We Accept both Macintosh and PC Files.

CD Rom/DVD

We use MAC computers to RIP our film. There are many PC type applications that work cross platform with the MAC. Listed below BARGAINCOLORPRINTING.COM will give you guidelines that you should follow in order for us to process your data files and produce composed color separated film. In our opinion, there are many quality PC and MAC applications that can produce digital files.

We at BARGAINCOLORPRINTING.COM recommend converting all projects to TIFF, JPEG or EPS formats before sending us the files.

Adobe Photoshop >> (PC or MAC format)

This is a great photo manipulation program. When sending Photoshop files make sure the resolution is proper so that image quality is never sacrificed. The general rule is. always start your design with a resolution of 300 ppi/dpi. On the web, resolutions can be low for file size reasons. But when making good color printing, resolution is everything. If you are placing small type directly into your Photoshop image, we advise making the resolution even 400 ppi/dpi. Here's a common mistake people make when designing. They start a file with a lower resolution, and when they are done they increase the resolution to the correct dpi. Wrong! Even though you increased the resolution in the end, the image will still be soft or blurred. Save the image in CMYK mode with either TIFF or EPS formats.

Bleed is a process to where printers need an area outside of the final trim area. Bleed was first developed as a "catch all" for paper cutter operators where computerization and consistent accuracy by the equipment used was not there. Today, programmed cutting is commonplace in commercial printing.

There are two terms you need to know so we may talk the same printing lingo. "Final trim area" and "Live area"

Final Trim area - This refers to the final size of the printed item. So a business card is 3.5"x2" final trim area. Or, a 1/2 pager is 5.5"x8.5" final trim area.

Live area - This refers to the area where type should be inside the final trim area. We ask that the live area be 1/8 to a 1/4" from the final trim area. Example: if a 1/2 pager has a final trim area of 8.5"x5.5" the live area should be 8.25"x5.25". This ensures a good balance with the printed product and prevents the possibility of cutting type when final trimmed.

Here are BARGAINCOLORPRINTING.COM guidelines in regards to bleed and cutting areas.

Business Cards >> 2.10"x3.6"

Since business cards are very small, we ask that you place a .05" bleed on all sides of your business cards. These dimensions should be 2.10"x3.6" Now remember, many people make the misconception of placing type to close to the edges of their business cards. Since we have big monitors and blow up our business card images on the screen, we think that the type is far enough away. The live area of a business card should be 1.75"x3.25" or an 1/8" from the final trim area.

Postcards & Flyers >>

These printed items do not need bleed. Listed below are the dimensions for general postcard and flyers sizes:

Specs for flyers with bleed:

1/8 page flyer - 2.75x4.25 or 2.125x5.5 (wide version 5,000 minimum)
1/4 page flyer - 4.25x5.5 or 2.75x8.5 (wide version 5,000 minimum)
1/3 page flyer - 3.66x8.5 (5,000 minimum)
1/2 page flyer - 5.5x8.5 or 11x4.25 (wide version 5,000 minimum)