Once you've finished having your logo, stationery and/or brochure designed, it 's now on to getting them printed. Many of you will choose to work directly with a local printer - especially if you're a 'do it yourself 'er, 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.

• If you're hiring a printer to print spot color material, and BEFORE printing, ALWAYS check your colors with a Pantone Swatch Book. This is the only way to insure that your colors are to your liking.
• 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 colour process) it will give you a rough idea, and also allows you to check for spelling errors.
• 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. Accordingly. colors may not match exactly across your stationery. You can adjust for this by using different inks for each part of your print job.
• 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 colors to CMYK in your original files. A more accurate method is to use the Pantone Spot to Process Formula book. This allows you to choose CMKY equivalents to your spot colors. Ask an experienced designer to do it for you. Certain spot colors do not convert exactly.
• If your printer is using a 'gang run' - grouping your job with a number of other pieces on a large sheet - 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.
• 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.
• 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).