Marketing Tips For Branding Excellence!

A company’s brand defines who it is, builds and reinforces brand values, engages the customer in brand experiences and raises brand awareness.

Colour optimisation and colour accuracy are considered key elements in successful and consistent branding. Colour can impact visual appeal, brand awareness, and even brand credibility, so it is important to get it right the first time.

Though many of you may know many of these tips, we cannot assume that everyone is Dynamic Marketing Leaders and Expert Graphic Designers. This is still a commonly prominent discussion of what is needed when it comes to being Print ready. Knowing this will certainly save you time, money and a lot of pain which frequently is seen when not getting it right!

Marketing Tips for the whole team, ensuring Marketing, procurement, administration has a better picture of how to produce the best outcomes. We encourage you to pass this link to your key team members.

A wide range of printing companies utilise a range of precision colour technologies, including compliance to the International Standards Organization (ISO) 12647-2:2004 system certified to international standards, designed to enhance colour consistency and improve colour quality. A vital area required when keeping compliant colour Print Services.

Proofing Options

Proofing is an integral, key part of the process and essential to get colour accuracy. There a few options you can choose.

Range of proofing services for all print jobs:

Soft proofing: You can be provided with a PDF or Smart Review electronic proof for online approval.
Hard proofing: You can receive an indicative Epson digital proof to show colour representation of your supplied artwork file/s.
Colour matching: For your precision jobs – access a combination of Epson digital proof and on-site press check to ensure exact colour matches.

Preparation to send to Print

Supplying Artwork

Within the bounds of the printing process, what you create is what you get back, so if the artwork is not perfect – the printed product can’t be either. If you have not created artwork for print before, please talk to a print provider as early as possible during the process – to give you as much support needed!

Press Ready Files

Ideally, the file you provide for printing should be a high-resolution PDF with bleed and trim marks. Raster elements should be 300-350dpi, colour space should be CMYK, each job should be a single PDF file, each page/side should be single page within that PDF (no spreads).

Bleed

We recommend 3mm of external bleed on all files. Bleed is stuff that extends past your trim edges. So, if you want a card to be cut as 90mm x 55mm your artwork will be 96mm x 61mm so that we have a buffer when trimming and you won’t end up with white edges.

Internal Buffer

The space from the trim edges to important details in the artwork. We recommend 3mm of internal bleed on all files and 5mm on booklets – that means keeping all your important information (i.e. text) inside this area.

PDF Files

Ideally all files should be supplied as PDF. If your job is single sided you simply supply a one-page PDF. If your job has 2 pages (a front and a back), then we prefer a two-page PDF file. If you have a job with multiple kinds, then supply a one or two-page PDF for each kind.

CMYK

Colour space should be set as CMYK not RGB as RGB artwork will be converted to CMYK and this could affect your colours. No spot colours unless the job has been specifically quoted that way.

Fonts

Your fonts should be embedded (full or subset). That is standard in most PDFs, but if for some reason you are supplying the “native” files (i.e. InDesign, Illustrator, etc) then you need to include the fonts you have used so we can make any changes and create the PDF for you.

High Resolution

The raster elements (pixel-based images) you use should be high resolution for the best quality print. When creating in apps like Photoshop please set the resolution to 300-350dpi before starting your new design.

Full Colour Black

Full colour blacks (e.g. 100% C, M, Y & K) use HEAPS of ink so they take AGES to dry before we can cut them! If you want a really deep black use 100% K with 30% C and 20% M.

Trim Marks

If you provide trim marks on your supplied artwork we know exactly where you want it cut. Most modern design software has the ability to include bleed as part of the document setup.

Monitors

Understand that colours look differently on computer monitors than they do when printed. A hard copy from our calibrated proofing system is the only real way of seeing how the colours will look.

We Can Help

If you are unsure about any of the above and require any free advice, let us know as we are willing to have a look at any file for you! Send it in and we will let you know how “press ready” it is. If it needs work, we will let you know what may be involved in converting and preparing for Print.

All the best in keeping that wonderful Brand Protected and professionally Marketed, as you owe it to yourself to be extra special!

At RN Printing, we understand that everything we do for you showcases your brand with Complete Printing Solutions. Seeking always to give you a favorable outcome for your marketing campaign! Our high values is a priority to us, ensuring we reach excellence, maintaining quality and super service. Our specialty partners allows us to provide the best value and prices across national leading suppliers and specialist printers. Thus saving you considerable time by coordinating multiple requirements across all forms of print. From business cards to event signage, promotional items, Annual report, light boxes, stickers and much much more…

For more info on these print services, call us here.

Marketing Tips for Branding Excellence!