Printing files that TheOnlinePrinter accepts
Digital printing services,postcard,business cards,poster,flyers,letterhead,fridge magnet,docket book > Preparing files, help & links > Files we acceptWe pride ourselves on being able to handle almost any file format. We have been dealing with various different publishing file formats for donkey's years, so there isn’t much we don’t know about publishing file formats.
Click here to read our ‘how to prepare your files’ page for hints that will make your full color printing project proceed smoothly.
Our first preference is for a file, with the text 'outlined'. Our second preference is for a PDF file, with the text 'outlined. Our Third preference is for an Adobe Illustrator file, with the text 'outlined'.
Many printers either actively discourage the use of files prepared using Microsoft Word. We welcome full color printing files prepared using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
The file formats that we accept are:
- Adobe Illustrator — How to prepare an Adobe Illustrator file for a commercial printer;
- Adobe InDesign — How to prepare an Adobe InDesign file for a commercial printer;
- Adobe PageMaker;
- Adobe Photoshop — How to prepare an Adobe Photoshop file for a commercial printer;
- Corel DRAW;
- Corel PHOTO-PAINT;
- Gimp (also known as the "GNU Image Manipulation Program") How to prepare a Gimp file for a commercial printer;
- Inkscape;
- Microsoft Excel;
- Microsoft PowerPoint;
- Microsoft Publisher;
- Microsoft Word;
- NeoOffice;
- OpenOffice:
- QuarkXPress — How to prepare a QuarkXPress file for a commercial printer;
- JPEG files;
- EPS files; and
- TIFF files.
We prefer to have JPEG, EPS and TIFF files placed in a page layout programme such as InDesign, GIMP or Photoshop, but we can certainly pirnt from JPEG, EPS and TIFF directly.
If your file is going to have any printing that will go right to the edge of the printed page (e.g.: background colours and/or pictures), then make sure you put in bleeds. If you do not know what bleeds are, then we suggest you have a read of our bleeds page — please read the bleeds page, as it will stop your job 'ending in tears'.
We have some pages devoted to some software programs, and you might want to have a read of them if you are not too sure on how to set up your file.
- How to prepare Adobe Illustrator files for printing and other "Help" pages
- How to prepare Adobe Photoshop files for printingand other "Help" pages
- How to prepare Adobe InDesign files for printing and other "Help" pages
- How to prepare Gimp files for printing (a quick 'Help' page)
- How to prepare QuarkXpress files for printing (a quick 'Help' page)
- Microsoft Publisher tips
- Business card printing hints & tips