How to Order

STEP ONE: Select your product

When you wish to place your order, be sure that you have selected what you want on each option shown in the listing (number of options will vary depending on the product). Some options show a default selection, some do not.

Custom Dimensions: (This option is available on most, but not all, products) If the size you want does not appear, select the next biggest size in the drop-down list (Both Width and Height of selection must be greater than or equal to your desired dimensions), then fill in the dimensions you want in the Custom Dimensions field provided. Ensure your design file page orientation and dimensions match your desired product. Or simply contact us to request a quote.

About “QTY”: For most products the QTY drop down is the Quantity per set/print run; the “Add to Cart” QTY is the number of sets/print runs. For example, if you wanted 500 business cards for 4 staff, you would order 4 sets (or print runs) of 500 each. You would select QTY of 500 from the drop down, and “Add to Cart” QTY of 4. Print runs cannot be split.

Want a Different QTY: Contact us to request a Quote.

STEP TWO: Upload your design file

Your design file could be as simple as an image (in which case just upload or select one of our images, and you’re good to go) to a complex multi-page document with a mix of text, images and graphics.

If you have a design idea but not the files, visit our Design page for your options (DIY, we can design for a small fee, or you can outsource). If you have your own design ready to go (DIY or outsourced), please ensure your files meet the requirements below.

FOR DIY/OUTSOURCED DESIGNS:

File Orientation: Download the File Orientation Guide.

Most products have fairly simple file requirements:

  • Ensure the file matches the product’s required dimensions. e.g. for a 3.5″ x 2″ business card, dimensions including bleed are 3.625″ x 2.125″; if printed on both sides upload 2 images of same size and orientation. Upload your files with names like “Front”, “Back”.
  • Ensure that the artwork is created using CMYK colours in 300 DPI at 100% print size with 1/16 inch bleeds on all sides (the exception is large posters/prints/banners for which a lower DPI is more suitable).  Just realize that we cannot guarantee colour matching (see our Refund Policy). If colour matching is critical, please contact us before ordering.
  • If your design file is not an image, make sure that all images and text are embedded. Converting a file to PDF format automatically embeds fonts. Most fonts are easily embedded; a special font downloaded from the internet may pose a problem. If you cannot embed a font, then you must outline the text. If you created your artwork in a vector program (Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, AutoCAD etc), all the images should be embedded and fonts should be outlined; otherwise the images or fonts could be missing. This is not an issue if your design files are images.
General Design File Preparation Guidelines (for DIY/Outsourced Designs)
  1. Download and follow our guides (links below) to ensure a more optimal print result.
  2. Be sure to DELETE any hidden layers that are not intended to print (ie: setup guide layers or other hidden artwork layers) to ensure no risk of them appearing on the final print.
  3. Ensure that all pages of a multi-page job are the same size.
  4. Files must be submitted with proper orientation to ensure proper back up (See File Orientation Guide download link above. Tip: Do a quick mock-up: fold a sheet of paper as the final product will be folded, write “Front” “Back” “Left” “Right” “Top” “Bottom” on the respective panels, unfold to see the result).
  5. It is best to try to avoid using borders in your design. If a border is too close to the trim, the trim may be slightly off-center.
  6. File must consist of 1/8″ bleed (1/16″ on each side) and all important art and text must be within the safety margin. 
  7. Ensure that image files are high resolution and that all images are CMYK at 300 DPI when printed at 100% (unless you are ordering a large format product like a print or banner where a lower DPI applies).
  8. Black type should have the following values: C0, M0, Y0, K100. (Does not apply to design files in image format.)
  9. Embed all fonts. Outline any fonts which cannot be embedded. (Does not apply to design files in image format.)
  10. For best colour results, supply CMYK only files unless the description specifies otherwise. We can convert RGB to CMYK for you, but cannot guarantee colour matching.

STEP THREE: Order Approval

If we do the design for you, we take care of the whole process and will send a digital proof for your approval. Watch for typos and ensure that the “look” is what you want. When approved we will generate the final design file in PDF format and send it into the production queue. After an order is sent in for production no changes are possible.

DIY/Outsourced: If you take care of your own design and upload your design files, you are responsible for the text and images/artwork and their placement. We will check it over carefully for size, orientation, bleed, CMYK colours, etc.; we will contact you re any errors or issues we find. When there are no outstanding issues, we will send the final design file in the required format into the production queue. After an order is sent in for production no changes are possible.

Although we will do our best to catch errors in files you send to us, carefully check the text and images/artwork and their placement. Watch for typos and ensure that the “look” is what you want. File orientation is especially important here. You will have the final say on if your design is what you want; once approved by you we will send your order into production and further changes may not be possible even if you wanted to pay for them.

Note: Orders printed matching your approved design files are not eligible for refund/free re-print. See our Refund Policy for more information.

Colour Matching: Due to the difference between RGB colours you see on your monitor and printed CMYK colours, we cannot guarantee colour matching. If colour matching is a critical issue, please contact us before placing your order.

Products with special treatment:

Spot UV,
Metallic Foil,
Diecut

Please contact us prior to ordering for full details on extra requirements.

Here are the links to the product guides/templates:

Please note that the above is not meant to be an exhaustive list. The size of most products can be custom cut to an “infinite” list of possibilities. Select the guide with the closest match to the product you want. With your desired product dimensions in mind, adjust dimensions of the guide as needed, allowing for bleed, safety margin, grommets/hemming, folding space, fields for variable data, etc.

We are just an email away if you have any questions. 🙂