1 Low-resolution images and photos For printing a minimum of 300 dpi is required. This means when scanning an image scan it at least 300 dpi, and when using a digital camera use the largest photo size option. You can always size it down when necessary. 2 No bleed Bleed is an extension of the die line to ensure that there is no white line around your artwork when the product is cut. All our templates have guidelines indicated as bleed so your artwork should be extended to the bleed line. 3 Text too close to die line All our paper products are machine cut, therefore, there will be a slight tolerance where it is actually cut. Therefore if the text is aligned too close to the die line it might be cut off. It is safer to place all text and images at least ¼" from the die line. 4 Missing or corrupt fonts Fonts are tricky because of the different versions of operating systems. So we suggest outlining all the text before you submit us the files. If for some reason you cannot, please ensure that all fonts are included. 5 Not using template Graphic templates basically outline the size of the finish products, plus bleed. So it is a good idea to layout the final design on the template to ensure everything fits perfectly. Templates from other printers might work, but there are always slight variations between each printer. 6 Wrong color mode CMYK colors are used in the printing world, while all scanned images and digital photographs are in RGB mode. Therefore all images have to be converted to CMYK mode. You might find slight variations in colors when you do so and the image can then be adjusted to your liking. 7 Color matching It is a common misconception that you can take a printout from your home printer and have the finished product matched exactly to it. A commercial press is calibrated differently from inkjet or laser printer. Therefore it is impossible to match colors exactly like it. The best practice is to have a hard copy proof produced from the press and subsequently the artist can adjust the colors on the art files. 8 Color matching between label and booklets Even if you use the same color on both the label and booklet, they will never come out to be the same. It is because the materials on the booklet and label cause the same color to reflect differently. The best you can do to ensure the highest level of accuracy is to use a Pantone color on both label and booklet. 9 Silkscreen vs Offset printing on labels With offset printing on labels becoming more common these days, many would think offset is the best way to do label printing. But the answer should be dependent on the type of artwork. If your artwork consists of mostly solid shapes, lines, text and no graduate fade of colors, silkscreen will give you crisp and sharp disc labels. On the other hand, photographic images look best on offset printing. Keep in mind that silkscreen artwork requires the use of spot colors, which is mostly set up on Illustrator and Quark. Process colors on silkscreen results in a poor look on the disc label. It is recommended that if you are not familiar with spot color setup to solicit help from a professional graphic designer. About the Author Shirley Ho is the co-founder of Hellman Production, a CD/DVD duplication replication specialist in Los Angeles. For more tips visit http://www.hellmanproduction.com and http://dvdduplicationhelp.blogspot.com
