Artwork Technical Checks
We know setting up your artwork for print can be tricky, particularly if you don’t have any print or design knowledge.
To ensure all your orders pass through our production process as smoothly as possible, we provide two levels of artwork technical checks to help avoid any issues, delays or rejections on your orders. Our goal is to ensure you always get the best results possible on every order you place with WTTB.
All of our checks cover technical aspects of your print file only. We DO NOT check spelling, grammar or any aspect of your design. Design and positioning of elements within your artwork are your responsibility as the customer. We strongly recommend that our artwork guides are used and followed to prevent any issues, delays or rejections on your products.
Design elements and technical elements refer to two distinct aspects of your file being assessed. The design elements refer to the visual appearance and creative intent of your artwork. These elements are NOT part of your artwork checks and include the following:
• Overall layout and composition • Typography choices (fonts, hierarchy, spacing) • Colour usage (aesthetic balance, visual contrast) • Image placement and clarity • Brand consistency (logos, styling, etc.) • Readability and visual impact
It’s very important that you are aware that anything errors that are detected during our artwork checks may cause your order to be delayed and your delivery date may be later than your original date when your order was placed.
Ensuring your printed products are the best they can possible be.
As standard every item in your order undergoes a FREE, automated, 25-point Essential Artwork Technical Check. These checks cover all the essential technical aspects of your artwork file:
• Page size matches trim size
• Size matches final output or is scalable (large format products only)
• No crop marks unless specified (large format products only)
• Correct number of pages are present
• Check for bleed box
• Safe zones are clear of text
• RGB identified and amended to CMYK*
• Spot colours identified and amended to CMYK*
• Ensure rich black for large areas and 100% K for text??
• Overprint settings reviewed
• Fonts embedded or outlined
• No missing or substituted fonts
• 6pt Minimum font size
• 14pt Minimum font size at 100% scale (large format products only)
• Minimum resolution of 250 dpi (need to double check)
• Minimum resolution of 150dpi (large format products only) (need to double check)
• No RGB or indexed colour modes are present (or: RGB identified and amended to CMYK*)
• Transparencies are flattened
• PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 compliant
• No annotations or interactive elements
• No layers are present
• No hairlines (<0.1 pt) are present
• No white objects are set to overprint
• Spine width and alignment (book products only)
• Covers (front, spine & rear) are correct (book products only)
*All identified RGB and spot colours in your supplied file WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY CONVERTED TO CMYK. To avoid any colour issues ensure that you supply to files already converted to CMYK.
For your complete peace of mind, each item in your order can be upgraded (for a small fee) to our in-depth 43-point Expert Artwork Technical Check. This check includes everything in our Essential Check (x25 point check) but your files are then personally and carefully inspected by one of our prepress technician’s flagging up any issues covering the following x18 checks:
• Advanced margins and safe zones inspected
• Bleed included and correctly extended on all edges
• Check content shifts between front and back sides
• Running order checked (books only)
• Page numbers in correct position and consistent. (books only)
• Creep allowance checked for thick books (saddle stitched books only)
• Fonts are clean and legible at actual size (especially thin/light fonts)
• No rasterised text or blurry characters.
• Fonts readable at distance and scaled appropriately (large format products only)
• No excessive outlines or thin fonts that disappear at size (large format products only)
• Images and logos appear sharp at print size
• Colour consistency across spreads (books products only)
• Image alignment across facing pages (book products only)
• Flattened file or structured logically
• Crop marks and colour bars included where relevant
• Placement of key artwork avoids print finishing
• Alignment of double-sided artwork checked
• Spine text not too small or likely to shift with binding tolerance (book products only)
The price per item for an Expert Artwork Technical Check varies depending on the complexity of the item you are ordering. We have 3 tiers: £2.50, £5.00 and £10.00 per version. If you have multiple versions of an item the fee is charged per version. E.g. If you have 4 versions of an item you will be charged x4.
Print Perk Points can be redeemed to purchase Expert Artwork Technical Checks. Each point you have is the equivalent of £2.50.
