| When you employ an online printing company to | | | | 4. Check the image resolution: A lot of people |
| print your door hangers, there are a few | | | | forget to check the resolution of their designs |
| guidelines you need remember when preparing | | | | before sending it over to the printers. All printers |
| your door hanger printing design. You must know | | | | want the design resolution at around 300dpi (dots |
| some details like the dimensions, colors, image | | | | per pixel). This ensures a high print quality when it |
| resolutions and of course the design file format so | | | | gets mass produced. If you fail to adjust the |
| that the whole process of printing door hangers | | | | image resolution, the printing company might |
| can be as fast as possible. To help you with these | | | | adjust it for you. This may result in your design |
| details, this guide will show you how to prepare | | | | being distorted by large boxes or pixels. Of |
| the design of your door hangers for printing. Just | | | | course if the “pixilation” is bad, the printing |
| follow these seven easy steps. | | | | company might send your design back for |
| 1. Check the dimensions: The first thing you need | | | | adjustment. This will prolong your door hanger |
| to check is the door hanger design\'s dimensions. | | | | printing process. So make sure your image |
| This is basically its height and width. For most | | | | resolutions are high enough for printing. |
| printers there is a standard dimension that they | | | | 5. Determine the correct file format: Finally, you |
| use for door hangers. This makes it easier to | | | | need to save your design in the correct file |
| print them. A typical standard dimension for door | | | | format. This is better decided by the printing |
| hangers is around 8.5 x 3.5 inches. Of course if | | | | company that you have chosen. Ask them if they |
| you are going to use a custom door hanger | | | | have any preferences on the file format for the |
| design, then you yourself will determine the | | | | designs of the door hanger. Typically an Adobe |
| dimensions. Just make sure that the door hanger | | | | Photoshop document (PSD) or similar image |
| printing company knows that you want a custom | | | | design format is recommended since it gives the |
| dimension for your printing. | | | | printing company some leeway to adjust the |
| 2. Adjust the colors: The next thing you need to | | | | design. Otherwise, a large resolution JPG, PNG or |
| check are the colors of your design. Typically | | | | BMP file should suffice. |
| people fail to change the color mode from Red, | | | | 6. Murphy\'s Law: After finishing the details in the |
| Green, Blue (RGB) to the printing standard Cyan, | | | | files, you need to prepare them for sending. In |
| Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK). During the | | | | this step you must remember Murphy\'s Law. |
| conversion of these colors, some hues may | | | | “Anything that can go wrong, will go |
| change and you may need to readjust some | | | | wrong”. Sending your designs via email, snail |
| colors to get it right as they are printed. If you | | | | mail or even bringing it by hand yourself can have |
| fail to convert the colors, you might see a | | | | some complications. So it is best to save your |
| different hue printed as you receive your printed | | | | designs in many ways so that you are prepared |
| door hangers. So make sure you check and | | | | for all eventualities. Besides having the original |
| adjust your colors. | | | | design files, save a version of it in a zipped file |
| 3. Prepare any other supporting files: After you | | | | format so that it is “more protected” in a |
| check for the colors, you have to prepare any | | | | way. Try to burn the designs into a DVD-R or |
| supporting files that the door hanger printing | | | | CD-R if you can. Also have it saved in a “flash |
| service may need. The usual files that some | | | | drive” as well as a backup. In this way the |
| people forget to send are “font” or | | | | printing company has several choices in receiving |
| character files. They may have downloaded a nice | | | | the design. If the normal email attachment |
| and creative free font over the Internet and | | | | becomes corrupted, they can have the zipped file, |
| added it in the design. If they do not convert the | | | | and the burned DVD file as a backup. |
| text to an image form (rasterizing) this may | | | | 7. Bring or send the design: So once you have |
| mean that most software may need the original | | | | prepared the design for sending, all that is needed |
| font file to be able to display it. Otherwise it will | | | | to do is to send it to the door hanger printing |
| be replaced by a default font which may ruin the | | | | company for processing. All you need to do is to |
| design. So if you used other supporting files like | | | | wait for the finished product and you\'ll have your |
| custom fonts, be sure to prepare it for sending | | | | color door hangers ready to distribute. |
| along with the door hanger design. | | | | |