RCS FAQ
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CMYK or 4 colour process stands for Cyan Magenta Yellow & Black and are the ink colours mixed together to produce your print.
RGB stands for Red Blue & Green and is the colour system your monitor screen uses. This produces a broader colour gamut or field than CMYK and certain colours within this spektrum cannot be produced by CMYK.
Your print files/artwork should therefore be produced in CMYK. Although for rare circumstances RGB may be required, for things like sublimation printing etc.
Bleed is a safety margin around your artwork to avoid any white lines when trimming your products.
For example, a business card of 85x55mm would require an overall artwork size of 91×61 as a general 3mm bleed on all sides is the norm.
Text and important information should not be present in the bleed area and should also be kept away from the trimmed size by 3mm if possible.
DPI or dots per inch – as a general rule 300dpi is the accepted standard in order to achieve a decent print.
If printing a larger item that will be seen from not so close up, like a banner, then a resolution of 150dpi at actual size would be acceptable.
Matt & Gloss options for normal print stock and also in terms of lamination options.
With the gloss, the shine finish produces a more striking look as the light reflects off the cover. Gloss blacks are richer in depth whereas matt blacks are paler, slightly duller, but gives a look of high-class, a sophisticated feel.
Matt gives a subtle, tactile effect that oozes quality, great for items where image and first impressions mean everything.
In terms of lamination and forming a protective coating over the print, matt does not provide the same level of protection as gloss lamination and can be prone to scratching and fingerprints especially where folding is involved.
Gloss adds a high gloss sheen often used on brochure covers, menus, magazine covers or presentation folders. It is definitely the high impact option.
Both look great and both have their places so often comes down to personal preference.
Lamination is the process of laying an additional ‘skin’ over the top of your artwork/printed item. It provides additional weather, abrasion and chemical resistance.
Hot Foil uses a foil with a colour layer added and is printed by using heat & pressure to fuse it to the surface media. Heat activates a glue that’s on the back of the foil and pressure to push the foil in to the sheet. Gold and silver are the most common but there are various effects etc available.
Foiling adds an opulent finish to printed items and is for those serious about making an impact.
If you have any doubts as to the suitibility of your artwork or have any questions prior to creating it then please get in touch and we will be happy to offer advise or solutions.
Fonts in your artwork should all be converted to outlines and or embedded.
If in doubt you may supply any .ttf font file used in your artwork.
You can upload your artwork via the product page you are purchasing.
Alternatively you may use the upload page menu tab ‘artwork upload’ after ordering making sure to include order reference or similar details
You may also send your artwork via WeTransfer site if over the allowed 60MB via the website here.