Artwork Preparation Guide

If you are providing print ready artwork, we do not provide a proof as standard, which enables us to get your print to you quicker. If you require a proof please get in touch with us to discuss. We do provide a free technical file check as standard, as outlined above. We can provide a machine print proof for the extra cost of £25 plus delivery. This involves printing an A3 proof on the machine that will be used to produce your final print. This will give you an accurate representation of colour. If you are using our design service, we do send out a PDF proof, which is an accurate representation of content and positioning. It is not an exact indicator of the final colour due to the limitations of screens. Quoted delivery dates for print are from approval of artwork, so please bear in mind that requesting a proof may delay the delivery date of your product.

After you have placed your order a provisional despatch and delivery date will be sent to you via email. Our standard delivery time for printed products is 3-5 working days after artwork has been approved for print. This does vary for certain products so please check this on the product page. If you have a specific deadline, please contact us to ensure we can meet this. Please check that your artwork meets the guidelines above to prevent any delays in approval.

Our printers and media are of the highest standard and are carefully calibrated to produce vibrant, full colour prints. The process involves CMYK printing and this means it is not always possible to match Pantone colours, but they will be converted to the nearest CMYK equivalent. If exact colour matching is critical, please send us a physical copy of other printed material, such as a letterhead or brochure, and we will check your file prior to printing. If we cannot achieve a reasonable match we will call you to discuss.

DPI (Dots per inch) is used to measure the resolution of an image both on screen and in print. DPI measures how many dots fit into a linear inch. Therefore, the higher the DPI, the more detail can be shown in an image. For best results we require all artwork to be submitted as 100dpi at final print size or 400dpi at quarter of final print size. If you want to learn more, check out our Image Resolution Guide

These refer to the base colours used to create all other colours for different types of media. RGB (Red - Green - Blue) is what you will see on your computer or TV screen, but CMYK (Cyan - Magenta, Yellow - Key) is used for printing purposes. This means all artwork we receive for print must be in the CMYK colour format. If artwork is supplied in RGB it will be converted to CMYK and this may alter the print colour. If you want to learn more, check out our CMYK Colour Guide

For all standard products with hardware (banner stands, pop ups, flags etc) we have artwork templates available. If purchasing one of these products then you must supply your artwork on the template to ensure it will fit properly when printed. For custom sized product (Correx, Foamex, PVC Banners etc) templates are not available. You would just need to create your artwork to the product size with a 5mm bleed. The easiest way to find artwork templates is on the product page. Can't find the template? Call us on 020 8664 5660 or email sales@discountdisplays.co.uk and we will be happy to help.