Having your logo printed.
Some basics when dealing with your local printer.

Once you've finished having your logo, stationery and/or brochure designed, it's now on to getting them printed. Some of you may decide to pass your material off to an online printer, where it's simply a matter of uploading your design assets and being done with it. Fair enough. However, many of our clients are by nature 'do-it-yourselfers' and will choose to take a more 'hands on' approach to working with their printed material. In fact, many of you will choose to work directly with a local printer - especially if you wish to monitor the quality of your marketing material (as opposed to the fire-and-forget nature of online printing), but may be new to working with offset printers and some of the industry jargon involved. Here's a few pointers on working with your printer with a spot color printing project, and how to help insure there's no surprises when your new letterheads, business cards and/or brochure are delivered.

Check those colors.
If you're hiring a printer to print spot color material, and BEFORE printing, ALWAYS check your colors with a Pantone Swatch Book (especially true if you've only previously seen your work on a monitor). This is the only way to insure that your colors are to your liking. This is the 'industry standard' for matching colors so if your printer tells you that they don't have one, select another printer. Fast.

Press Proofs.
Always ask for a 'press proof' of your job. While it's sometimes difficult to get a color proof that's completely accurate when using spot colors (most proofing systems are set up for CMYK and 4 color process) it will give you a rough idea, and also allows you to check for typos and spelling errors.

Glossy vs. Coated paper.
If you're printing on a combination of coated (glossy) and uncoated (matte) papers - typical with 'glossy' business cards and letterheads - keep in mind that the Coated and Uncoated surfaces may shift the colors and the colors may not match exactly across your stationery. Your printer can adjust for this by using different color inks for each part of your print job, but this may increase the price of the print run.

Spot color to CMYK conversion.
Colors may not match exactly if you attempt to print spot color artwork as a CMYK (four color process) job. Many printers will simply change the spot colors to CMYK percentages in your original files - this is haphazard at best. There's a Pantone Spot to Process Formula book that allows you to choose CMKY equivalents to your spot colors. Use that beforehand, or ask an experienced designer to do it for you. Keep in mind that certain spot colors do not convert exactly.

Price vs. Quality. Realistic expectations.
If you're using a discount printer, they're probably going to print you material as a 'gang run' - grouping your job with a number of other pieces on a large sheet - so expect varying colors from run to run. This type of printing is designed to be cheap, not precise, and you're not paying for exacting color standards. Be realistic in your expectations.

You can change sport colors in your artwork files.
Your printer can change spot colors on the press easily, regardless of what is 'tagged' in your digital file. The PMS number has no effect on the ink used - it is simply a notation to indicate to your printer what color SHOULD be used. They can set up the press substituting any colored inks for the ones originally proposed. Check the swatch book beforehand.

Printing resolution and 4 color process printing.
If you're printing a 4 color process project, and are also using Pixel based images, insure that the digital files you're supplying your printer are in high enough resolution. While some services will accept images as low as 150 DPI, it's recommended that your digital files are no lower than 266 DPI (300 DPI and higher for high-quality glossy reproduction). If your images are in a low or even medium resolution, you run the risk of ending up with 'blurry' images in your printed piece.

Bleed Printing.
When any artwork is placed on a printed piece, and the artwork is located on the absolute edge of the paper, it is said to 'bleed', referring to the artwork 'bleeding' off the edges of the page. In order to get images, color fields or artwork to place to 'bleed', we have to print the artwork on paper that is slightly larger than the desired size and then trim it back. This can add cost to a printing job. In terms of stationery design, this can be important as many desktop printers cannot print 'bleeds' but rather need to place a margin (sometimes as large as 1/2" around the artwork).

Which type of printer for which job?
When it comes to printed material, sometimes quality is not an issue, sometimes it very much is. Printers have widely varying quality (often dicated by the price that you're paying) so which should you use for what jobs? Here's some recommendations - Use quality printers for your staples - letterhead, business card, etc - while utilizing discount printers for your throwaways - fliers, sale sheets, etc. The level of quality you're after will also depend on your market segment. If you're sending material to Fortune 500 level companies - the higher the quality the better. If you're advertising cut-rate pricing on consumer goods, a lower level of quality will suffice.

Next Page: Print resolution

Deciding if you need a logo
What makes a great logo
How do I design a logo
Do it yourself logo design
Clip art logos
Free logos
Logo Templates
Logo design contests
Online logo design
Selecting a designer
What's a logo worth?
Cheap logo design
Unlimited revisions
Working with our studio
How long does it take?
Getting started step-by-step
Logo design pointers
Logo design guidelines
Logo aspect ratios
Logo footprints
Common logo design mistakes
Logo design types
Illustration based logos
Text only logos
Icon driven logos
Cartoon logo design
Colors & your logo
RGB colors
Spot colors
CMYK colors
Pantone Matching System
Black & white logos
File formats
EPS file formats
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Your logo in a .PDF
Logo copyright
Poor man's copyright
Logo trademark
Stationery design basics
Business card design tips
Letterhead design tips
Envelope design tips
Design assets
Managing design assets
Having your logo printed
Print resolution
Gang run printing
Web friendly logos
Logo embroidery
Logos & signs
Uses for your new logo
Updating your logo
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