Artwork Specifications
Use this as your pre-submission checklist. Not everything will apply to all print projects, but this is a great guide that will help you catch things you might have missed during the design process.
File Export Checklist
Document Setup
Images
Cut paths, Die lines, or White Ink
Text/ Type
Color
Exporting
- Standard bleed of 0.125” is added (Certain projects may require additional bleed)
- Document size is correct (matches quoted size or contact your sales representative about a size change)
- Scale factor in filename (if applicable)
Images
- Images are at least a minimum of 100-150 DPI at full size.
- Embed links or upload all placed graphics as a packaged document
Cut paths, Die lines, or White Ink
- Change any non-printing items (cut paths, crease, white ink...) to a SPOT swatch in an obvious color
Text/ Type
- Grammar and spell check
- If you don’t need live fonts - Outline the text in your file or create a packaged document and link fonts
Color
- Important brand colors are set as spot colors and not RGB/CMYK values.
- PANTONE colors are named properly Ex. “PANTONE 301 C” cannot be renamed “PMS 301 CMYK”
Exporting
- Choose the High Quality preset or use Adcolor’s custom PDF preset for the Adobe Creative Suite
- Do not add any printer’s marks (ie. crop marks)
- Do NOT downsample images and make sure image quality is set to the highest possible option
Important Brand Colors - Color Reproduction
Brand colors are key for making your business recognizable and memorable. Using the same colors in all your marketing materials helps people remember and stay loyal to your brand. For best color consistency, important brand colors should NOT use RGB/CMYK values, instead they should be set as spot colors. Using spot colors is the only way your brand colors can be managed effectively on multiple output devices and materials. Before finalizing your artwork, communicate with your Customer Support Representative about the use of spot colors.
PANTONE colors must keep the proper name as in the PANTONE library. Ex. “PANTONE 301 C” cannot be renamed “PMS 301 CMYK”.
PANTONE colors must keep the proper name as in the PANTONE library. Ex. “PANTONE 301 C” cannot be renamed “PMS 301 CMYK”.
Pantone Matching System
As of November 2022, many of the legacy Pantone color books have been removed from the Adobe Creative Suite in their place, Pantone has created a new plugin called Pantone Connect.
The new plugin allows Pantone customers instant access to the entire Pantone color library in one convenient location. The Adcolor art department has been using this plugin since the beginning of 2022 with much success. We encourage all our clients to do their own research to see if this new plugin integrates with their design workflow.
Ultimately, we want our customers to know that…
The new plugin allows Pantone customers instant access to the entire Pantone color library in one convenient location. The Adcolor art department has been using this plugin since the beginning of 2022 with much success. We encourage all our clients to do their own research to see if this new plugin integrates with their design workflow.
Ultimately, we want our customers to know that…
- Adcolor uses the most recent color values from Pantone and regularly update our color books.
- Pantone continues to be an industry standard for discussing color expectations.
- Adcolor still accepts and can match many of the Pantone colors from the Formula Guide - Coated and Uncoated books.
- Pantone swatches used in artwork files must use the proper name found in the Pantone library.
