Printing for Less

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Printing Options

Custom Bookmark Printing Samples

Custom Bookmark Printing Samples

These samples of full color bookmarks or bookmarkers show a variety of design ideas and examples of ways to market your business using bookmark printing. Samples of inspirational, promotional and photo bookmarks used for book and author advertising and giveaways for artists and products are shown in three different sizes. Personalized bookmarks are a great inexpensive and impactful way to advertise and keep your product or business in front of potential customers. The standard bookmark dimensions are 2″ x 6″, 2″ x 7″, and 2″ x 8 “.

Vertical 2 x 6 Bookmark Designs

One of the two most common standard bookmark sizes, the economical choice with one or two sided printing.
 
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2 Sided Bookmarkers

Many people print on both sides to convey more information. One color backs are a little cheaper but less effective.
 
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Horizontal Printed Bookmarks

Horizontal designs are another popular option for a different visual presentation of your information.
 
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2 x 7 Bookmark Printing Designs

Our second most common bookmark size. Slightly longer to hold more information and photos for more visual impact.
 
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2 x 8 Bookmark Printing Examples

Another popular bookmark size. An inch longer to display even more information and really catch people’s attention by sticking out of paperback size books.
 
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Get Bookmark Templates for Design and Layout, with Instructions
Everything you need to layout and design a bookmark for commercial printing in your favorite graphic arts design program.
 
Need help with your next project? Give our print experts a call at 800-930-6040.
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Color Printing Design Tips

Color Printing Design Tips

Getting Started with your Graphic Design

Designing your own printed piece can seem like a challenge. These handy hints will help you with the process. Here are the first steps.

 

The Rules of Resolution

  • Images should be 300 dpi (dots per inch) at the final size in the layout.
  • The settings used during the original “capture” of an image (ie: scanning, digital camera, etc) determine its base resolution. Resolution can only be improved by decreasing the image size, or by recapturing the image at a higher quality setting.
  • Images which include text should be 400 dpi at the final size in the layout.
  • Resolution and image size are inversely proportional to each other. Enlarge an image, the resolution decreases; reduce an image, the resolution increases. Example: a 2″ x 2″ image at 300 dpi (acceptable) enlarged to 4″ x 4″ has a new resolution of 150 dpi (unacceptable).
  • Low resolution images print fuzzy, jagged and blurry.
  • Recommended minimum resolution for printing is 300 dpi; computer monitors generally have a display setting of 72 or 96 dpi. If we indicate that some of your images have low resolution, they may look fine on your computer monitor but will likely appear blurry or pixelated in print.

Things to Avoid

  • Web images are predominately low resolution (72-96 dpi) GIF or JPEG files. This resolution is good for quick transmission over the internet, but is not acceptable for use in printing. Do not save images or graphics from a website to use in your print project!
  • Upsampling is when a low resolution image is saved to a higher resolution with no changes in dimensions. Upsampling adds more pixels/dots per inch (dpi), but creates blurry images, ugly blocks of color, and high contrast in images. The only way resolution can be improved is by decreasing the image size, or by recapturing the image at a higher quality setting.

Spot Color or 4-Color?

Spot colors (also called PMS colors) use ink that is custom mixed. Generally, spot color is used with 1- or 2-color printing. Inks like fluorescent orange, metallic gold or Pantone colors are examples of spot color. For more color choices at a lower cost, use CMYK color in your design. Full-color photos are always printed in CMYK.
 

Black and Rich Black

rich black formulaBlack colors in print are not all the same. On computer monitors, all blacks will generally appear consistent. But on press, different ink combinations can create a wide range of blacks. When black is the text color, use flat black (CMYK 0-0-0-100) for the best results. If you have a solid black area larger than two square inches, we recommend using a “rich black” for a darker, more uniform color. The rich black color build we recommend is 50-35-15-100.
 

Background Color

Make sure your design has enough contrast between the type color and the background color. The examples below show how font and background colors can cause readability issues.
background color example
 

Number of Fonts

Minimize the number of font styles for your entire design (preferably 3 or less). Keep it simple! Read more about designing with text.
 

Type Size and Color

Type smaller than 10 point can be difficult to read. Type smaller than 14 point should be made with 3 or fewer of the CMYK colors to avoid mis-registration.
 
font size chart
 
line width chart

Line Width

“Hairlines” or very thin lines will not print well. Set line thickness to at least .25 points or .003 inches in width. A one or two-point line looks great around photographs.
 

Bleeds

“Bleed” refers to images or graphics that go to the edges of the paper on the final printed piece (also called “full bleed”). printing bleed diagramWhen designing for bleed, you should make your document .25″ larger on both your horizontal and vertical dimensions. For instance, if the final size of your piece is 8.5″ x 11″ then make your document 8.75″ x 11.25″. Add guides to your layout that are .125″ from the edge all the way around. Now create your design with the idea that the layout will be cut off where those guides are – because that is exactly what will happen. Make sure that any photographs or backgrounds that you want to bleed go clear out to the perimeter of the document, past the guidelines. After your piece is printed, we will trim off that extra .125″ all the way around, leaving you with color all the way to the edges!
 

CMYK: The Formula for Success

Full-color printing, also called “4-color process,” uses Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), and Black (K) inks in different percentage combinations to create the colors we see in print. By specifying your design elements using a CMYK formula, you can be confident that you will get the colors you want. Create your design in CMYK color instead of RGB whenever possible.
 
The swatches below are CMYK color builds, shown with their “recipes,” or C-M-Y-K percentages. If your graphic arts printing file specifies any of these color combinations, the colors in your final piece will turn out very close to what you see here. Your printer and monitor may preview different results, but this is what you can expect.
 
Request a Design Guide below.
Need help preparing your graphic arts printing file?
Call our helpful print experts now at 800-930-6040.
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Color in Process Printing

Color in Process Printing

 

About RGB-CMYK

  • Scanners, digital cameras and computer monitors use red, green and blue (RGB) light to display color.
  • Commercial printing presses print with cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) ink, called process printing, instead of RGB light, and therefore produce a different range of color.
    See 4 color process printing explained for more info.
  • To print on a four-color press, all RGB files must be converted into CMYK color.

 

RGB colors with lights

                                 CMYK colors with ink

RGB lights combine to make white         CMYK inks combine to create black
 
  • Certain RGB colors that you can see on your monitor (in particular, bright blue, green and red) cannot be replicated with standard CMYK inks. These unachievable RGB colors are said to be “out of the CMYK color gamut.” When selecting colors for your print project, use CMYK color builds to avoid potential RGB conversion issues.
  • You are more likely to notice color shifts with solid bright backgrounds.
  RGB colors on a monitor                             CMYK colors on a press
 
 
 
RGB Colors              CMYK colors
(what you see on screen)      (printed with ink)
 
 
RGB in photos       RGB on a press
 
Color photographs do not suffer much from the
RGB-CMYK conversion.
 
Video about RGB and CMYK color

Learn about RGB and CMYK color Video
 
 

RGB – CMYK Conversion

All RGB files must be translated into CMYK. This conversion can be easily done in most image editing or graphic arts programs.
  • Our print consultants can convert your RGB files to standard value CMYK colors for print. If you have specific color concerns, you can also speak with one of our professional designers for more control over the final print.
  • You will have more control over the appearance of your printed piece if you do the color conversion yourself. We want you to be happy, so please take the time to prepare your file properly. Give us a call at 800-930-2423 for assistance.
FAQs
 
How well will my job match what I see on my monitor?
 
Will the colors match a sample I print out on my own printer, or a previously printed sample?
 
What is the difference between the RGB and CMYK color space and why does it matter?
 

How well will my printing match what I see on my monitor?

Most people are surprised at how well their print job matches what they see. But because of wide differences in monitor calibration and the different technologies used, some printed colors may not exactly match the colors on your specific monitor. Please see our RGB – CMYK Information page for important instructions on getting the results you want. Our Design Hints page has additional information and illustrations.
 

Will the colors match a sample I print out on my own printer, or a previously printed sample?

At Printing for Less we calibrate our equipment to a very rigorous industry standard for ink density and color. Due to variation in conditions and equipment, we do not recommend using home or office printers to predict how images or color will render when printed at our facility.
If you require precise color match, please contact us to arrange for a digital color proof. We will produce and send you a hard proof on equipment calibrated to our standard. When you approve and return the proof, we will strive to match the color of the proof when printing your final piece.
There can be additional charges for precise color match services. Also, if you request color correction or other changes after you see your proof, there could be charges for color correction time and a new proof.
Bottom line: the final product we produce for you is unlikely to match the output from your inkjet – it will look more professional!
 

What is the difference between the RGB and CMYK color space and why does it matter?

RGB refers to the primary colors of light, Red, Green and Blue, that are used in monitors, television screens, digital cameras and scanners. CMYK refers to the primary colors of pigment: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. These are the inks used on the press in “4-color process printing”, commonly referred to as “full color printing” or “four color printing”.
The combination of RGB light creates white, while the combination of CMYK inks creates black. Therefore, it is physically impossible for the printing press to exactly reproduce colors as we see them on our monitors.
Many programs have the capability to convert the layout/images from the RGB color space to the CMYK color space. We request that you convert your colors from RGB to CMYK if your tools allow you to. By doing it yourself, you have maximum control over the results. You may notice a shift in color when converting from RGB to CMYK. If you do not like the appearance in CMYK, we recommend that you make adjustments while working in CMYK (usually lightening). Generally, you should specify CMYK color builds that look a little lighter than you want, since the dots of ink “fatten up” on press, giving you more pigment on paper than you see on your monitor. Be especially careful to keep backgrounds light if there is black or dark colored text over it, so that the text remains readable.

See our RGB and CMYK Information page for more details.
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Using Die Cutting on Brochures

Using Die Cutting on Brochures

Die cuts use cookie-cutter technology to create a brochure that’s completely unique.

Die cuts are created with a sharp steel blade formed into a specific shape. When the blade presses onto paper, it makes a cutout of the shape – just like a cookie cutter slicing through fresh dough. Die cuts can produce ordinary shapes like circles, curves and stair steps, or custom ones like city skylines or palm trees.

A die cut brochure might have a curved edge or a flap shaped like a puzzle piece. It could have a cutout in front that offers a glimpse of what’s inside. It might be shaped like a product or combined with custom folds to create something that feels like a work of art.

Because they’re unique, die cuts have a “wow” factor that makes people want to save them and share them with family at home and friends on social media. That means that a single die cut  die cut folding brochure

Tips for Creating a Die Cut Brochure

Die cuts can produce striking effects when they’re added to a brochure. Because of the way a brochure is folded, you can go beyond simple die-cuts and create interactive elements that act like a pop-up book when the brochure is opened. Imagine a finger the jumps out and literally points to your deal, address, or logo. As you can imagine, this is very technical to design but we can help you bring your vision to life.

  • Die cutting blades are razor sharp and can handle fine details.
  • Good design is especially important for die cut brochures because the die cuts, images and text must line up properly when the brochure is folded. Design your die cut flat and use reference points to make sure everything is aligned.
  • Take paper thickness and weight into account to avoid a misaligned image – die-cuts can work with a huge range of paper thickness but your paper should be on the stiff side.

Using Die Cut Brochures

Internet marketing may be popular, but people still respond to promotional pieces they can hold in their hands. With die cutting and special sizes, brochures can go far beyond describing tourist destinations and products and services.

Brochures make distinctive event invitations, maps, fundraising appeals, menus and coupon offers. Here are some other ways to use brochures:

  • Distribute brochures as presentation handouts.
  • Display your portfolio in a brochure.
  • Have everyone on your team keep a stack of company brochures in their car. You never know when you might meet a potential customer.

Die cutting is an opportunity to use brochures to brand your business. Die cut brochures look creative and luxurious, and they invite people to interact with them on a physical level. You can use a die cut to highlight part of your logo or draw a connection to your product or industry – like a rooftop outline for a building contractor or a cupcake shape for a bakery.

Use die cuts to create a sense of anticipation, so people can’t resist opening your brochure to see what’s inside. Cut out a shape or edge on the front of your brochure to reveal just part of the image underneath.

If you’re mailing your brochure, use a die cut to make it look and feel like an envelope, without the added postage and handling costs. Add personalization and your recipients will feel like you’ve written especially to them.

Brochures might seem old fashioned, but die cutting gives them a fresh, upscale look and lots of personality. Use die-cuts to create a custom brochure that will be the talk of the town.die cut brochure example

Need technical or creative advice on your die cut brochure project?
Give our helpful experts a call at 800-930-6040.
 
 
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Spot UV Printing

Spot UV Printing

Spot UV Coating Example

Ready to take your printing to the next level of creativity and beauty? Have you been looking for a way to stand out from the crowd with printing that dazzles the eye? Among all of the custom printing options available, spot UV printing is one of the most brilliant effects you can add to your project. Offering eye catching designs that shine on top of printed inks, spot UV coating is an irreplaceable effect that is truly unique. Consider spot UV business cards as a great way to launch into the endless possibilities of spot UV.

What is Spot UV Coating

Due to its eye catching appearance and versatile applications, spot UV is one of the most popular printing techniques available. While it may sound futuristic, “Spot UV” is a relatively simple production method. The “UV” portion of spot UV comes from the ultraviolet light that’s used to instantly cure the glossy varnish you see shining in spot UV printing. UV coatings are environmentally friendly as they are free of solvents and do not emit volatile organic compounds, or VOCs when cured. The incredibly fast speed at which the UV varnish dries is exactly how Printing for Less can get such amazing detail in spot UV designs like the one you see above. While all UV coatings protect the paper they cover, spot UV is mainly used for its decorative effect as light catches the partially coated portion of the paper on a piece – rather than all-encompassing protective coverage.

Suggested Coating Applications

Spot UV will work on a wide variety of paper stocks, including everything from heavy 24pt cardstock, to thinner 100# text. Regardless of the thickness of paper stock, spot UV always has the greatest impact on a matte finished paper, whose muted background will contrast most highly against the extreme shine of the UV coating. In choosing the selected locations of your spot UV coating, consider a couple of different approaches.

Clear Impact

  • Clear impact is a technique where a solid color background is left blank, and decorated with spot UV to create the design or text itself. Arguably the best and most creative use of the spot UV effect, clear impact simply can’t be created with any conventional inks or papers. Take a look at the image above and ask yourself, have you ever seen printing like this before?

Image Accentuation

  • Another great way of utilizing spot UV is to coat a specific image or portion of a printed image on your project. For example, you could spot UV coat your logo on a business card or postcard for added pop. If you owned a water purification company, and you’re sending out a mailer with pictures of your delicious pure water – you might consider spot UV coating only the pouring water portion of the photograph. This kind of image accentuation is a pleasant surprise to the viewer, who’ll no doubt be wondering “how’d they do that?!”
Spot UV Example

Additional Custom Coating Effects

While you can always combine spot UV with any number of other custom printing effects like die cutting, embossing, or foil stamping; there are some custom techniques that best compliment spot UV. For example, soft touch coating your printing before adding spot UV creates an ideal matte finished background that really makes the shiny varnish pop. Basic matte finished paper stocks will also help this effect, but soft touch also adds value by creating its own unique physical feeling to the piece. This combination of soft touch and spot UV is commonly referred to as “Silk Spot UV”.

Video explaining how Spot UV Coating is used.
 
 
Have questions about using Spot UV for your next printing project?
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SmartFlex® Synthetic Printing

SmartFlex® Synthetic Paper

What in the world is Synthetic Paper?

waterproof paper menu that is spill-proof and tear-resistant
 
 The quick answer is plastic. But there’s much more to that story because SmartFlex® Synthetic Paper changes the game of printing. Traditional paper from wood pulp can be manufactured to have a lot of great qualities. The look and feel of premium paper can really improve the image of your company. Any business that wants to present a quality product needs quality marketing and sales materials to convey that message. SmartFlex® Synthetic paper has that premium look and feel along with rugged durability, while being tear resistant and waterproof. With standard paper, the pages of the menu pictured to the right, would tear off easily and stain with the first splash.

SmartFlex® is a durable paper alternative extending the life of your investment. Printed synthetic pages clean with soap and water and won’t tear apart from the stand.

What about the environment, you ask? We take great pride in sourcing printing materials that are friendly to the environment. From our wind powered facility to the use of sustainably sourced paper and soy inks, our commitment to preserving our amazing landscape is clear. Printing on plastic gives you the best of both worlds:

Reduce – Using SmartFlex® in your print allows you to reduce your consumption because it will last longer and still look great.
Reuse – Images won’t fade over time like standard paper and even tough, sticky stains clean off with soap and water.
Recycle – Synthetic paper is made from 100% recyclable materials.
 
 
Just watch us try to make a mess of these SmartFlex® synthetic menus!

Printing menus on SmartFlex® synthetic paper makes perfect sense, but what else is it good for?

  • 6 pt, 8 pt, & 12 pt: Thin and flexible, these thicknesses are great for – Brochures, Map Printing, Travel Guides, Manuals, Bellybands, Product Labels and Packaging, Posters, Hang Tags, Door Hangers
  • 15 pt: More rigid like a card stock, this size is great for – Menus, Packaging that needs structural stability, Placemats, Business Cards, Identification Cards, Door Hangers, Parking, Vehicle and other Permits and Passes. Because it holds its shape so well, this size can have half folds only.
  • 20 pt: Technically, this isn’t SmartFlex® but a Styrene board. It is incredibly thick and strong, so it can’t be folded at all. Otherwise, it has all the great properties of SmartFlex®. Great For – Window Signs, Storefront Lightbox and Advertising Signs, Bus/Transit Shelter Signs, Trade Show/Event Graphics, Coasters.
synthetic paper menu example
SmartFlex® synthetic paper menus last much longer than laminated paper and look great for longer.
Anything that needs to stand up against heavy use can be printed on synthetic printing paper.
SmartFlex waterproof tag
 
 
Gone are the days of putting your paper through a laminator to squeeze a few more uses before the edges peel apart. Lamination was the best we could do to waterproof your print before. You no longer need to accept low quality, cheap feeling solutions to this problem. Synthetic paper has made it possible for durable printed material to also look and feel like a premium, high quality product. Make print that lasts.
 
 
Have questions about using SmartFlex synthetic paper on your project?
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