We have some existing marketing materials which need to be reprinted. Can you handle the printing for us if we provide you the pre-press files?

Yes, in most cases. We will need to check your files to make sure bleeds have been accounted for, and that there are no issues with the support files. On typical projects we do all the design work and all the pre-press work so we know the project files are compatible with the printing process, but from time to time, a client will have project files that were created by other pre-press sources.

What exactly does "Pre-Press" mean?

Pre-press refers to all work that is done to digital files prior to the printing project being put into production and actually printed. Pre-press is a catch all phrase that can include the design, typesetting, photograph retouching and conversion to CMYK, illustration, color correction, proofing and revision work.

Projects typically go through a design stage where concepts are presented to clients, and after approval, actual production work begins. Pre-press work for Design-First, is an extension of the design work already completed, but includes some final file preparation to make sure all image files used are converted to CMYK from RGB, that all image files are of the correct resolution for offset lithography printing, bleeds are correct and that all text is converted to outlines so there will be no font issues when the pre-press file is received and processed by the printer.

My web designer did some print graphics for us, but the text and overall quality of the work was horrible. How can I fix the image resolution problems?

Website designers tend to work with low resolutions, either 72 or 96 dpi, and with files that are optimized for fast downloading over the Internet. Print designers work with graphic files that typically are 300 dpi. Very low resolution photograph files will result in very poor quality printing results.

The best solution is go back to the source photographs, which ideally are 300 dpi or higher, and to avoid scaling up very small images which can also lead to poor image reproduction.

I have some marketing materials that need minor corrections before they are printed. Can you help us with this?

Yes. In most cases we can work from your files, provided you have adequate support files such as fonts. If the files provided to us are "flattened" or were created with an application we do not have, making text changes may be challenging, but not impossible.

We need a very unusual marketing piece created—it's an odd size and it has some diecutting and special folding requirements. Can you design and print this for us?

Yes! Design-First can help with both the design and the printing. The president and creative director of Design-First has an extensive background in printing so we are quite adept in designing work that is both creative and cost-effective to print.

Help! My question is not listed on this page.

Please, if you have a question about Design-First or you have an project question, call us at 678.969.0448 or use the Contact Form below.