Print-Ready Artwork for Catalogues And Brochures: Files, Proofs and Colour Management
How to prepare artwork for catalogues and brochures so the printed result matches the screen: file formats, bleed, colour conversion, proofing and the approval routine that prevents reprints.
File setup that avoids reprints
Supply catalogues and brochures artwork as a print-ready PDF with fonts embedded, images at an effective 300 dpi and bleed of three millimetres on all sides.
Name files with a version and a date, and keep one master artwork file per product so that an old version can never reach the press by mistake.
CMYK, spot colour and what the screen shows
Screens display RGB and presses print CMYK, so convert before layout and never judge final colour from an uncalibrated monitor.
Brand colours that must repeat on every order of catalogues and brochures are best defined as spot references and confirmed on a physical proof before production.
Proofs: the cheapest quality control
A PDF proof checks layout, a contract proof on the production substrate checks colour, and together they prevent most disputes about catalogues and brochures.
Approve the proof in writing and treat it as the reference for inspection, because the press operator works to the proof, not to a verbal description.
Special finishes need their own artwork
Foil, embossing, spot varnish and die-lines are separate layers with their own tolerances, and ambiguities here are expensive to fix once the job is on press.
Supply finishing artwork at exact size and position, and ask the supplier to confirm feasibility before the design is signed off.
A prepress checklist that works
Check trim size, safe margins, bleed, colour mode, image resolution, overprint settings and dielines before sending catalogues and brochures artwork to the supplier.
Ten minutes of prepress discipline removes the single most common cause of reprints and keeps the whole delivery schedule intact.
Summary
A clear specification, a signed proof and a documented inspection together remove most of the risk from ordering catalogues and brochures.
