreading is further stamped as the whole effort put in printing will be put to waste only to discover that there was a spelling mistake. Time as well as money will be saved if this one is remembered well.

• Unsupported software format

Different software programs are really helpful in designing your labels. Most of them are used because they give inexpensive choices and can be a lethal weapon is cutting down the costs. But they come with their own downside. These programs use proprietary formats that are designed only to run on your computer. When it is forwarded to Special Printing Services, they re not usable. To get rid of this problem, the best way is to use standard programs in the graphic industry such as Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.

• Color Expectations

Colors make or break any design. They are the most important aspect of any brand. Even the slightest deviation can bring a whole lot of changes. A brand creates their label artwork on their printer. But when they send it ahead to Special Printing Services, the color may not look the same. This is because it varies from printer to printer. The answer is to use digital press proof. It comes very handy as it tells you exactly how the color the labels will look when they are printed in our press. This way both the parties will be in sync.

• No crop marks

This problem comes too often and is quite irritating to deal with for every Special Printing Services. The artwork is mostly supplied in a PDF. The main thing to remember is to supply the artwork with proper crop marks. Crop marks are essential as they are used as a guide for trimming the printed items to size.

These tips help you in avoiding the mistakes arising in the artwork.