We want your graphic files to print correctly the first time and look like you meant them to. Below are the minimum file supply essentials you need to follow.

Fabric Artwork Guidelines

Artwork should be supplied at the scale of the template supplied by UK Printing Company and should adhere to the following guidelines:

CMYK
Ink levels up to 300%
Images 300dpi
All fonts converted to outlines
Minimum 10% tints
Do not try to colour match vector colours to rasterised colours. The rip treats these differently and there will be a visible difference in the final print. Place Vectors into Photoshop instead to create one bitmap image.
No layered .psd files, transparency effects or vector gradients
Save as a high-resolution JPEG from your software package – remove all template guides before saving your file. If they are on your final JPEG they will print!
Respect the quiet zones. Fabric stretches and shrinks (different amounts in different directions) during the production process so there is less accuracy compared to printing on paper. The templates may appear unusually large or proportioned. This is to allow for the stretch/shrinkage of the material. For best results, keep all important elements well within the quiet zone areas and do not try to match up designs from the front to the reverse.
It’s not a leaflet. Big, bold designs are the most effective.
Text should be as large as possible to ensure it is readable from a distance. For ‘small print’ you should not go below 24pt for dark text on a light background, and 48pt for reversed out text.
Single sided flags have 80-90% show through on the reverse.
All JPEG Page Boxes should be set to the correct page size (Finished Size + Bleed).

Quiet Zones & Bleed

Respect the Quiet Zones. Fabric stretches and shrinks (different amounts in different directions) during the production process so there is less accuracy compared to paper.

The templates may appear unusually large or proportioned. This is to allow for the stretch/shrinkage of the material. For best results, keep all important elements such as text and logos well within the quiet zone areas but bleed background images/colours to the page edge. Do not try to match up designs from the front to the reverse.

The trim guide on the template shows roughly where the fabric will be cut. Please bleed your artwork to the page edge.

Finishing Fabric Displays is a manual process of cutting and stitching, therefore additional bleed is required. For raw fabric add 50mm bleed to each edge of the finished size you require.

Have you used the correct colour mode?

When saving your file, ensure that you have set the artwork up in the correct colour mode for the product that you are ordering. Most products are produced in CMYK process colour. If RGB or LAB colours are found they will be converted to CMYK which will result in some colour shift. We do not recommend supplying files in RGB or LAB as it’s unlikely they’ll print as expected. Pantone Colours will also be converted to CMYK (where applicable) with the same results.

Colour Tolerances/Variation

Colour variation is inherent in any print process, unfortunately, an exact colour match cannot be guaranteed and should not be expected.

Colours made up of 2 or more CMYK colour channels increase the amount of variation you can expect to receive.

Example: 1 CMYK colour channel (Cyan) Example: 3 CMYK colour channels (Magenta, Yellow & Black)

Have you checked your ink levels?

Make sure all colours are below 300% total ink coverage.

Avoid Set-off, Misregistration and Banding

The rule of thumb:

• Avoid using more than one colour channel for Black Text (100% K only reduces the likelihood of misregistration, which results from aligning multiple plates with fine details).

• Use a Rich Black (100% Black (K) and 40% Cyan OR 100% Black (K) and 40% Magenta) for areas over 2cm squared in size to avoid banding as single colour blacks can appear washed out when printed across large areas.

Check your image resolution?

Remember to check the requirements for the resolution of images, as it may vary for different products. For CMYK process printing, your colour images should be set to 300dpi @ 100% size.

File saved in the correct format?

Remember to check that you are saving your file in the correct format for the product that you are ordering. We would prefer you to supply us with a ‘Press Quality’ PDF (Compatability: Acrobat 5 (PDF Version 1.4) or later).

Need Help?

If you would like some more information or advice when setting up your graphic files, please get in touch on info@ukprintingcompany.co.uk, call us on 01623 664865