| Artwork/Printing |
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| Do I have to use your templates? |
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The short answer is yes. If not the specifications that are listed with the templates should be met. Some products require different configurations of art. Our templates are the only way to determine this. While some artwork can be printed without using our templates we find that 80% of the artwork that we get that is not in our templates has to be fixed. Most of the time the errors in the artwork are something you will have to fix to resume production. This will cause a delay in your order. We do not ship product that results in poor quality due to not using our template. |
| Does your tray inlay include spine text? |
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Yes. Our back tray inlay includes an area for spine text. |
| How are your discs printed? |
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We print all our discs with an on disc thermal printer made by Rimage called the Everest. This printer is great for full coverage. We use an Everest III for 300 dpi print. We use the Everest 600 for 600 dpi. If there are large solid areas or dark colors then 600 dpi is stronly recommended. The discs are water proof and highly UV resistant. They are also very scratch resistant. To scratch off the print, you have effectively ruined the disc. These are very durable. Our hi-res thermal discs are better suited for rough handling but are just as susceptible to scratches affecting playback as a standard CD. Large amounts of a solid color such as dark greys, dark blues and dark purples are not recommended on 300 dpi prints unless on silver discs. Solid light colors work much better for the 300 dpi printer. The dark colors do not cover as evenly for 300 dpi prints. 600 dpi yields much better results for solid dark colors and gradients. |
| What does 4/4 mean? |
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Inserts and discs are printed with the CMYK format. That is a 4 color process to achieve many colors. 4/4 means full color both sides. We charge differently for black and color print on discs. However inserts are all charged the same price. |
| What if I can not create CMYK colors? |
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If your design software only creates RGB graphics then you can get a severe shift in colors. While we do not guarantee color matches for CMYK or RGB, RGB graphics can produce more severe shifts. This is more obvious in solid colors or colors that have a high Red, Green or Blue value. However we can still print your product. If you are overly concerned we recommend that you order a physical proof. |
| What is a 100# book or text paper? |
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A 100# book and text paper is a paper that is not a cover stock. It is the weight of 500 of a basic sheet (the basic parent size sheet.) Cover stock is a smaller basic sheet. This is why a 80# cover is thicker than a 100# text. The smaller sheet weights more. |
| What is a panel? |
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Each “page” or in the case of a CD insert a panel is about a 4.75” x 4.75 inch square of an insert. Multiple panels can reduce the width of a panel due to the need for a standardized finished size of approximately 4.75” x 4.75”. One single unfolded insert it would be a 2-panel if it was printed on two sides. If only printed on one side it would be a 1-panel insert. A 4-panel is an insert folded in half printed on both sides, where a 6-panel is a tri fold printed on both sides. |
| What is scoring? |
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A scored insert has a pressed crease created by a machine. This allows easy manual folding of an insert. Our bulk inserts can be ordered folded. However if a lower price is preferred and you are comfortable folding yourself then purchasing scored inserts can save you money. It is important to line up the corner before folding. The crease will protect the insert from cracking on the edge. |
| What resolution should my graphics be? |
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Your graphics should not be any lower than 300 dpi. If you design your artwork in a lower resolution they should be redone from the start. Enlarging a low res image results in an inferior product. |
| What type of format do you accept? |
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We accept JPG, PNG, BMP and PSD formats. Any other format can cause problems with print missing text, images or other issues. |
| Where are your templates? |
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Templates are found on the template tab of the product you are ordering. You can also find templates here
The templates are there to ensure the product is set up properly. It is important to ensure your images are set up to 300 dpi and have an adequate bleed and safety margin. Failure to do so may delay your order. We do not provide design so it is the responsibility of you or your designer to ensure the artwork is created and set up properly.
We provide a free quality review in the setup of your artwork. If there is a minor problem and we can correct it, we do so for free. If we cannot correct it we will notify you. It is your responsibility to fix all problems reported and is in your best interest. Without fixing the problems, the quality of your product would be comprised and may not turn our professional.
We take the quality of your product very seriously. Following the directions on our templates ensures they are correct. Failure to do so means they have a 80% of not being correct. (This means 80% of the artwork not in our templates is not correct. This is your CD; we know it is important to you. By taking some time to set it up correctly when it is design with the templates, problems can be avoided.
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| Will the printing look like my screen? |
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No. Your monitor is different than a printer, and in fact different from our monitor. It will look close but it is important to remember that your monitor produces colors with Red, Green and Blue phosphorus. The colors are more vibrant in those spectrums and they glow. Printing is done with an industry standard 4 color process printing using Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. These colors do not glow and they are not as vibrant for blues, purples, greens and reds. While the printing will be quality, it will look different. If you are concerned about exact color matching then you will have to use pantones on a offset press. We do not provide this service. Pantone colors are for solid, not for full color with photo. We recommend a proof if you are concerned with color matching. Prints will generally be darker than your screen. Lighting conditions will affect how the colors look. for accurate viewing of prints, you must review them in the daylight spectrum. |
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