Questions and Answers

Please find below the answers to a number of the more frequent questions asked by our customers:

Q - I work in Microsoft Word on a PC - can you print from a file in this format?

A - Yes Our ability to handle digital design created by others is not limited to the 'run of the mill' programmes favoured by most printers and repro houses.
As well as Apple Macintosh programmes such as Quark Express, Freehand, Illustrator & Photoshop we have developed reliable methods for printing from the majority of programmes available on the PC ranging from Corel Draw to Microsoft Publisher, Pagemaker to Pageplus - go to Supported formats for a complete list.

Q - I have downloaded some images from the internet - can you print from them?

A - We could print from images downloaded from the internet but the chances are the results would not be good.
For best results we need photos to be supplied at 400dpi and saved in CMYK colour. Most images found online are saved in RGB colour at 72 dpi. For more information on how we like artwork to be supplied please go to Preparing artwork.

Q - Will the colour of my printing match the colours shown on my monitor?

A - No Unless your monitor has been calibrated to our press then the colours on your printing will not match what you see on screen.
It is best to use colours specified in a colour swatch (either Pantone's or one supplied by ourselves) to ensure a good match - go to Pantone Colours. Please remember - wherever possible try to work using the CMYK colour scheme.

Q - What is the difference between spot colour and full colour printing?

A - Spot colour printing is a method that uses a different ink for each colour.
By using a single ink for each colour it is possible to achieve exceptional fidelity between print runs and good matching to either existing printing, or to colours from the Pantone spot colour swatches. If your printing only requires one, two or three colours, spot colour printing may have an economical advantage over full colour printing.

Alternatively, spot colours can be used if a colour needs to be extremely precise. For example, if you need to reproduce a very specific colour for a corporate logo or to match an existing piece of printing, spot colours should be used.

Full colour printing uses four inks mixed in different quantities to produce multicolour images. The colour of these four inks are cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Colour produced using these inks is referred to as process colour, CMYK or full colour printing. Almost any colour can be produced by mixing these four inks.

Q - Will the colour of my printing match the colour hard copy I have printed out on my desktop printer?

A - If you would like your printing to match to a colour hard copy then state this in your order and we will ensure that we match to it as closely as possible - if there is going to be a problem in matching it then we will contact you and let you know.

Q - I have done my artwork in Microsoft Publisher but it looks quite poor - can you make it look more professional?

A - Yes we can make artwork created in almost any program look professional - however, it order to do this our creative services team would need to reformat the artwork so as to use it in the applications that they design in. This is a fairly lenghty proccess so the artwork costs may be restrictive.