We only accept Illustrator, hi-res PSD, hi-res JPEG  and “print ready” files in PDF format.The majority of graphic manipulation tools will allow you to save or print your artwork in standard PDF format.There are also tools that allow you to print to a PDF file from almost any other programme. Adobe Distiller is the well known commercial version that is packaged with Acrobat.

NEVER copy and paste graphics from other programs especially Powerpoint, Excel, Word or Clipart. Please note that Wordart is a low resolution format and almost never prints well.

Files, including any images, need to be at least 300 dpi to print clearly, otherwise images may appear fuzzy, distorted or pixelated. Most images found on the web are 72 dpi and are generally not suitable for professional printing.

Files must be CMYK for colours to print accurately. If you have used RGB or spot colours in your design process you must convert them to CMYK. This includes imported EPS graphics from Illustrator and duotone photos. Please remember that Pantone colours cannot be accurately reproduced in CMYK production. Printing presses, such as those used here at TommyPrint, use different technologies than home/office printers and computer monitors. These should not be used to proof colours as they will not accurately represent what will be printed.

Due to the print processes used in digital technology we recommend you avoid using flat tints of 10% or less, as these can sometimes print with a marbled or mottled effect. Also as with traditional litho printing try to limit large expanses of any flat colour: – textured areas or Photoshop effects will always print much better. In fact we suggest being as adventurous as possible for the most dramatic results. Graduations must always have a suitable range such as 10% to 100% not 10% to 25%. Avoid Illustrator or Quark Xpress blends as they are known to cause ‘banding’ – instead create blends in Photoshop and save as CMYK TIF.

If we don’t have the font you have used, it may be automatically substituted for an alternative font. To avoid this happening, please embed or convert all fonts to “outline” before sending us the final artwork.

Bleed is used to extend an image, colour or line right to the edge of the finished printed piece. For example, if you want your business card background to be entirely blue, you must bleed the blue colour past the edge of the final size of your business card. This prevents a white line down one or more edges of your print, caused by very slight variations in printing and guillotining. Please include at least 2mm bleed on each side of your artwork.

Do not place important text and graphic elements at the edges. We recommend a safety margin of at least 5mm.

Photographic images should be supplied as 300dpi (400dpi if they contain text) CMYK .TIF files with LZW off, and placed into your document at 100%. Any images with clipping paths should be saved as EPS.Please avoid Illustrator and Quark clipping paths as they can cause unpredictable results. JPG files are accepted only when transferring files via the internet. There will be a charge for re-saving PSD files.

Please refer to file dimension requirements when preparing your file. All products are trimmed down on all sides; therefore the file dimensions needs to be at least 4mm larger than the final trimmed product. For more details on our product sizes or to download blank template files that are correctly sized.The table below shows our most popular products, and the size the artwork should be in metric.

Files can be sent to us using the web site, via email, or using FTP like yousendit.com.

At our stores, we accept files saved onto: CD, DVD, USB flash drive and various flash memory cards. When sending work. Always ZIP all your files in a folder with your name or company as the folder name. Please include your name, address, contact number, email and add any TommyPrint quote number or job number you have been given to avoid any delays, as we cannot book in or process any work until we have received written instructions.