Digital printing

We accept the following file formats for printing:

• Adobe Photoshop (*.psd, *.tiff, *.jpg);
• Adobe Illustrator (*.eps) up to CS6;
• Adobe PDF (*.pdf);
• Corel Draw (*.cdr).

Nuances of orders with and without collation

• When placing orders through types, you have the option to order them with or without collation. What's the difference? Let's look at this using the example of an order shown in the image below. If this order is placed without collation, you will receive 5 packs of flyers with 2 identical flyers in each pack. That is, the result will be the same as if you placed 5 separate orders for 2 flyers each.

• But if you place this same order with collation, you will receive 2 packs of flyers with 5 different flyers in each pack. Collation is often needed when printing decks of playing cards, brochure spreads, calendar pages, etc.

• It is important to note that by default, the order is placed without collation. If you need an order with collation, you should mark the corresponding checkbox below the table with the technical parameters of your order.

Size Requirements

• "Bleed" (under cut) — 2 mm for sheet products (3 mm for multi-page).
• Design elements should be located 3–4 mm from the edge of the finished product (see image below).
• Minimum product size for cutting – 40×40 mm.

General Requirements

• If the order is marked as two-sided (4+4 color), but only one side is loaded into the layout, it may be treated as a one-sided product (4+0). Due to automation of prepress file processing, as a result you may receive a product printed on only one side.
• If both sides of a two-sided product should be identical, you should either load the same side of the layout for both front and back, or submit a 2-page PDF file.
• When submitting a 2-page PDF file, there is no need to additionally load the second side of the layout or the original PDF file again into the back of the order. The second page of the PDF file is not displayed in the preview, but it is actually present in the layout. If the layout is submitted incorrectly (3- or 4-page), the result after printing may be unpredictable and differ from your intention.
• In products with single-sided lamination, the first side of the layout is always laminated by default (the first page of a 2-page PDF file or the side loaded as the front of the layout).
• If the order is placed with one-color printing (1+1 or 1+0), the submitted layout must match the declared color: all elements in the layout should be set only in the BLACK channel from 0 to 100%.
• Resolution: at least 300 dpi.
• If you forcefully assign 300 dpi to a low-quality image, its quality will not improve. In this case, it's better to replace the image with a higher quality one.
• All layers in raster layouts must be merged into one (Background using the Flatten Image command in Photoshop).
• The layout should not contain any elements or layers that should not be printed. Extra layers must be removed, except in cases of white and varnish printing.
• All paths and unnecessary channels must be removed if not needed.
• PDF files should not contain OPI links.
• The layout should not contain any ICC profiles.
• Layouts should not contain "Transparency" effects.

Color Requirements

• Color model — CMYK, Grayscale.
• Black solid color fill by formula — C:60; M:40; Y:40; K:100.
• For white text on black composite background, we recommend applying trapping. This is an outer stroke of elements in one color with a thickness of 0.25 pt. Its percentage: C:0; M:0; Y:0; K:100.
• To reproduce blue shades when printing, the difference between Cyan and Magenta channels should be at least 20% (Cyan should be greater), for example C:100; M:77; Y:0; K:0. If you need to darken the color, add BLACK.
• To get a purple tone, magenta should be greater than or equal to cyan (for example C:83; M:93; Y:0; K:0).
• "Spot colors" must be prepared with the smallest CMYK components to ensure more accurate color reproduction.
• Gray color elements, for correct color reproduction, should be prepared in one BLACK color.
• Single-color gray should have a saturation of no more than C:0; M:0; Y:0; K:80.
• It is fundamentally incorrect to set a gray solid with three colors without black, or four colors where the percentage of each is approximately the same (for example C:68; M:61; Y:61; K:50 or C:9; M:7; Y:8; K:0). In this case, there is a high probability of color variation across the print run and you may not get the expected shade. For example, the same percentage C:68; M:61; Y:61; K:50 can be set using the formula C:0; M:8; Y:7; K:87, and C:9; M:7; Y:8; K:0 can be set using C:0; M:0; Y:0; K:11.
• We recommend submitting layouts exclusively in CMYK color model. Elements in "RGB", "LAB" color space, as well as PANTONE and any other spot colors will be automatically converted to CMYK by the printing machine. In this case, the customer is responsible for the correctness of color reproduction of such elements relative to the design intent.
• The minimum reproducible shade for any CMYK channel is 5%.
• When choosing colors, do not rely on your monitor display.
• If a specific color is important, we recommend ordering a proof on our equipment before printing the full run. In this case, you need to request the specific model of the machine on which this proof will be printed. Then, when placing the full run order, specify the obtained printing machine model in the comments for the designer.
• Total ink density (TIL) should not exceed 280% for offset paper; for coated (glossy or matte) - 300%.

Font Requirements

• Fonts in vector files must be converted to curves.
• Depending on the text color, the minimum font size should be:
  – for sans-serif typefaces – 6 pt (CMYK), 5 pt (monochrome color);
  – for serif typefaces – 7 pt (CMYK), 6 pt (monochrome color);
  – reverse out for sans-serif typefaces – 7 pt (CMYK), 6 pt (monochrome color);
  – reverse out for serif typefaces – 8 pt (CMYK), 7 pt (monochrome color);
• Using thin "Narrow" weight as a reverse out is not allowed; "Bold" weight is recommended.
• Using rasterized text smaller than 8 points is not allowed, otherwise it may be illegible.
• Defects related to font size are very difficult to detect at the prepress stage.
• Black composite color (consisting of 4 color components) is not recommended for fonts.
• Black text should correspond to the formula: C:0; M:0; Y:0; K:100.
• Black color elements and text (C:0; M:0; Y:0; K:100) that are placed on a uniform background should have the "overprint" attribute.
• Text should be prepared with the smallest CMYK components. Gray text should be prepared in one BLACK color (for example C:0; M:0; Y:0; K:70).

Line Requirements

• Minimum line thickness 0.5 pt (0.17 mm).
• For selective varnish, using lines thinner than 0.5 mm and varnish fill density less than 100% is not allowed. Selective varnish does not transmit halftones.

Correct Layouting

• For sheet product layouts (do not confuse with sheet-fed printing!), a universal rule applies:
  Add 2 mm for bleed to the dimensions of the finished product on each side. All text and important design elements should be placed no closer than 3–4 mm from the edges of the finished product.
• For multi-page product layouts:
  Add 3 mm for bleed to the size of the finished product on each side. All text and important design elements should be placed no closer than 7 mm from the edges of the finished product.
  Also, for details on preparing multi-page layouts, see the appropriate section on our website.

• We submit white together with CMYK (if it also exists in the layout) in one file;
• White ink must be made as a vector on a separate layer on top of CMYK and as an additional color that should be named "White", with mandatory use of the OVERPRINT attribute (overlay fill). The "White" color itself in the layout can be any percentage, for example C:100; M:0; Y:0; K:0 (but it must be named exactly White!);
• Elements highlighted with the spot color "White" (exactly like that, letter for letter, without spaces before and after the word; any Belila, Beliy, Podlozka the machine will not recognize) will be printed in white (everything that is not highlighted and has a fill of C:0; M:0; Y:0; K:0 is the color of the material). There is no need to additionally create background solids in the material color if they should not be printed;
• Halftones of white ink are not allowed; it must be 100% and should be located exactly where the application is planned.
• On dark material, as well as on transparent film, to avoid unpredictable results, we recommend applying a white solid (printing in white) under colored images and text that should be bright.
• Important! The printing order is White + CMYK. If you need CMYK + White, specify it in the comments to the layout for the designer.

• We submit varnish together with CMYK in one file.
• Elements to be covered with varnish should be placed on a separate layer, made as vectors on top of the printed image.
• A spot color (C:0; M:100; Y:0; K:0) should be created in the layout and named "Clear" (exactly like that, letter for letter, without spaces before and after the word; any Lak, Lack the machine will not recognize) and have 100% fill (varnish cannot transmit halftones) with mandatory use of the OVERPRINT attribute (fill overlay).

Vertical layouts placed horizontally

• A vertical layout is placed "head to head". In this case, the rotation is performed along the short side.

Layout (front - horizontal, back - vertical)

• If the layout is composed so that the front side is horizontal and the back is vertical, the back is rotated counterclockwise by default.

Vertical layouts placed vertically

• If the layout is submitted vertically, then the rotation is performed parallel to the long side.

Layout flip when printing booklets

• Horizontal booklets (most often this is a 210×200 mm booklet) should be placed as shown in the image.

Rotation of sheet products in SRA3 and SRA3+ format

• We accept two-sided sheet products only in horizontal orientation. In this case, you should keep in mind that when printing on a digital printing machine, sheet rotation is performed along the short side. Thus, if your layout arrangement turned out to be vertical, you need to rotate the front side of the sheets 90° in one direction and the back side in the other direction. But if the arrangement already turned out to be horizontal, there is no need to rotate anything else.

Non-standard booklets are accepted only with a preview showing fold lines and indicating the size of each section.

If you are not confident that you have figured out the rule for rotating your booklet according to our requirements, you should indicate the order of booklet pages in folded form in the comments to your layout. For example: "Page 1 - Happy New Year and Merry Christmas! Page 2 - Christmas tree in a ball. Page 3 - Congratulations with... text. Page 4 - Big Dream logo".

Layouts with creases and/or folds (booklets) have certain technical features in their preparation.
For layouting a euro booklet in our printing house, there is a standard specified below (front 100 mm).

When folding a booklet "accordion style", all sections should be of equal size.
For example, in a 297×210 mm booklet in spread, which is folded with two folds using the "accordion" principle, all three parts equal 99 mm.

The size of sides in a layout with two folds "roll fold" is calculated as follows:

Divide the booklet width (in finished form, without bleeds) by 3 and add 1 mm to the result. This gives you the size of each of the two parts "front" and "back" of the booklet. Then subtract the sum of these two sides from the width to get the third side, which folds inward.

For example, a booklet in spread 402×210 with two folds:

1. 402 (width) / 3 = 134 mm
2. 134 mm + 1 mm = 135 mm (size of each of the two parts)
3. 135 mm × 2 = 270 mm (sum of two parts of the booklet)
4. 402 mm (width) - 270 mm = 132 mm (size of the third side)

Below is the formula for a booklet with three folds:

• (a - 3 mm)(a - 2 mm)(a)(a)

back side respectively:

• (a)(a)(a - 2 mm)(a - 3 mm).

Where "a" is the size of the "cover" and "back" (size should be the same),

"a – 2 mm" is the size of the third part that folds. Subtract 2 mm from the front side size,

"a – 3 mm" is the size of the fourth part that folds. Subtract 3 mm from the front side size.

For example, we need a booklet with three folds that, when assembled, will be 100×200 mm. We already know that the "cover" and "back" in finished form will be 100 mm each. To determine how to layout the two remaining parts, from the 100 mm size we subtract 2 mm (third side) and subtract 3 mm (fourth side). Accordingly, 100 mm (cover) – 2 mm = 98 mm (third side), 100 mm – 3 mm = 97 mm (fourth side). To determine the booklet size in spread, we sum all four sides: 100 mm + 100 mm + 98 mm + 97 mm = 395 mm.

Also, importantly, be sure to add 2 mm on all sides for bleeds (for cutting).

In case the booklet has more than 3 folds and folds "roll fold", each subsequent side should be at least 1 mm smaller than the previous one.

To properly prepare a catalog file for printing, several conditions must be met:

• The layout must be in *.pdf format.
• It is not allowed to provide files in spreads; only page-by-page files are accepted.
• Bleeds on three sides should be 3 mm each (can be on all 4 sides).
• All bleed elements (photos or background images) should cover the entire area of the layout.
• Text and important elements should be at least 7 mm from the cut edge.
• Text should be converted to curves, or fonts must be embedded in the publication.
• If the layout requires selective varnish, it must be vector and positioned exactly on top of the objects it will cover. It must be assigned a separate SPOT color and named Clear, and must have the "overprint" attribute applied. We do not recommend placing varnish under the bleed or score line; the recommended minimum distance from the cut edge/score line is 5 mm. Minimum varnish line thickness is 0.5 mm, and the distance between lines is the same.
• If foil stamping (for gold, silver) is required, it's better if the die covers the object being stamped with a 1 mm margin. The die must be vector, assigned a separate SPOT color and named ZOLOTO or SEREBRO respectively, and must have the "overprint" attribute applied. Stamping should not go under the bleed or score line; minimum distance from the cut edge/score line is 3 mm.

Requirements for layouts with spiral binding

• The layout must be in *.pdf format.
• It is not allowed to provide files in spreads; only page-by-page files are accepted.
• The block, cover, and backing are submitted as separate files with the part name indicated (BLOC, OBL, or PODL).
• The layout must be made with 3 mm bleeds on each side.
• Important information should be positioned no closer than 7 mm to the edge of the layout on three outer sides, and 15 mm from the inner side of the spiral binding.
• All bleed elements (photos or background images) should cover the entire area of the layout.
• If the layout requires selective varnish, it must be vector, positioned exactly where it covers the object. It must be assigned a separate SPOT color and named Clear, and must have the "overprint" attribute applied. We do not recommend placing varnish under the bleed or score line; the recommended minimum distance from the cut edge/score line is 5 mm. Minimum varnish line thickness is 0.5 mm, and the distance between lines is the same.
• If foil stamping (for gold, silver) is required, it's better if the die covers the object being stamped with a 1 mm margin. The die must be vector, assigned a separate SPOT color and named ZOLOTO or SEREBRO respectively, and must have the "overprint" attribute applied. Stamping should not go under the bleed or score line; minimum distance from the cut edge/score line is 3 mm.

Requirements for layouts with adhesive binding

• The layout must be in *.pdf format.
• It is not allowed to provide files in spreads; only page-by-page files are accepted.
• The layout must be made with 3 mm bleeds on three sides (can be on all 4 sides).
• Important information should be positioned no closer than 7 mm to the edge of the layout on three outer sides, and 15 mm from the binding edge (for thermal binding), 12 mm (for PUR adhesive).
• All bleed elements (photos or background images) should cover the entire area of the layout.
• The cover is laid out as a 2-page spread + spine + bleeds.
• The spine width is calculated individually depending on the block thickness.
• The offset from the spine score line should be at least 13 mm.
• Information on the spine should be positioned no closer than 3 mm from the score line edge.
• If the layout requires selective varnish, it must be vector, positioned exactly where it covers the object. It must be assigned a separate SPOT color and named Clear, and must have the "overprint" attribute applied. We do not recommend placing varnish under the bleed or score line; the recommended minimum distance from the cut edge/score line is 5 mm. Minimum varnish line thickness is 0.5 mm, and the distance between lines is the same.
• If foil stamping (for gold, silver) is required, it's better if the die covers the object being stamped with a 1 mm margin. The die must be vector, assigned a separate SPOT color and named ZOLOTO or SEREBRO respectively, and must have the "overprint" attribute applied. Stamping should not go under the bleed or score line; minimum distance from the cut edge/score line is 3 mm.

• The maximum print format for plotter cutting is SRA3 420×295 mm, SRA3+ 457×304 mm.
• The sticker layout for plotter cutting is submitted in .pdf, .ai, or .eps format no older than CS6. It should contain 2 layers: the lower layer contains the sticker layout itself with bleeds, the upper layer contains the cutting contour. The sticker layout itself can be represented as either vector or raster. It should be made in the required shape and size (1:1). The layout should include 2 mm bleeds on each side, executed by extending the background. If the sticker background is white, bleeds can be omitted. Also, for all important elements of the layout – text, image (but not background), barcode, etc. – a safe zone of 2 mm "inward" from the cutting contour must be maintained. The cutting contour must be vector, have a closed contour, be of the required shape and size (1:1). It must be assigned a separate color (Spot color) "cut" with the Overprint attribute applied. The contour color can be any. However, it is preferable to choose a contrasting color so it is clearly visible against the sticker background. Usually red (C:0; M:100; Y:100; K:0) or pink (C:0; M:100; Y:0; K:0) works well for this.
• In case of manufacturing a sticker pack (several different stickers placed on a certain format), all the above rules apply: – all cutting contours on the sheet must be assigned the same separate color "cut" with the Overprint attribute applied and placed on a separate layer; – the safe zone for each sticker should be 2 mm; – bleeds for EACH sticker, if they have different colored backgrounds, should be 2 mm. Thus, the minimum distance between cutting contours will be 4 mm. If the entire sticker pack sheet has a uniform background (or white), the minimum distance between cutting contours can be 2 mm. The sticker pack sheet itself should also be made to the declared size and have 2 mm bleeds on each side (like any normal layout submitted for printing).

When placing a sheet printing order, the customer prepares the layout arrangement on the sheet themselves, following the technical requirements outlined below. The accepted file formats are page-by-page PDF or tif. The prepared files are printed "as is," and only lamination and digital varnish are available from post-printing operations.

Requirements for layouts:

1. Print sheet formats – 320×450 mm (SRA3) or 330×487 mm (SRA3+). Bleeds should not be added to these formats! Layouts are prepared exactly according to the specified sizes;
2. Sheet products, if not in tif format, are accepted in one PDF file, where the first page is the front, the second page is its back, and so on;
3. If one PDF file contains several different types of sheet products, this must be taken into account when placing the order;
4. Non-printing margins – 4 mm on each side of the sheet;
5. Color model – CMYK;
6. Resolution for all raster elements – 300 dpi;
7. Minimum reproducible shade – 5%;
8. Maximum allowable total ink density – 300%;
9. No third-party profiles should be embedded in the layouts. During printing, they will be automatically removed, which may cause the colors of the layout to change and differ from the desired result;
10. PANTONE colors and any other spot colors will be automatically converted to CMYK;
11. Crop marks on layouts should preferably be set in one black color – C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100;
12. The Overprint attribute (fill overlay) should not be applied to any layout elements except those in single-color black, unless this is a design intention. This especially applies to white elements. White elements with the Overprint attribute will disappear from the layout during printing.
13. We do not recommend leaving transparencies in the layout (transparency flatten), extra layers, or elements that should not be printed. By disregarding our recommendation, you take responsibility for the result.

Attention! The color of your layout on the monitor will not match 100% with the finished digital print. If color/shade is critically important – we strongly recommend ordering a color proof on our digital machines before printing the full run. Without a preliminary color proof, color complaints are not accepted.

Requirements for the orientation of submitted layouts

We accept two-sided sheet products only in horizontal orientation. In this case, you should keep in mind that when printing on a digital printing machine, sheet rotation is performed along the short side. Thus, if your layout arrangement turned out to be vertical, you need to rotate the front side of the sheets 90° in one direction and the back side in the other direction. But if the arrangement already turned out to be horizontal, there is no need to rotate anything else.

• The drilling location in the layout should be indicated by a dot of contrasting color in the CMYK color model (since it should remain after printing), with a diameter of 0.5 mm only on the front side; there is no need to indicate it on the back. The dot should be positioned no closer than 8.5 mm from the edge of the layout, and text or important elements should be positioned no closer than 10 mm from the drilling point.
• Also, when preparing a layout with drilling, you must take into account our layout rotation features (described in the "Layout flip" section) and, accordingly, the placement of text and important elements on the back.

Saving files from Adobe Illustrator

From Adobe Illustrator, you can save to *.ai, *.eps, *.pdf formats

Before saving the file in one of the above formats, you need to convert fonts to curves. To do this, select all objects by going to Select menu — All, then go to the Type menu and select "Create Outlines".

Or use the keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + A - select all objects in the layout,

Shift + Ctrl + O - convert to curves.

Next, check the color model; it should be CMYK. Select File from the menu bar, then Document Color – it should show CMYK Color.

If the layout is to be printed in four colors without using additional Pantone colors, you need to verify this. Go to the Window menu and select Separations Preview.

In the opened menu, check that there are no additional colors.

If they are present, call up the Swatches menu from the Window menu. In this menu, find the color with the following designation and double-click it.

In the opened tab, in the Color Type field, change the value from Spot Color to Process Color.

To save the layout in EPS format:

File — Save As… (Shift + Ctrl +S) and in the opened menu, select Illustrator EPS (*.EPS).

In the next window, from the Version dropdown menu, select Illustrator CS 6 EPS or an earlier version depending on your program version.

To save the layout in PDF format: File — Save As… (Shift + Ctrl +S) and in the opened menu, in the "File type" field, select Adobe PDF (*.PDF). In the next window, in the General tab of the dropdown menu, select the settings we previously loaded. Then click the Save PDF button.

Saving files from Adobe Photoshop

From Adobe Photoshop, you can save to *.TIFF, *.PDF formats

Before saving the file in one of the specified formats, you need to ensure that the layout is in CMYK color model and all layers are merged into "Background". To do this, call up the Layers palette from the Window menu (or press F7).

In the Layers palette, click on the selected button and in the dropdown menu, select Flatten Image.

You need to make sure the color model is CMYK.

To save the layout in TIFF format:

File — Save As… (Shift + Ctrl +S) and in the opened menu, select TIFF (*.TIF;*.TIFF)

To save the layout in PDF format:

File — Save As… (Shift + Ctrl +S) and in the opened menu, select Photoshop PDF (*.PDF;*.PDP)

In the next window, in the General tab of the dropdown menu, select the settings we previously loaded. Then click the Save PDF button.