Tidbits

What colour mode is used for print designs?

The colour mode for text and images used in print is CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). Images you scan or take with your digital camera use the RGB (red, green, blue) colour mode. We convert colour images for print to CMYK.

Where possible, any logos and clip art used should be created in CMYK. For any black text below 18 pt the CMYK values should be 0/0/0/100. For anything over 18 pt and for black backgrounds use CMYK values of 50/50/50/100 for a rich black colour.

Most print jobs, will be printed using process colours, therefore any Pantone spot colours will be converted to process CMYK equivalents.

Please note: print colours do not look the same on screen. If you need us to match a specific colour please provide us with the Pantone number or CMYK values.

What file type, resolution and size should your images be for print?

Images for print need to be the best quality possible! Enlarged, low quality or low res images will reproduce poorly. If in doubt, please send us your original digital photos, hi-resolution or print quality stock images, or hi-resolution scans - we can crop and reduce the size if we need to.

File type for print images:

Gif images are not suitable for print!

To ensure the best print results we use images at 300 or 400 ppi (pixels per inch) for glossy or large format printing and 170-200 ppi for news print.

Images need to be sent at the correct size or larger. Generally, JPG images are 72 ppi so will look bigger on screen than in print. Learn how to calculate image size.

Need images? Here's a list of useful resources.

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Want to know what graphic design and layout software we use to create your project?

When we create designs for print, including flyers, brochures, post cards and multi-page publications, Kaz Design Works uses the following graphic design and page layout software on an IBM platform:

We also use Acrobat Distiller 9 to produce hi-resolution PDFs for quality print jobs or optimized digital files for uploading flyers and catalogues to the internet.

We also work with the following Microsoft Office 2007 applications:

If you don't have time to complete a project that you've already started or need a template created in any of the above programs, Kaz Design Works can help you achieve your goal. Give us a call or email us now.

We also have several years experience using a variety of older versions of these applications as well as other graphics software such as PageMaker and CorelDraw. We are also familiar with the Mac platform should you need us to work at your office.

Want to know what website design software we use? »

Have a draft layout or project already started? Want to know what file types we accept?

We can complete projects you've already started in any of the above graphic design or page layout programs. You will need to package your InDesign or collect your Quark files before you send them to us though.

If we are working on a brand new project, you can send editorial content in any of the MS Office 2007 applications listed or older, or if preferred, in the body of your email. Include any specific text and paragraph formatting (e.g. bold, italic, bullets, etc) and any other layout instructions you'd like us to follow.

Draft layouts can also be sent in any of the above programs, but all images should be sent at the appropriate size separately.

If you need us to match a specific font please send us a copy of the complete font set. Not sure how to do this? We can help!