Embedded Files
Print on demand has somehow become equated to walking into a sticker shop and purchasing stickers off the shelf. This is not print on demand. To get your stickers printed quickly, certain steps need to be in place. Firstly, your stickers must be in a file that is print ready. Microsoft files, for example - Word, Powerpoint and even Publisher are not print ready. We spend an extraordinary amount of time educating and guiding our new clients about getting files ready for quick sticker printing. The second step follows directly from the first! If your file is not print ready, we can't print your stickers immediately even if we have the machine standing by to do so!
So, what prevents us from printing directly from your sticker "artwork?"
It has a COPYRIGHT or WATERMARK!
It's BAD QUALITY! It looks good on screen, but that's how it's designed to look online. Printing pictures is different to viewing them online. Online graphics are usually uploaded at 72 dpi where we print at a minimum of 300 dpi but usually 720 dpi. That's a huge difference!
Your design has no bleed, insufficient gutters and no cut contour
You have a JPG or PNG file that needs to be edited
Now for the graphic designers:
Design your sticker or label to the correct size
Make sure you have bleed (if applicable) and gutters (always applicable) in place
Convert all text to curves or paths
Group all graphics
Flatten layers if applicable
Design with the label Cut Contour/Dieline in place or in a separate file. If you haven't done this, your job as a graphic designer is not complete! The sticker cut contour should be a solid line of hairline width and in a colour that contrasts with your label design. The colour you assign your sticker cut contour is not usually important as we have to change it anyway in our pre-press settings
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