Except for silkscreen and pad printing, files should be prepared in CMYK color mode. Keep in mind that if the setup is wrong, colors on the finished product may differ from the file you sent. Here is how to set your artwork to CMYK color mode in Adobe Illustrator.

To avoid blurriness, use only images and graphics that have a resolution of 300 DPI or more. Before sending your files, make sure to embed your images into the file. Read more about how to check the resolution of your assets.

When setting up grey elements, set K to a percentage between 0 and 100, and keep all other colors (C, M, and Y) equal to 0%.

When setting up black text, thin lines and small elements, use pure black, i.e. C = 0, M = 0, Y = 0, K = 100). Text, thin lines, and small elements in pure black color should be set to overprint to avoid white gaps around the text. For larger elements, use a composite form of black (we recommend C = 30, M = 0, Y = 0, K = 100).

If lines are 2 pt thick or less, use only 1 or 2 colors. 4 colors may be used for thicker lines.

To avoid issues with fonts when submitting your file(s), make sure to convert fonts to outlines, or to embed all fonts when saving to PDF.

The best format for submitting print-ready files is PDF, under the PDF/X-1a standard. Where possible, submit your files in PDF format. See why PDF/X-1a is the right format for printing.

Make sure that no elements are set on overprint, unless you need them to be.