Design Software

Adobe Photoshop

This is for photographs and rasterised images only – text is best left to other applications like Illustrator or InDesign. When using Photoshop it is NOT recommended to enlarge images, as this will result in pixelated images and poor print quality.

1. Open Photoshop and click File > New…
2. Enter the full bleed dimensions. That is, 5mm extra both vertically and horizontally.
3. Set the Resolution at 300 pixels/inch
4. Set your Color Mode at CMYK

 Adobe Illustrator

Illustrator works with vector images, which are based on mathematical formulas. This means they can be scaled up or down without loss of quality as you would normally see with rasterized images in Photoshop. Illustrator is great for text that will be used as a design element or logo.

1. Open Illustrator and click File > New…
2. Enter the TRIM dimensions in the Width and Height boxes (for example, the trim dimension on a standard business card would be 85 x 55mm)
3. Enter 3-5mm for the top, bottom, left and right bleed
4. Set your Color Mode at CMYK
5. Set your Raster Effects at High (300ppi)

 Adobe InDesign

This layout program is used to combine text and graphics. It’s best to compose large areas of text in InDesign rather than Illustrator or Photoshop, and InDesign is also ideal for multiple page documents.

1. Open InDesign and click File > New > Document…
2. Enter the trim dimensions under Page Size (for example, a standard business card would have trim dimensions of 85x55mm)
3. If you do not see “Bleed and Slug” at the bottom of the window, click the “More Options” button.
4. Enter 3-5mm for the top, bottom, left and right bleed

 Adobe PDF

PDF is a portable document format. Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout flat document, including the text, fonts, graphics, and other information needed to display it.

Microsoft Office

Powerpoint, Word and Excel are all used for creating business presentation, documents and spreadsheet. They are mainly used for digital or on-screen presentations.

Please note: When using Microsoft office products, Spectrum require the file to be saved as PDF for our printing requirements. Be aware, Word default setting is for Letter Size and Powerpoint is 254 x190mm; if A4 printing is required then you need to change via page setup options.