Is your business growing? It might be time to up the ante on your print marketing. Your inkjet clipart prints on 8.5 x 11 copy paper won’t cut it anymore. When you’re ready to get in the game for real, you’ll need to bet a few chips on printing services.

But not knowing the rules to this game makes you vulnerable – to confusion, costly delays, and an overall bad experience.

So what do you need to know to order printing services with confidence? These four basics will give you just the edge you need.

1. Color. There are two color “modes” to know: RGB (red, green, blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). CMYK is richer and will usually look better in print. Ask your printer about this. Don’t settle for a bargain with muted RGB colors.
2. Font. Not all font is universal. The font your graphic designer used in word processing won’t translate to your printer if she doesn’t own the font file. Avoid this delay by outlining it in your design software so it comes across as a fixed image, not editable text.
3. Resolution. Your image resolution must be at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). Don’t just download an image you Googled and expect it to look good in print. You will need an original digital file, not the thumbnail version.
4. Bleed. Need your image to go to the edge of the page? Ask your printer how far beyond the boundaries of the printed piece your image needs to go; in other words, how much “bleed” you need. Otherwise expect a white border.

Save time, save money and save your sanity. Walk into this game with the basic rules and if you have a good printer, everyone wins.

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