Useful information

Paper sizes

A0

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

A6

841 x 1189mm

594 x 841mm

420 x 594mm

297 x 420mm

210 x 297mm

148 x 210mm

105 x 148mm

About colours

Full colour printing uses four colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (referred to as cmyk). These four colours are combined to create photographic quality images as seen in catalogues and brochures.

Business stationery and flyers are normally printed using 'spot' colours. These colours are pre-mixed to match swatches and provide the safest and easiest method of ensuring consistent colour time after time. The most popular supplier of pre-mixed ink in the UK is Pantone. Their inks are normally identified by numbers; for example, Pantone 021 is orange. Black can also be considered as a spot colour. So, for example, a business card printed using Pantone 021 and black would be described as a 'two colour' job.

About file formats

Images used on websites are formed by grouping pixels together. These files (normally .gif or .jpeg) are rarely suitable for high-end printing as they have been saved at a low resolution to speed up internet browsing. In general, files to be used in print should have a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch at 100%.

Logos are often drawn in a format referred to as 'vector'. These files (normally .eps) are formed using lines connected by mathematical co-ordinates. As a result, vector images can be infinitely enlarged with no loss of quality; edges still remain crisp.