FREE HAND DRAWINGS

If drawing freehand, scan your image in black and white at 600 dpi, 300 dpi will work but the more pixels you have to work with from the start, the better your image will turn out. Your scanner will likely save your image in grayscale, but for crisper lines you will need to convert your file into black and white only (no gray pixels). You can do this in Photoshop by converting your image into a bitmap (see Photoshop instructions below). Then save your image as a .tif or .png and place into Illustrator or InDesign (make sure the program file is in CMYK mode)  where you can select your drawing and go to Option > Image Trace > Make and Expand. If your image doesn’t look right on the first try there is an advanced image trace panel where you can adjust the trace setting to better suit your image. We recommend selecting the “ignore white” setting to make the process easier. Adobe has a detailed guide for tracing images in Illustrator that we recommend checking out if it is your first time attempting to create a vector or if you’re having trouble with your results.

PHOTOSHOP IMAGES

If using an image in Photoshop, make sure your images are in bitmap mode.   On the top menu select Image > Mode > Grayscale.  Then Image > Mode > Bitmap.  Use a resolution of 600 - 1200 dpi and a method of 50% threshold. The only time you’ll want to use a halftone is when printing a photographic image with numerous shades of grey or an image broken up into four letterpress plates for CMYK but it’s not used a whole lot in letterpress.

After creating a bitmap you are happy with in Photoshop, save your image as a TIFF (.tif) and place it into another program such as Illustrator and InDesign where you can add your text. If using an image in Photoshop, do not save your file as a jpeg. Jpeg files will create low-quality letterpress plates with jagged edges.

PRESERVING FONTS

With the proliferation of digital type foundries, there are thousands and thousands of fonts out there and that means there’s no way to guarantee that we will have your font on our computers (or if we do it may not be the same version, yikes!) To prevent any font related issues, make sure you embed all fonts or select all type in your file and go to Type > Create Outlines to preserve your fonts.  Tip: Once you ‘Create Outlines’ you will not be able to edit your text so make sure you save a non-outlined version of your file separately before you outline your fonts. 

BLEEDS

If your image goes off the edge of the paper, please include at least a .125” bleed on all sides of the art board set to the final cut size of your art or include trim marks indicating where the bleed gets trimmed.

FILE TYPES

For letterpress files we accept Ai, EPS, ID and PDF’s saved from vector programs such as InDesign and Illustrator. If your order has multiple colors, separate each color onto a different layer in the layers panel and set the colors to the PMS Pantone colors you want your order to be printed. Bonus points if you label each layer with the Pantone color of the layer!

Screen Printing

Each color on a screen print is a separate run through the press so your files will need to have each color on a separate layer with the appropriate trapping in order to be considered print ready. We’re happy to prep your files for you with our file prep charge starting at $30 per color

DETERMINING LAYER COUNT

Take a good look at your image and count how many colors you see. Remember that each shade of a color will count as another layer unless you are working with gradients. Please note that when working with gradients they must go across the whole image either horizontally or vertically. Diagonal gradients are only possible with images up to 18x18”

It’s common in screen printing to think of creative ways to layer colors over top of one another to create additional colors without having to print extra layers. Color layering works for some images but not for others so consider this step carefully. When layering colors you can typically be really picky about 2 of the colors while the third color must be determined by the other two. For example, if you are layering blue and yellow to make green and you have a very specific yellow in mind and you feel very strongly about having just the right shade of cerulean blue, then the green that is made by layering the two is the green that you are going to get. If these two colors do not make the green that you need then the green should be mixed separately and printed on its own layer.

A QUICK NOTE ABOUT FILE SIZE

Please always be sure to send us your files at the size you would like us to print them. If you are sending a raster based image please make sure that it is at least 300 dpi at your final print size. If you are sending a vector based image please make sure the vector is at the final print size. Your image should be the final size of your print area and your artboard should be the size of your paper. If we notice that your file size and your requested print size do not match we will do our best to notify you before we begin production and it can cause production delays and addition fees if we need to take care of the resizing on our end.

SEPARATING LAYERS

Separating layers can be very difficult and the specifications of the process vary greatly depending on the type of image. There are some tutorials out there on Youtube and in the blogosphere and we would definitely recommend flipping through some of them before starting this process. If you are not comfortable taking on this challenge we are happy to separate your files for you with the cost starting at just $30 per layer.

When working from jpegs or other raster based images it is easiest to separate layers in Photoshop. When working with vector based images you will want to separate your files in Illustrator.

PHOTOSHOP SEPARATION

Separate each color in your image onto it’s own layer by using the select color range tool, Select > Color Range. Name each layer the Pantone color or Spot color that will be printed. Check your layers by hiding the background image and checking carefully for any missing elements or gaps in your image. Add trapping to each layer by double clicking on the layer and adding a stroke through the layer effects panel. We recommend adding as much trapping as possible without altering your image. If you are trapping colors under a line, have the colors extend to about halfway through the line, giving yourself as much wiggle room as possible without running the risk of having the color pop out the other side. Before sending your images we recommend looking it over at least 3 times over the course of at least 48 hours. Fresh eyes can really save a project!

ILLUSTRATOR SEPARATION

Outline any strokes within your image by selecting all > Object > Path > Outline Stroke. This will prevent your strokes from skewing if you need to scale your image. Duplicate your image onto new layers for each color in your image and name each layer accordingly. Working one layer at a time, eliminate all objects that are not the color corresponding with that layer (you can either delete the extra objects or make them pure white if they over lap other shapes.) Add trapping where colors meet by adding a stroke or offsetting the path, Object > Path > Offset Path to grow the shape. Once the layers are separated double check the image to check for any gaps, extra objects or missing objects.

BLEED IMAGES

If your image goes off the edge of the paper, please include at least a .125” bleed on all sides of the art board set to the final cut size of your art or include trim marks indicating where the bleed gets trimmed.

FILE TYPES

For screen printing files we accept Ai, PDF, PSD, and TIF files. Files must be properly separated with each color on a different layer to be considered print ready.