FAQs / File Preparation

Great results start with a good foundation. For standard printing, we recommend a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch) at your final print size. This applies to photos, raster logos, and any embedded artwork. Files below 300 DPI will appear soft or pixelated on the finished piece, and that's not a problem we can fix after the press run begins. If you're unsure whether your files meet spec, our team is happy to review them before you submit. Catching issues early saves time and protects your investment.

Large format pieces are designed to be seen from a distance, which changes the resolution requirements. For most banners, trade show displays, and posters, we recommend 100–150 DPI at final print size. For very large pieces viewed from 10 or more feet away (wall murals, building wraps) 72–100 DPI at final size is acceptable. Not sure what your project needs? Share your dimensions and viewing distance with us and we'll give you a clear, tailored recommendation. Getting the details right the first time is one way we make the process simple for you.

This is one of the most common questions we receive. Upscaling a low-resolution image only stretches existing pixels, and does not create new detail, regardless of what software is used. AI upscaling tools have improved and can help in some cases, but results vary significantly. If your logo exists only in a low-resolution format, our design team can often recreate it as a clean, scalable vector file. Reach out and we'll assess what you have and recommend the best path forward.

Most web images are saved at 72 DPI, far too low for quality print reproduction. Beyond resolution, web images may carry copyright restrictions that affect your right to use them commercially. We recommend licensed stock photography or your own original images saved at 300 DPI. If you need image sourcing guidance, our team will assist. Using the right images from the start means fewer surprises and a finished piece you're proud of.

This one concept generates a lot of confusion, and it's a completely understandable. Screens display at 72–96 DPI, which looks crisp on your monitor but is well below the 300 DPI print standard. An image that appears large and sharp on screen may only be 2–3 inches wide at true print resolution. The best approach is to always verify resolution at the intended print size inside your design application, not just by how it looks on screen. If you're not sure how to check this, our prepress team is glad to walk you through it.

Understanding this distinction is one of the most valuable concepts you can utilize when preparing files for print. RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is the color most screens utilize. RGB creates color with light and produces a wide, vivid range. CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) is the formula commercial printing employs. CMYK layers ink on paper and has a narrower range than what your monitor can display. Print files need to be in CMYK. Submitting RGB files can cause unexpected color shifts during our prepress conversion process, which is why we catch this in preflight and provide proofs for your review and approval before we start print production.

For print projects, always design in CMYK from the start. This gives you the most accurate on-screen preview of how your piece will look on press. What you see via a CMYK file is much closer to how your finished print will appear. If the same design needs a digital version (email, social, web), maintain two separate files –CMYK for print, and RGB for digital. It takes a few extra minutes to set up and saves a lot of back-and-forth later. Our team is happy to advise on the best file setup approach for projects that live in both worlds.

Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors are pre-mixed, standardized color inks formulated to an exact specification. They are considered the gold standard for brand color consistency, making them the right choice for logos, corporate identity pieces, and anything where color accuracy is non-negotiable. We support PMS colors on offset press jobs. On digital presses, we match PMS values in CMYK as closely as possible, but an exact match isn't guaranteed given how digital color works. We strongly recommend always calling out your PMS references in your job notes and, for brand-critical work, let's talk about whether an offset run with a color-accurate physical proof makes sense for your project.

You're not imagining things, and you're not alone in experiencing this. Screens emit light while printed pieces reflect it, which creates inherent differences in how color is perceived. Monitor calibration differences add to the variability. The most reliable way to minimize color surprises is to create your design in CMYK from the start, request a color proof for anything color-critical, and avoid highly saturated neon tones that fall outside the printable CMYK range. For high-stakes jobs, product photography, brand rollouts, anything where color fidelity matters, a hard proof approval before the full run is a sound investment. Our team will guide you through the right approach for your project.

It matters, and here's why. Total ink coverage is the combined percentage of C + M + Y + K on any given area of your file. When that number exceeds the press's capacity, ink doesn't dry properly causing smearing, slow cure times, and ink transfer to the back of the sheet. Our limits are 300% for digital printing and 320% for offset. Most professional design applications have ink coverage warnings built in. Our prepress team flags over-limit areas during preflight as a standard part of our file review process. We'll always reach out before making any changes.

A color proof is your best tool for verifying what goes to press matches your expectations. We provide soft proofs (digital file PDF previews) for every job digitally printed project. For offset press projects, color-accurate hard copy proofs are always provided for your review and approval.

Our preference is a print-ready PDF. This allows your to package everything into a single, reliable file with bleeds, crop marks, embedded fonts, and CMYK color. We also accept native Adobe files: InDesign (.indd), Illustrator (.ai), and Photoshop (.psd) with all linked assets and fonts included. High-resolution TIFFs work well for large format. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher files are accepted for simple jobs but are not recommended for commercial print as the output quality and color accuracy limitations of those programs can affect your results. If you're working in one of those applications, let's talk before you submit so we can set expectations and find the best path forward.

We recommend utilizing the PDF/X-4 preset in Adobe software. This preset exist specifically for professional print production. We use PDF/X-4 for all internal print file production. Following the export of your file, verify bleeds are set to 0.125 inches on all sides, all fonts are embedded, CMYK color mode is selected, crop and trim marks are included, and a minimum of 300 DPI image resolution. Your Account Executive is happy to share our custom export settings file if that makes life easier. Let us know.

We can work with Word and PowerPoint for straightforward internal documents or simple booklets, and we'll always be upfront with you about what's achievable. For commercial print work where design accuracy and color accuracy are important, these applications have limitations. Some common shortcomings include unpredictable font substitution, RGB-only color output, and no reliable bleed support. For a finished piece that truly reflects your brand, we recommend a professional design tool or call on our design team to rebuild the layout in InDesign. We'll alert you what approach will give you the best result.

In most cases, a print-ready PDF is the cleanest submission since it's self-contained, avoids missing link and font issues, and can be preflighted the most quickly. Native files (a packaged InDesign folder) are better suited for complex, variable-data, or multi-version jobs where last-minute edits are likely. We suggest you submit the PDF, keep the native files as your backup. If you're unsure which is right for your specific job, your Account Executive will point you in the right direction. We're here to make the process as smooth as possible.

In Adobe InDesign, go to File → Package. This creates a folder containing your .indd file, all linked images, and all fonts used in the document. Compress that folder to a .zip before sending, and include a low-resolution PDF as a visual reference. If you're not confident the package is complete, send it over and our prepress team will confirm receipt and flag anything missing before we move forward. We'd rather catch a gap early than discover it mid-production.

Think of a bleed as insurance against the cutter. After printing, press sheets are trimmed to final size — and because no cut is perfectly precise, any background color or image that reaches the page edge needs to extend a little beyond it. That extension is your bleed. Without it, a slight variance in the cut can leave a thin white border where you expected a clean, full-color edge. Any design element that touches an edge needs a bleed. It's a small setup step that makes a meaningful difference in your finished piece.

For standard print jobs — postcards, business cards, brochures, flyers — use a 0.125 inch (1/8 inch) bleed on all sides. For large format pieces (banners, displays), we require 0.25 to 0.5 inch due to wider cutting tolerances. We provide downloadable templates for all standard products with bleed guides already built in — ask us or check our file preparation resources at gisimarketing.com. If your project is an unusual size or format, we'll give you the exact spec.

The safe zone — sometimes called the live area — is where all your critical content needs to live: text, logos, key images, contact information. Keep everything at least 0.125 inch inside the trim edge for standard jobs. Think of it this way: bleed pushes your background out beyond the cut, and the safe zone pulls your important content in away from it. Together they give the cutter room to move in either direction without affecting what matters. If you're new to setting up print files, our team is genuinely happy to walk you through it.

Without a bleed, you risk a thin white border along one or more edges after trimming. Our prepress team checks for correct bleeds during every file review and will alert you before moving forward. In some cases, we can extend a solid background color to add the necessary bleed, but that's not always possible with complex artwork, and a file manipulation fee may apply. The easiest solution is setting up the bleed correctly at the design stage. We're here to help if you're not sure how.

Only on the sides where your design reaches the edge. A white background with nothing near the edges doesn't technically need a bleed. But if any color, image, or graphic touches any edge, even just one side, will require bleed. We recommend building bleed on all four sides regardless. It takes seconds to add and eliminates any ambiguity.

While both solutions work, the decision is determined by how your file will be used. Embedding fonts preserves editable text and allows minor corrections if needed but requires valid embedding licenses for all fonts used. Outlining fonts (converting them to vector shapes) removes all font dependency from the file, which means no substitution risk but makes text uneditable. For most print jobs, we recommend outlining fonts before submitting. If you're sending native InDesign files, package the fonts with the document instead. If you're unsure which approach fits your workflow, please ask us.

For commercial print, 8 point is the smallest recommended size for body text. Below that, fine letterforms can fill in or lose definition. This is especially true on uncoated or textured stocks. For delicate, light, or decorative typefaces, 10 point or larger is the safer approach. On large format pieces, scale your type to the intended viewing distance. We recommend proofing small text on an actual printed sample before approving a full run. We can provide a proof upon request.

When fonts aren't embedded, your design software substitutes whatever font it finds available, which can result in completely different letterforms, unexpected text reflow, or spacing issues. It's one of the most common causes of print errors, and one of the easiest to prevent. To prevent issues, always embed fonts when exporting to PDF, or outline all type before saving. For native files, package fonts with your InDesign document. Our preflight process catches missing fonts and we'll always contact you before proceeding.

You can design with any font, but you need a valid commercial print license for every typeface you use. Many free fonts are licensed for personal or screen use only, which means using them in a commercial print job could put your organization at risk. Always check the license terms before submitting. Adobe Fonts (included with Creative Cloud), Google Fonts, and reputable foundries all offer commercially-licensed font options. We don't supply fonts to clients, but our design team is happy to recommend trustworthy sources if you need guidance.

Serif fonts have small decorative strokes at the ends of letterforms, historically favored for body text in books and long-form print pieces for their readability. Sans-serif fonts are clean and strokeless, and the choice for modern headlines, signage, and digital-first design. Neither is universally better for print. The right font choice depends on your brand personality and how the piece will be used. At 9 point and above, both render crisply at 300 DPI. If you're unsure what works best for your project, our design team loves these conversations.

We make file submission as easy as possible. You can upload files through our secure ShareFile online file portal, email files under 20MB directly, or share a link via Google Drive, Dropbox, or WeTransfer for larger files. Always include your order number or project name in the file name and your message. When uncertain about the best method, reach out to your Account Executive and we'll sort it out together.

A preflight check is our standard prepress review of every file before it goes to press. We review for image resolution, CMYK color mode, bleed and safe zone setup, font embedding, ink density limits, correct page dimensions, and pagination set up. If we find issues that need your attention, we'll reach out with clear, specific guidance. Minor items, like a single out-of-gamut color, may be correctable by our team with your authorization. We never make changes without telling you first, and will always return to you any file we modify.

Absolutely. If your file isn't print-ready, our design team can convert, correct, or build it to spec. Common setup services include converting RGB to CMYK, adding bleeds, outlining fonts, resizing artwork, and recreating low-resolution logos as clean vector files. File setup is billed at our hourly design rate. If you think your file needs work, reach out before submitting and we'll provide you an assessment and a quote. We'd rather have that conversation upfront than discover a problem mid-production.

Our standard preflight review is completed within one business day of receiving your files. If we find anything that needs attention, we'll reach out by email with clear details and next steps. Production time begins once any corrections are complete and you've approved your proof — not from the moment the order is placed. For rush jobs where timing is critical, expedited file review may be available. Talk to your Account Executive and we'll do everything we can to protect your deadline.

Yes — up until press approval. Changes before plate-making or press start can typically be made at no charge for minor corrections, though rush job timelines may be affected. Once a job has been approved for press and production has started, changes require restarting the job at full cost. Our strong recommendation: review your proof thoroughly before signing off. We're here to answer any questions during that review — a few extra minutes before approval is always worth it.

A soft proof is a digital PDF showing your artwork at final size as it will print. It's fast, included at no charge, and catches layout errors, typos, and obvious color issues before anything goes to press. A hard proof is a physical print — on our press or a calibrated proofing device — that gives you a real-world look at color, paper stock, and finish. For color-critical projects — brand materials, product photography, skin tones — the investment in a hard proof is genuinely worthwhile. Our team will always recommend one when we believe it will protect the quality of your outcome. Just ask and we'll advise honestly.

Proof review is one of the most important steps in the print process, and we want to set you up for success. Review spelling, grammar, phone numbers, addresses, QR codes, URLs, and dates, correct placement of logos and images, color accuracy, correct trim dimensions, bleed and safe zone compliance, and any unexpected artifacts or image issues. We strongly recommend a second person review the proof as a fresh set of eyes catches things the original creator may overlook. Please note that GISI Marketing Group is not responsible for errors approved by the client.

We require client approval signatures on color-accurate hard copy proofs related to an offset print project. We are happy to facilitate a drop off and pick up of the proof if desired. Soft proofs (digital PDF files) are provided to you via email and require a simple email response stating your approval of the proof. If you desire revisions, note them clearly and specifically in your reply and we'll update the file and send a fresh proof.

Once you've approved a proof and your job enters production, changes generally aren't possible without restarting the job. If you catch a critical error immediately after approving, contact us right away. Depending on where the job sits in our production workflow, we may be able to pause it. Changes after press approval may incur charges for work completed that cannot be transferred to the production of the new file. This is why we encourage thorough proof review before final sign-off, and why we're always willing to answer questions during that process.

Yes. Soft PDF proofs are included with every job. Hard copy color-accurate proofs are provided for every CMYK offset print project.