some of the images below have been exaggerated for illustrative purposes

 

Layout and Rotation

 Artwork will print where the right side of the the front image and the left side of the back image print head to head.  When receiving your proof, processing will assist you in rotating your artwork according to your request and artwork will be such that it meets the specifications indicated here.

                

 

 

How do I get my project to print as rich black?

In printing no black ink is truly black, and the mixing of the four inks helps to translate the black to an even more black also known as "true black", or "rich black". The printing industry has many definitions of this and can vary depending on the conditions. We have found the following "formula" to work best.

Cyan : 60%

Magenta : 40%

Yellow : 40%

Key : 100%

 

 

we do not recommend using values higher than these as using too much ink will tend to make the printing muddy

 

These settings are not applicable for text

 

How can I avoid blue looking like purple in my project?

When using a blue in your design, always make sure to leave at least a 30% difference in your Cyan and Magenta values.

100% C 100% M 0% Y 0% K

Blue is close to purple in the CMYK spectrum. Remember, use a low amount of magenta whenever using high amounts of cyan to avoid purple.  Example: C-100 M-70 Y-0 k-0

 

How do I export a pdf file for print?

When exporting from any program such as Indesign or Illustrator, use these settings to make sure your .PDF files export correctly.

Export settings for .PDF files

Adobe PDF Preset is set to: Press Quality

Compatibility is set to: Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)

Compress Text and Line Art is set to: Off

 

Grayscale printing

Grayscale images that are converted to CMYK will have a color shift in the final print. That shift may be green or yellow.

Always check the CMYK values of your grayscale in the final CMYK document. If there are other values other then K in your grayscale image, there is a chance that the color will vary.

To eliminate all values other then K, use your Channel Mixer (adjustment layer) in Photoshop, then click "Monochrome" and adjust accordingly.

 

Banding

Many things can cause banding. Banding can be caused by the program that it is exported from, such as Indesign or Corel. Also, too many gradient steps, for example going from a very light color to a dark color, in a small area will cause banding.  To prevent this, check your digital files before sending. If you use a gradient, make sure it has enough room for a smooth transition.

 

File Submission

All files should be submitted in one of the following formats: .AI, .PSD, .PDF, .EPS, .JPG, .JPEG, .TIF

There are many free pdf file creators available such as primopdf and pdfcreator that may assist you in preparing your files for submission in the case that you do not have access to portable document format software (pdf) which is the best way to submit your files.  Milwaukeeflyers.com is in no way affiliated with these third party applications and extends no warranties to its use, or otherwise. 

 

Spot UV

When creating a Spot UV job, You must include a Spot UV template file along with the regular full color file. The Spot UV template file is used to show where the UV will be placed.  Use 100% K to indicate where you would like the UV. White will indicate no UV.

 

What color space should I send my files in?

All files should be sent in CMYK. Any files submitted in RGB may experience unacceptable color shifting. All files submitted in RGB are automatically converted to CMYK.

 

 

 

 

What are the bleed requirements for my files?

For paper products printing:

All files must include a 1/8" (0.125 inch) bleed regardless if your design bleeds to the edge or not. An example of bleed setup for a 4" x 6" postcard would be 4.125" x 6.125". In our templates are bleed lines, trim lines, and safe print area to assist you in visualizing this on top of your art prior to submission. 

 

For large format printing including banners and signs:

8mil photo gloss large format posters - no bleed, make your artwork exactly the size you are ordering.
10mil Polypropylene indoor banner - no bleed, make your artwork exactly the size you are ordering.
Coroplast - ensure you have 0.5" on all sides of your artwork.
Foamboard - ensure you have 0.5" on all sides of your artwork.

13oz Vinyl - no bleed - make your artwork exactly the size you are ordering. We suggest you keep any important text or artwork 2" inward from the edge of your artwork as to avoid any elements being cut off or hemmed over.
Heavy duty car magnets - ensure you have 0.5" on all sides of your artwork.

 

What are your resolution requirements?

Low resolution files may be printed as is or will be placed on hold until we receive new files, affecting your turn-around time. All rasterized (bitmap) images must be at least 300 dpi. However, 400 dpi for photo images and 1200 dpi for text and line art is highly recommended.  for a successful printing experience, submitted files need to be at minimum 300dpi

 

Should I include crop marks in my file?

Do not include crop marks in your artwork. Always submit your artwork at trim size + bleed. An example of bleed setup for a 4" x 6" postcard would be 4.125" x 6.125".

 

Can I include front and back images in 1 file?

Each side of your artwork must be submitted in a separate file.

 

What should I do about overprint?

It is HIGHLY recommended that overprint is turned off to avoid unexpected results.

 

How do I submit my files to print?

There are two methods to send artwork to MilwaukeeFlyers.com. The first is our file uploader. When placing your order, you will be able to upload your artwork through the file uploader. For larger files, FTP access is available.

 

What are the differences between the file uploader and FTP?

The file uploader is much more convenient and allows us to process your job quicker. However, the largest file size that can be sent through the file uploader is 60MB per file. For larger artwork such as calendars, FTP method must be used.

 

 

Large format banner and sign printing setup                           

 Resolution and scale table:

Final size	Art board size	Scale	Resolution
18"x24"	18"x24"	1/1	300dpi
24"x36"	24"x36"	1/1	200dpi
36"x48"	36"x48"	1/1	150dpi
3'x6'	3'x6'	1/1	100dpi
4'x8'	12"x24"	1/4	900dpi(AOR 75)
8'x20'	8"x20"	1/12	900dpi(AOR 75)
14'x48'	7"x24"	1/24	600/900dpi (AOR 50-75)

AOR- actual output resolution

 

 Text visiblity table:

Letter height	Impact distance max	Readable distance max
3"	30ft	100ft
4"	40ft	150ft
6"	60ft	200ft
8"	80ft	350ft
9"	90ft	400ft
10"	100ft	450ft
12"	120ft	525ft
15"	150ft	630ft
18"	180ft	750ft
24"	240ft	1000ft

Based on dark text with white background and clear visiblity/weather conditions.  Allow 10% variance for different color combinations and contrast

 

Overprints

Primarily used to intentionally overlap inks for a number of reasons, overprint can cause unexpected results. We suggest that you turn all overprint objects off before submitting your files.

 

Fonts

Please ensure all fonts are outlined prior to file upload.  If using Photoshop, please provide the flattened file only.

 

Scaling

It is not always necessary to scale your artwork down but here are a few good things to know:

Vector Art

If your file is over 200" you will want to scale it down by half.  While Illustrator has a maximum document size nearly 228",  Acrobat and others will only read up to 200" resulting in lost artwork.  The artwork may look ok in Illustrator, However it will not print correctly.

Raster Art

If your file is over 30,000 pixels you will need to reduce the resolution of the file to reduce the overall file size to 30,000 or less.  Doing this will maintain the correct file size and aspect ratio.  Don't be worried about losing quality, a 30,000 pixel document at 150dpi is nearly 16' and would not likely be viewed close up anyway.

 

Borders

We recommend that you do not design your file with a border, if you absolutely must have borders, make it at least 2" in thickness.  Milwaukee Flyers does not recommend adding a border.  Exact cuts are difficult as substrates vary slighty from batch to batch.

Coroplast

When setting up your files, try to avoid large areas of solid light colors and gradients. If you must have a large area of solid color, try to keep your Total Area Coverage (TAC) above 150% if possible. This means that when you add up all of the CMYK values, your total will add up to 150% out of a full 400% build (100 per color). Example: Rich Black TAC is 240% C-60 M-40 Y-40 K-100.

 

Foamboard

We recommend you maintain your total area coverage of 150% or greater.  Foamboard is more porous compared to Coroplast and Magnets,  so on most light colors you might see a more absorbed look when printing with foamboard. Please keep in mind that foamboard substrate is not as bright white as Coroplast or magnets, so in terms of brightness and visibly it is a couple points lower on the brightness scale.

Heavy duty magnets

Maintain a total area coverage of 150% or greater.