Q, What is the difference between a flyer & leaflet!

A, Flyers are a higher quality product, they are usually printed on a 275gsm (or higher) gloss art board and can be produced with a gloss (laminate) finish. To visualise this finish look at a high quality post card as they are about the same finish in quality. Flyers are used very successfully to target customers originally by the leisure industry, but now are being used more by mainstream companies. It is a quality product that research shows customers will hold on to.

Leaflets are printed in as many colours as you require, this can be a single colour, two colour or for quality full colour. If your image matters print them full colour on 115/135gsm gloss art paper. A4 210 x 297mm are a popular size with fast food outlets, they are folded twice which gives you 6 pages. Leaflets are available in all sizes.

Q, How long does it take to produce and deliver!

A, Once the artwork has been agreed we try to deliver in 3 to 5 days. Should extras be required, such as folding, perforating, numbering, cut corners etc, please allow an extra day.

Q, Can we do our own art work!

A, Yes, but please supply us with the correct files and in the correct colour format. We accept files in most of the industry standard formats (Applemac & PC) i.e. Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark, InDesign, CorelDraw, and Freehand MX. We have the latest versions of all of the programmes, so there is no need to back save. We also accept EPS files along with Tiff files (300dpi).

We do not recommend JEPG files as this is a lossy format. Please make sure you enclose all of the fonts used in native supplied files. Convert all text to outlines and flatten to 1200dpi & in a cymk format with a 6mm bleed. Please ask if you are not sure.

Q, What Is A Bleed!

A, This is what we in the trade need to be added on to the size being printed for alignment and trimming. For example, if we where printing a business card and most are 85mm by 55mm, we would add on 3mm to each side so the layout is now 91mm by 81mm. But this is where it gets tricky, you still have to work within the original 85 by 55 size, so no text within 3mm of the original size edge. If you are having a photograph or sketch on the card, this I am afraid has to go over to the edge i.e. 91mm and not 85mm. so you may loose a tiny bit of the photo. Not so if the photo or sketch only sits in the centre or away from the final size required edges.

Q, Can you use our Microsoft produced files for printing.

A, Sorry no, God bless Bill and the crew at Microsoft but up untill now they have not produced a print or design program worth using in commercial printing. We do know there is one in the pipeline, so we will have to see how it turns out.

Q, What is cmyk!

A, CMYK is a printing process. In order to get the colours you require correct we use two processes, the first and the less expensive option is the cmyk. This stands for C = Cyan (blue), M = Magenta, Y = Yellow, K= Black. We mix the colours together to get the colours you design requires. It is just like going to the local paint retailer and getting him to mix you up a certain colour to paint your room. But if your design required a certain colour to be exact we the have to add into the mix that colour, probably a pantone which will cost extra around £15 per colour. It is usually the corporate companies who specify they require the exact colour to match up with there logo or company colour. Please also remember that even with today's technology it is impossible to reproduce all colours that the human eye can see.

Q, What programs do you recommend & use.

A, The are some big changes coming to the print & design industry with Adobe's merger/takeover or what ever they call it of Macromedia and we can see some of the better programs being fazed out sorry to say as they all keep one another on there toes with the advancement each company produces each year. We prefer the Adobe Family, so we will start there.

Photoshop; (part of the new cs2 package or sold on its own). This is the must have programme, the only thing it cannot do is make the tea. What it can do will amaze you turning old photographs into new ones and with its add-on's (plug-Ins) making just about anything happen to text and photo's etc. Well worth the cost.

Illustrator; (part of the new cs2 package or sold on its own). On its new release as cs2-version 12, Illustrator is now way ahead of its competitors. It has always been one of the industries favourites, but now with its live paint and slight change to its layout, a very special programme. (Thanks to Adobes Illustrator team for making life easier).

InDesign; (part of the new cs2 package or sold on its own). This is another programme that has moved right to the front with its latest issue. It is a page/grid layout programme, ideal if you are producing brochures etc. Now lots of print companies are starting to realise that it does the same job as Quark and in lots of ways out performs it and costs a lot less.

Macromedia Freehand mx; We fear for this one with Adobes takeover of Macromedia. It is a great programme and not one to lose (Adobe are you listening). Yes we have Illustrator, but leave Freehand in the capable hands of the crew who built it. Well worth the money and is very stable, it also does everything you want it to do.

CorelDraw Suite 12; A programme that has never got the credit it deserves as it comes with just about everything you need including a sort of Photoshop in it's Corel Photo Paint programme, there are lots more in this package to explore. It's freehand & bezier tools are the best of any design package. It also does all of the web work you may require. The only drawback is it's colour engine (Our Opinion). Just not trendy enough for the macboys.

Quark 6.5; This is the one the industry has relied on for years, it does just about what you want within reason. It is boring, overpriced, overrated and living on its past reputation. At £1200 plus, it is a rip off when you compare it to InDesign. They say the new version (7 on its way) is an all dancing all singing super programme. We say Quark no thank you at the prices you charge, we do not need you anymore.

Corel started the suites thing and it is the best way to buy each programme as you save lots. £500 and above will take you to the best programmes. There are also some very good freeware and shareware programmes about so have a look on the net before parting with your cash.