How to Format a File for Promotional Printing

Using promotional products as part of a company’s marketing efforts can make the company appear more sophisticated and established, and can also make customers remember the company’s name. It is important to format that file correctly, so that the finished product looks just as good as the concept. The correct format depends on the features of the logo or artwork.

Formatting text files

When only text will be used in the promotional printing process, it is important to keep in mind that the same fonts might not be available in all programs.

• DO convert your files to print-ready PDFs. Files saved this way have the fonts embedded, so there is no risk of layout change.
• DO consider converting fonts to curve or outline format. If the same font is not available on another system, the outlines will still be convertible.
• DON’T use .doc files. Using this type of file does not guarantee that the formatting will look the same if the file is opened using a different system. Fonts may not load properly, and spacing may differ.
• DON’T use web pages. Because web pages are designed to load quickly, their images are often poor quality. Although this may not be visible to the naked eye, the poor quality will show up in printing.

Formatting artwork

The most important issues in formatting artwork for printing on promotional products are the quality of the artwork and the accuracy of colors.

• DO provide the Pantone Matching System (PMS) number for the colors to be used. This universal matching system ensures that the color used in printing matches the color intended by the designer.
• DO use a .EPS format for multi-color images. A .EPS file allows for separating the different colors. They are also vector based, which makes editing or resizing the image easier.
• DO use a .AI file. These are used for files created in Adobe Illustrator, so the quality of the image is extremely high, making reproductions more precise.
• DON’T use .JPG files. Although JPG’s make compressing the files easier and load quickly, they offer low resolution and are difficult to resize.
• DON’T use the .BMP format. The resolution of these files are so low that they cannot be used for printing purposes.
• DON’T put files in .GIF form. These files load quickly because they use less colors, so shades may turn out differently than intended.

Smart formatting choices will make printing on promotional products a smooth and easy process. Fonts and artwork will turn out crisp and precise, creating an excellent impression on customers and clients.