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Printing Guidelines  Click to Download PDF.
The following information is what ActsCo needs to know before printing can be finalized.
The quantity you wish to have printed.
Paper Stock The type of paper you want to have your design printed on. There are many kinds and qualities of paper including glossy, matte, or vellum finish. There is also a variety of paper thicknesses designated by gram weight. Acts Co will be able to provide you with samples. We will also be able to make any recommendations for the best paper for your type of product. Colors How many Colors your printed job will be. 1 Color, 2 Color or Full Color (4 Color CMYK) If it is a Multi page job will it be the same color combo throughout?
Binding Any type of binding which would include stapling, plastic comb binding, wire spiral binding, perfect binding (paperback book style), etc. you can ask Actsco for more info on binding.
Post Press Any special instructions as to folding, collating, drilling, scoring, perforating, glue-padding, shrink-wrapping, trimming, packaging, or other operations needed for your printing project.
Coatings Whether you want any type of coating on your printed product. This would include U.V. coating, varnish (matte and glossy), or plastic laminate. (These coatings help to preserve the quality, longevity, and overall effect of your printing.)
Due Date The due date or the time you wish to have your project completed. This will largely be determined by the production schedule of ActsCo. Please allow adequate time for the printing process. Try to avoid last minute rushes as this can affect the overall quality of your printed product.
Design Guidelines
Some basic guidelines to help you get the job done right!
PDF files are Acts Co’s Dream Files!
Please submit all of your printing jobs to ActsCo in PDF format where possible. This makes the process quicker for us and also best preserves your artwork.
300dpi Image resolution at 100percent. Resolution is the number of pixels within an image. The more pixels in an image the higher the resolution of that image. The higher the resolution, the better picture. Higher resolution images produce greater detail and subtler color transitions than lower resolution images. We want to make sure that your images don't have jagged edges or pixilation, so we suggest making your artwork at 300dpi when it's at full size.
Resolution has an inverse relationship with size. If you enlarge an image you lower its resolution and if you reduce an image you increase its resolution. How an image is originally attained will determine its resolution and the size it can be printed clear and crisp.
Always remember that images gathered from websites are usually 72dpi are NOT of print quality.
Always Supply Your Files in CMYK Format and Not RGB
Your computer screen displays your images in RGB color mode, we print your job in CMYK. Before your job can go to press, these RGB files must be translated to CMYK. It's best that you do the RGB-to-CMYK conversion of your own files. In most cases the color change is very slight - too small to even notice.
However, once in a while the conversion will produce a noticeable color change. You'll have more control over the final appearance of your job if you convert all of your images from RGB to CMYK before you send them to us.
Spot Color Jobs
On jobs that will be printing on the press with several specific 'spot' colors, we ask that you specify these colors using a PANTONE model. All linked images / text / colors in your document MUST be assigned one of the Pantone colors (or black) chosen for your job for it to separate correctly.
Anything in your files / images left as CMYK or RGB will not print the way we need for it to run on the press. Sorry, MS Word files will not separate. Always Supply Your Font or Convert to Outlines
Embedding the fonts that you use in your files allows us to print them even if we don't have those particular fonts installed on our computers. Your fonts will look exactly the way you want them to. Fonts can be embedded into formats such as PDF files.
It is always best to supply your fonts at Actsco incase previously embedded fonts don’t show correctly.
Printed Proof
We ask that you always include a printed copy of your job with your files (Laser printing is preferred), so that we have a way to make sure that everything looks as you intended it. If you can not provide a proof, Actsco has a color laser printing service available.
Scanning
When scanning images for design work, always scan at a minimum of 600Dpi and in CMYK format (NOT RGB)
Always Include Crop Marks
Trim area is the final size of your job. We need all of your jobs to contain trim marks - this is how we know where to cut/trim your job.
Make sure you also check out our information on internal and external bleed below.
3mm of Internal Bleed Will See You Right
Internal bleed is the area just inside your trim marks (the final size of your job). We require 3mm of internal bleed on all files - this means you need to keep all of your important information away from this 3mm area. Background images and graphics are fine, just no critical information that can't be trimmed away. Including a small area of internal bleed on your print files allows for slight deviations when your job is being cut down to size.
3mm of External Bleed For Great Results
Your job is printed on a larger sheet than its finished size and then trimmed down to size. External bleed is the area extending just past your trim area (the final size of your job). This is the area that will be trimmed off with any other excess paper. We require 3mm of external bleed - this means your artwork must extend 3mm past your trim marks. Supplying your files with external bleed allows for a small amount of movement that may occur when your job is being cut down to size.
Always Flatten Transparency
To print your job we require all transparent objects in your files, as well as any linked files that contain live transparency, to be flattened. This converts your transparency information into a format that our printing process can understand. To do this we prefer you supply print ready PDF files that have been exported with the flattened options selected. If transparent objects are not flattened this can cause issues with layouts and graphics and will end up with a misprinted job.
Give Your Files an Easy to Understand Name
Make sure we know what files belong to you and your order by following our simple guide to fuss-fee file naming. You’ll never look back!
1. Make it descriptive – We see many different files everyday, we’ll find yours easily and quickly if you makeit descriptive.
2. Get to the point – Short, sweet and to the point is how we like file names.
3. Keep it alphanumeric – We’re a simple bunch, no need for fancy characters. Plain text and/or numbers will do.
4. Use files names relating to the part of the job. For example: buscardfront.pdf and buscardback.pdf or bookfrontcover.pdf and insidechapters13.pdf
Check You Text!!!
Always check and double check your text for spelling and grammar errors. Actsco will not take responsibility for these errors.
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Acts Co Printing Thailand | Ph: 053.960.290 | Fax: 053.960.288
12/89-91 Moo 3 | San Klang | San Khampaeng
Chiang Mai | Thailand