- What
programs do you accept files in?
- What
size should I setup my card?
- What
paper stock do you print cards on?
- What
resolution should I save my images?
- How
fast can I get my cards done?
- What
do I do if I don't have a computer file?
- When
can I give you my digital file so I can pick up my cards on Friday?
- Can
I get my cards rushed and pay extra?
- Are
your operations MAC or PC based?
- What
type of media do you accept files in?
- Can
I have full color on the back of my business cards or postcards?
- I
live in the United States, do I have to pay Canadian taxes?
- I
need only 500 cards, not 1000. Will you print me 500?
- Do
you print in pantone colors?
What
program(s) do you accept files in?
We accept
files in any version of Quark Express to 6.5, Adobe Photoshop to cs2,
Adobe Illustrator to cs2,
Adobe Indesign cs2 and Corel Draw to 12. Or any files saved as
a .tif or an .eps (for .eps make sure text
is converted to outline/curves), JPG at high quality 300dpi.
Note:
Each program has its strength and weakness. We recommend that you view
and setup your
pictures files in Adobe Photoshop (make sure you have calibrated your
monitor. Request calibration file
and postcard by emailing info@coloritprinting.com
) and set your type in Quark, Illustrator or Corel Draw. Remember
Quark, Illustrator and Corel Draw are not the best programs to display
accurate print colors.
Save all your images at 300 dpi resolution and in CMYK colors not RGB
colors.
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What
size should I setup my card?
Business
cards should be 2.125" x 3.625". They cut down to 2 x 3.5.
The extra 1/16th" bleed around
the card is required for cutting. Also keep all placement of type 1/8"
inside of the 2 x 3.5 cut size.
For 4 x 6 postcards file size is 4.125 x 6.125. For all other sizes,
just add the required 1/16" bleed
around the card.
Note:
If your design has a border make sure it is 1/4" thick. Since cutting
isn't laser accurate on thin
borders less than 1/8" the shift in the cutter is noticeable.
You will see more border on one end of
the card from the other end.
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What
paper stock do you print cards on?
We print
all business cards, bookmarks and post cards on 14 pt. thick "Cornwall"
stock, which is coated
on both sides and UV coated on the front. UV coating the front prevents
ink from rubbing off and gives
your cards a beautiful high gloss finish.
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What
resolution should I save my images?
Unlike
our computer monitors where 72dpi images appear crisp. For offset
printing we need 300dpi/ppi
resolution for images to print out crisp and clear. (The minimum
dpi quality you can get away with is 200
- 250 dpi depending on the details in design and colors of the images.)
Note:
I can not express this enough. Please do not expand/ blow
up or re-image a low resolution image
to 300 DPI! (This process does not enhance the actual picture it just
creates a larger file size.) You can
reduce a large ( i.e. 8" x 11") low resolution picture (72
DPI) and use it at a much smaller size (1 x 1.38")
and gain resolution in your file to 300dpi... A 72dpi image has to be
reduced 4x its size to be used for
high quality offset printing.
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How
fast can I get my cards printed?
Our turnaround
time is a Friday to Friday, 1 week basis for 4/1 and 4/4 cards. This
is the fastest in the printing
industry for traditional high quality offset gang printing. Have
your file in by one Friday.. your cards will
be ready for shipping next Thursday/Friday. If you have your file
in by Tuesday, your cards will still be
ready for shipping the following Thursday/Friday. Remember to
book early so that you don't miss out on
our flat runs since it is First come First serve basis on Friday (the
day our flats get filled).
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What
do I do if I don't have a computer file?
Most
customers don't have the resources or knowledge to create a computer
file but would like to get
postcards and business cards in color. We can setup a card for you if
you know what you want on
your card. (We recommend you ask us to mail you some samples or if you
are local, you can set up an appointment.) It is common for customers
to give us artwork (photos, slides) they'd like scanned and a
mock layout of type and image placement in Word, Publisher, Powerpoint
and even hand written.
We
then create adigital file for you which costs you only $25-$50.00 plus
scanning charges.
Note:
We do not design your card. You need to think of what you want on your
card and we'll make it
happen. However, if you want someone to create a unique design (logo,
etc.) you can hire a
professional Graphic Designer, who will be able to create it for you.
We can recommend one if you like.
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When
can I give you my digital file so that I can pick my cards up on Friday?
This
is a very important question. Many customers misinterpret our 1 week
turnaround time. They think
if they bring their file to us by Monday they should be able to pick
up their cards the following Monday.
However, we print on a Friday to Friday basis. During the week, we collect
our customers files and make
sure they are correct and usable so if any corrections need to be made
they can be done by Friday.
Although
the deadline is Friday, we highly recommend that you send us your files
before hand. There is
always a mad rush on Friday so we might not be able to check your file
late on Friday and if there are
errors that can't be corrected right away... you may lose a week of
production time. All orders required
100% payment. Orders sent by e-mail or via our ftp site must be accompanied
by an order form which
is available online. Orders paid by check will not be processed until
payment goes through at the bank.
Note:
If you had held a spot on our flat by bringing your file to us Tuesday,
yet failed to pay by Friday,
we can't send your file to print. We will use that space for another
customer who has paid even if they
brought their file in to us Friday evening.
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Can
I get my cards rushed and pay extra?
We are
pleased to offer the fastest turnaround time to all our customers. Average
turnaround times are
at least two - three weeks. However, there are always customers who
for one reason or another require
their cards "yesterday"...ie... faster than a week and are
willing to pay extra. Unfortunately due to the
printing nature of our business... cards can't be printed any faster
than we do them.
The reason
we cant print faster is because we do gang printing of all our clients
cards on weekly flat runs.
This is the only way for us to offer high quality printed cards at such
low prices. Unless your running your
own flat at a cost of few thousand dollars... you can not get your cards
faster.
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Are
your operations MAC or PC based?
We are
both. We have the latest G4s Power Mac. for Mac. users and Pentium IV
processors for PC users.
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What
type of media do you accept files in?
We accept,
floppy disks, 100 / 250 MB zip disks, CD ROMs. DVD Roms. We prefer
to have your files submitted directly to our FTP site or e-mailed to
files@coloritprinting.com
if they are less than 5MB in size. Please read our submit
file section of our website for details on how to send your files
online.
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Can
I have full color on the back of my business cards or postcards?
Yes..
we offer this service. There is a 1 week turnaround time for this
service... prices are shown on our price list or main page of our website.
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I
live in the United States, do I have to pay Canadian taxes?
No!
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I
need only 500 cards, not 1000. Will you print me 500?
We
have started to offer the service only on our business cards.
We still print 1000 business cards, but subsidize the cost for those
customers who need only 500. Its mostly advantageous for those
who have a 1 sided business card. The cost for 500 is $68US.
500 with black and white printing on the back costs: $75 1000
business cards with full color front and black and white on the back
costs: $83 As you see the price difference is greatest for 1 sided
business cards. Our minimum run on our postcards and bookmarks
is 1000.
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Do
you print in pantone colors?
No.
We recommend that you convert your pantone colors into the nearest CMYK
equivalent. However, we can print spot colors on your cards but it is
expensive because you do not share the cost of this special color with
the other customers on the flat.
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