To ensure your artwork is set up correctly for print and trims cleanly at the edge, please add the appropriate bleed to your design:

- Small format: 3 mm bleed
- Large format:
- Flags - 30mm bleed
- Outdoor Banners - 36mm bleed
- Cafe Barriers - 30mm bleed
- Heras Fence Covers - 36mm bleed
- Stretch Fabric Display Stands - 30mm bleed
- Lightboxes - 30mm bleed
- Stretch Fabric Banners - 20mm bleed

Bleed is the extra artwork that extends beyond the finished trim size, preventing unwanted white edges after cutting.

To make sure important parts of your design are not cut off during trimming, keep all essential text, logos and imagery within the safe area.

Small format: 3 mm from the trim edge
Large format:
Flags - 30mm safe zone on all sides, and a 50mm safety for the stitched line.
Outdoor Banners - 25mm safe zone on all sides.
Cafe Barriers - 20mm safety, and 160mm on the top and bottom.
Heras Fence Covers - 25mm safe zone on all sides.
Stretch Fabric Display Stands- 50mm safe zone on all sides.
Lightboxes - 30mm safe zone on all sides.
Stretch Fabric Banners - 20mm safe zone on all sides.

The safe area sits inside the finished trim size. Background colours and non-essential imagery can extend into the bleed, but key content should remain within the safe area.

- Business Cards - 600dpi
- Small Format - 300dpi
- Large Format - 150dpi
- Hemmed Banners & Exhibition Stands - 72dpi

We’ve created a handy step-by-step guide to help you set up your artwork for Spot UV. It explains how to prepare the Spot UV areas, keep them on a separate layer, and export a print-ready file. Please follow the attached guide, and if you have any questions or would like us to check your artwork before printing, we’ll be happy to help.

We’ve created a handy step-by-step guide to help you set up your artwork for foil. It explains how to prepare the foil areas, keep them on a separate layer, and export a print-ready file. Please follow the attached guide, and if you have any questions or would like us to check your artwork before printing, we’ll be happy to help.

No. Crop marks are added later in our production workflow, so you do not need to include them in your file.

Please set the trim box to your product’s finished size in millimetres and add 3 mm of bleed to every edge of the artwork.

We’ve created a handy step-by-step guide to help you export your artwork correctly. It covers the recommended file format, colour settings, resolution, bleed and crop marks, so your artwork is ready for print. Please follow the attached guide, and if you have any questions or would like us to check your file before printing, we’ll be happy to help.

We’ve created a handy step-by-step guide to help you convert your artwork from RGB to CMYK. It explains how to update the colour mode correctly and check your colours before exporting, helping to ensure your printed result is as close as possible to your design. Please follow the attached guide, and if you would like us to check your file before printing, we’ll be happy to help.

We don’t work with Pantone colours directly. To convert a Pantone colour, we recommend using a Pantone-to-CMYK converter and entering your Pantone reference to find the closest CMYK values.

All artwork proofs are shown in CMYK, so your proof will show how the colours are expected to look once converted. Please note that Pantone colours are converted to the nearest CMYK equivalent, so slight colour variations may occur.

We recommend a minimum ink coverage of 11% for any important design elements.

Using a lighter tint may result in inconsistent reproduction or elements that appear faint when printed.

We recommend a minimum colour contrast of 25% between important text, graphics and their background.

Lower contrast can make elements difficult to read or distinguish when printed.

Please supply the drill-hole/cutter file separately from the artwork, but within the same PDF. Indicate all holes and cutters with a solid 1 pt stroke. While 100% magenta is the most commonly used colour for cut/drill holes, any solid colour is acceptable.

To help ensure your text remains clear and legible when printed, use the following minimum font sizes:

Small format: 8 pt
Large format: 12 pt

For best results, avoid using very thin font weights at the minimum size.

Long-edge binding means the document is bound along its longest side. For a portrait document, this is usually the left-hand edge, so pages turn from right to left like a standard book. This is best for reports, manuals and other portrait documents.

Short-edge binding means the document is bound along its shortest side. For a landscape document, this is usually the top edge, so pages turn upwards like a notepad or calendar. This keeps the content correctly oriented when each page is turned.

Our Studio team may refer to your file’s 'wireframe'. In a PDF, wireframe view displays artwork as outlines and placeholder boxes, for example, an “X” may represent a JPEG image, rather than showing the finished design.

We use this view to check the underlying layout and identify hidden elements, unnecessary objects or overly complex file structures that may not be visible in the normal PDF view. A busy wireframe can indicate a complex file, which may slow processing or cause issues when the artwork is ripped for print.

A custom cutter needs to be supplied as a 1pt stroke in the desired shape. We advise that the cutter is at least 3mm away from any important elements of the artwork and the design of the artwork extends 3mm past the cutter.

No cutter file? No problem. Check out our step-by-step Custom Shape video guide and see just how easy it is to go from upload to approval with our new AI Custom Shape Proofing Tool.

While we do not offer a full design service, we are happy to help with minor artwork corrections where possible. This may include small spelling amendments or slight adjustments to the positioning of existing elements.

Please note that we are unable to redesign artwork, but we will always do our best to support you and ensure your file is ready for print.

Our AI-powered tools can also help automatically resolve common issues, such as missing bleed or low-resolution images, making the artwork process quicker and smoother. You can also use our AI design tool to help generate artwork from scratch.

Yes. If you are purchasing election material to promote a candidate, political party or category of candidates, you are legally required to include an imprint on the artwork.

The imprint must include the name and address of:

- The printer
- The promoter of the material
- Anyone on whose behalf the material is published, where they are not the promoter

For further guidance, please visit the Electoral Commission website.

Use the following printer details on your imprint:

Route 1 Print, Unit 1 Brookfields Park, Manvers Way, Manvers, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S63 5DR.

If you have an in-house print facility, you may use your own printer details instead.

For orders at A3 size or larger, VAT will be added automatically at checkout.

For full details on VAT for printed matter, please see HMRC’s website here.

Yes, you can. To achieve the best result, please follow these guidelines:

- Keep text clear of the spine and do not allow it to cross over the spine area.
- Use a minimum font size of 8 pt.
- Ensure gaps between letters are at least 1 pt wide.
- Avoid solid blocks of embellishment on the spine.
- Keep embellishment coverage on the spine to no more than 20%.

Yes. Download the document to your desktop and open it in the Adobe Acrobat desktop app.

- Press Ctrl + K, or go to Edit > Preferences.
- Select Page Display.
- Turn on Smooth Line Art and Smooth Images.

If thin white lines appear, this may indicate a display issue in Acrobat. Turn these settings off again to view the artwork as it will appear when printed.

For wire-bound products, the standard bleed is 3 mm. However, please allow a 9 mm safe margin on the binding edge.

Keep all important text and imagery outside this area to prevent it from being obscured by the punched holes and wire binding.

For perfect-bound products, the standard bleed is 3 mm. However, you should also allow a 10 mm safe margin on the binding (spine) side.

Keep all important text and imagery outside this area to prevent it from being lost in the spine or becoming difficult to read once the document is bound.

To prevent transparency-related issues during proofing, we recommend flattening your artwork before submission. This helps ensure that all design elements display correctly and are not lost or altered.

You can flatten your file by either:

Saving the design as a 300 dpi JPEG, or exporting it as a PDF/X-1a file.

If you are using Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, you can turn off overprinting before exporting your artwork.

1. Open the Attributes panel: Window > Output > Attributes.
2. Untick both Overprint Fill and Overprint Stroke.
3. Export your artwork as a PDF/X-1a file.

We recommend allowing a 25 mm safe area around the edge of your design. Keep all important text and imagery within this area to prevent it from being covered by the A-frame when closing the snap frame.

In Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools > Combine Files, then select Add Files. Arrange the files in the required order, select Combine, and save the new PDF.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can use Adobe’s free online PDF merging tool to combine multiple PDFs into a single document.

Outline fonts

Outlining converts live text into shapes, so it no longer relies on the original font being available.

Illustrator or InDesign: Select the text, then choose Type > Create Outlines.
Photoshop: Right-click the text layer in the Layers panel and select Rasterize Type. This converts the text into pixels rather than vector outlines.

Once text has been outlined or rasterised, it can no longer be edited as text. Always keep a copy of your original artwork before making these changes.

Embed fonts

Embedding stores the font information within the document, helping to preserve the intended appearance when the file is opened or printed elsewhere.

When exporting a PDF from Adobe Creative Suite, select the PDF/X-1a preset to embed fonts. In Microsoft Office, go to Options > Save and select Embed fonts in the file. Other design software may offer a similar option when saving or exporting your document.

Choose the page count based on the total number of printed sides in your booklet, including the four cover pages: front cover, inside front cover, inside back cover and back cover.

For example, if your artwork includes an outer cover spread with a spine, an inside cover spread, and 28 internal pages, you should order a 32-page booklet (32pp).

Unfortunately, we do not offer printed proof copies. However, once your order has been placed, we will provide a digital proof showing how your artwork is expected to look when printed.

We also offer free artwork checks before you order, helping you ensure your file is print-ready.

For selected products, you can add a file copy to your order. This is especially useful if your order is being sent directly to your customer, as you will receive a copy at your own address to review the finished print.

Yes. We offer unbranded reseller catalogues that you can personalise with your own cover pages.

Our catalogues are available as perfect-bound booklets, for our small and large-format product range. We also offer a selection of unbranded sample packs and swatch books.

Simply create your cover pages and we will take care of the rest.

Crop marks can occasionally appear on a proof when the trim box has not been set within the artwork file. The trim box tells the system exactly where your finished design should be cut, so without it, the crop marks may remain visible on screen. Once the trim box has been added, your proof will display correctly.

Your proof includes separate views of the artwork and embellishment to help you check every detail before production.

First, you will see your artwork without any embellishment, shown as either single- or double-sided. Next, the embellishment areas are displayed on their own, without the background artwork.

The following pages show the embellishment overlaid onto your artwork, allowing you to check that its position is correct. If you have selected single-sided embellishment, a blank page may also appear in the proof.

For foil orders, the embellishment will appear in your selected foil colour. For Spot UV, the embellishment appears orange in the proof but will print as a clear gloss finish.

Your embellishment elements are shown as a green overlay on the proof. This indicates where the embellishment will be applied; it does not represent printed colour.

To view the artwork beneath the embellishment, download the proof and open it in Adobe Acrobat. In Output Preview, you can turn Simulate Overprinting on and off to see how the embellishment aligns with your underlying artwork.

The maximum file size for online upload is 2 GB.

For manual proofs, we can accept files of any size, provided the file is print-ready and does not need to be compressed.

If your file exceeds the upload limit, you can reduce its size using an online PDF compression tool, such as Smallpdf or iLovePDF.

Once compressed, please check your file carefully to make sure the artwork, resolution and text quality have not been affected before uploading it.

We’ve created a handy step-by-step guide to help you set up your artwork for perfect binding. It covers the key elements to consider, including page order, cover setup, spine width and bleed, so your file is ready for print. Please follow the attached guide, and if you have any questions or would like us to check your artwork before printing, we’ll be happy to help.

The number of upload fields shown when you add your artwork is the maximum number of files we can accept online.

If you have more files than the uploader allows, you can email them to us and we can set up your proof manually.

For booklets, we recommend combining your pages into one PDF in print order before sending it. This helps prevent pages from being placed in the wrong order during proofing.

We accept the following file formats:

JPEG
PDF
PNG
Adobe Illustrator (.ai)
Adobe Photoshop (.psd)
Adobe InDesign (.indd)

If you are sending working files, please ensure they are fully packaged and that all fonts have been outlined or embedded.

Our AI resolution enhancer is designed to improve low-resolution, flattened artwork. It may be available for JPEGs, PNGs and single-layer PDFs, where the artwork is 72 dpi or lower.

The tool is currently available for: - Posters - Signage - Roller Banners - PVC Banners - Flyers - Business Cards - Stationery - Folded Leaflets - Exhibition Stands

When you upload low-resolution artwork, our proofing tool will alert you that parts of the design may appear pixelated and could print blurry. Where possible, we recommend uploading the original artwork at 300 dpi. Alternatively, select Let Us Fix That to use the AI enhancer.

You will then see a preview that lets you compare the original and enhanced artwork using a slider. Zoom in and check the result carefully before continuing. You can choose to proceed with either the original or AI-enhanced version, it is entirely up to you.

Before approving, please check your final proof thoroughly. You can download it or view it full-screen for a closer inspection. Once you select Approve, your artwork will move into production, so please ensure you are happy with every detail.

Once you have uploaded and approved your artwork, our Studio team carries out a second, thorough check to ensure the file is correctly set up and ready for production.

If we find minor issues, we will correct them where possible and send your order through to print to help avoid delays.

If there are more significant concerns, or if our changes substantially affect the proof, we will contact you by email. We may send a revised proof for your approval or explain why we do not recommend proceeding with the supplied artwork.

If you receive this email, your order will be placed on hold and will not move into production until you have either approved the revised proof or provided an updated file. Please note that this may affect your delivery timescale.

An online proof is generated automatically when you upload your artwork online. You can view it as an interactive thumbnail and download it as a PDF, which we strongly recommend before approving. Once approved, your artwork is sent to our Studio team for a second check before it goes into production.

A manual proof is created by our Studio team if your online proof does not look right. We will set up the proof and email it to you for review and approval. Manual proofs may take longer, depending on the Studio team’s workload. If you are having trouble with your online proof, we recommend giving us a call first, as we may be able to help you upload your artwork correctly and avoid any additional delay.

Checking your proof carefully is an important final step before printing.

We recommend downloading it to your desktop and reviewing it thoroughly at different zoom levels.

Check that colours are consistent, using CMYK artwork can help avoid unexpected results, and look closely for spelling or grammar errors, the correct page orientation, missing or incomplete text, unwanted boxes or lines, and accurate page numbering and running order.

Please also review any warnings shown on the proof. Only approve once you are completely happy to proceed, as this is your final opportunity to spot any errors before your artwork goes to print.

Yes. If your artwork for a multi-set order has been merged into one PDF, you can split it into separate files before uploading. In Adobe Acrobat, go to Organise Pages > Split, then choose Split by number of pages and enter the number of pages required for each set. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can use the online iLovePDF Split PDF tool instead.

The inner red dashed line marks the safe area. Keep all important text and imagery within this line to reduce the risk of it being cut off during production.

This is intentional. The fold lines on page two are offset slightly so that, once printed and folded, the panels nest correctly and fold neatly into one another.

If your proof does not look right, please do not approve it for print. Download the proof and open it in Adobe Acrobat first, as this can help confirm whether the issue is caused by the online preview.

If the issue is still visible in the downloaded PDF, select the My proof is wrong link at the bottom-right of the proof preview to let us know.

There are several reasons why a proof may not generate after your upload reaches 100%. The most common artwork issues are an excessively large file, an unclean file structure, an incorrect page count, or artwork that does not match the template provided. Please check these points before trying again, as resolving them may allow your proof to generate successfully.

Yes. Our online and manual proofing processes can resize your artwork to fit the product size you have ordered, allowing you to review the resulting proof before it is printed.

This is not possible if the artwork is intended for a completely different product, and resizing a file with significantly different proportions may distort the design. For the best proofing and print result, we always recommend supplying artwork at the correct size for your chosen product.

Set your Canva design to the required finished size, then add bleed when exporting your file. Do not include the bleed in the canvas or working-area dimensions, as this will make the finished artwork too large.

To create perfect bound artwork in Canva, start by entering your book specifications on our website to generate your custom PDF template, including the spine.

Download the template and upload it directly into Canva. You can then use it as a guide while creating your cover artwork, ensuring your front cover, spine and back cover are positioned correctly. Keep the template on a separate layer while you design, then hide or remove it before exporting your final print-ready PDF.

To export your design in CMYK, select Share > Download, then choose PDF Print as the file type. Under Colour profile, select CMYK before downloading your file. CMYK export may require a Canva Pro plan. For more guidance, visit Canva’s CMYK print guide.

Go to the product page for the item you would like to order and select the required job specifications. A template will then be generated for your chosen product and size.

On the left-hand side of the page, select Artwork Setup and scroll down to the template section. Choose the file type you need, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or PDF, by selecting the relevant icon.

Your downloaded template will be set to the correct size and will include the required bleed and safe areas. Open it in the relevant software, then create your design on top of the template.

When exporting your artwork from Adobe software, use the PDF/X-1a:2001 preset.

When downloading your artwork from Canva, select PDF Print as the file type and make sure Flatten PDF is ticked. You do not need to select crop marks and bleed or include notes.

CMYK export is available with Canva Pro, including through a free trial. If this is not available on your account, please still ensure that Flatten PDF is selected. For more information, see Canva’s guide to print colours.

Artwork can be rejected for a number of reasons, such as missing bleed, important text or images sitting too close to the edge of the design, low-resolution images, incorrect file settings, or issues with the supplied dimensions.

The full reason for the rejection, along with guidance on how to resolve it, will be included in the rejection email sent to the email address registered on your account. Once the artwork has been updated, you can resubmit it for review.

Yes. We offer a free artwork check before you upload your file through our online proofing tool. To request a check, please email your artwork to artwork@route1print.co.uk.

Depending on how far your order has progressed in production, we may be able to pull it back so you can supply a revised file.

Please contact us by phone as soon as possible so that we can locate your order quickly. Once it has been pulled back, you will be able to upload your revised artwork online.

This email means that a proof is still awaiting your approval and your order has not yet moved into production.

It may relate to a manual proof you requested, or to a revised proof we created after your online approval. We may have made minor artwork corrections or identified an issue that we need you to review before printing.

Please read any warnings in the email, check the revised proof carefully and approve it when you are happy to proceed.

Some products may initially appear to qualify for zero-rated VAT, but the content or purpose of the artwork can mean that VAT must be added. Common reasons include artwork containing a discount code or a phrase such as “with this flyer”; more than 25% of the area being intended for writing on; certificates, forms or records; stationery; tickets or invitations; diaries or calendars; and gift vouchers.

This list is not exhaustive. If you do not believe your artwork falls into one of these categories, please review HMRC’s guidance on the VAT liability of common printed items.

Thin white lines are often screen artefacts caused by the way a PDF is displayed and are unlikely to print. To check, download the file and open it in Adobe Acrobat. Zoom in and out of the artwork; if the lines move, appear or disappear as you change the zoom level, they are display artefacts and are not part of the artwork.

You can also go to Edit > Preferences > Page Display and turn off Smooth Line Art and Smooth Images. If the lines disappear, this confirms they are screen artefacts. If the lines remain fixed in place, please check your artwork carefully before approving it for print.

Artwork submitted in a colour profile other than CMYK is automatically converted to CMYK for proofing, as this is the colour profile used by our presses. CMYK has a smaller colour range than screen-based profiles such as RGB, so some colours may appear darker or less vibrant after conversion.

For the most predictable print result, we recommend supplying your artwork in CMYK format before uploading.