The Order Process – From initial enquiry to final printed product
How it works – Printing your product at Black Square
When you place an order at Black Square there are a few stages your job will go through before it is printed and arrives at the final destination. To help you understand this process and know what information we need from you, we have broken down each stage from initial enquiry to final delivery.
The order process – initial enquiry
So you are looking to get something printed for your business. From the initial launch of your business to marketing new products, events and exhibitions, here at Black Square we can print a whole range of products that your business needs. Although the exact specifications for each product may be different, the general process and stages that your printed job will go through are the same. When you initially enquire with us for a free no obligation quote there are a few things we need to know to be able to create that quote for you.
Printed product type
What is it you are looking to get printed? Leaflets, business cards, signage, posters, banners etc or do you need multiple items all to be delivered at the same time?
Print run
How many of each item do you need printing? For certain products such as business cards, leaflets/flyers, stickers and labels we have minimum order quantities. For larger printed items like signage and banners, we can quote for these on an individual basis.
When do you need it and where does it need to be delivered?
We pride ourselves on being able to turn around a job quickly if it’s needed. So that’s why it is really important we know the exact date you need your finished printed items by and where in the UK you want them delivered. We can deliver internationally if needed via trusted couriers.
Print Finishes
Do you want any special finishes on your products, like a special coating, foiling or packed in a certain way? All of these may affect the quote, the printing process and the delivery time of your job.
Sending us your files
You have received our quote and want to go ahead with your printed products. That’s great news! You will then need to send us the artwork for your files. The best format to supply your files is as a PDF, you will also need to make sure your file includes bleed, that all your images are in the right resolution and that the text is within the margins.
If you aren’t sure how to prepare your files for printing we have a blog that goes into more detail about how to prepare your files for printing. See our printing checklist here.
Do you know we also offer design services? If you need help with the design of your artwork, we have a design page on our website which can give you more information. Also, check out our blog Top 5 design services for your businessb
Signing off your proofs
Once we have your artwork we will check that it meets all the requirements we need for printing and will then send you a PDF proof back to approve which includes crop marks and guides showing where the product will be cut. This will be the PDF that we print, so you must check that it looks exactly how you intended to. Things to look out for when you receive this PDF are:
Do the images look clear?
Sometimes when creating a PDF the images can get compressed meaning they lose quality and appear blurred, if this is the case we would need a new file which hasn’t been compressed
Are the fonts correct?
When you export a PDF, usually the fonts used will be embedded into the document. This means that even if we don’t own the font we can still print it. However, if another file type has been supplied to us and we don’t have a font used in it, we won’t know this so you must check on your sign-off PDF that the text looks the same.
Do the colours look right?
We print in CMYK so if you supply files to us with RGB images this can then affect the colour of your products. Sometimes images can obviously be the wrong colour and we will pick this up before sending you the final PDF but there are occasions when the colour difference is not known to us and if you have certain brand colours this could mean the difference between your printed products looking on brand or not.
Not sure which format your images should be in? You can find more information in our CMYK and RGB colour profiles explainedb and What are the differences between CMYK, RGB, Pantone and HEX colours? blog posts.
Printing and Delivery
Once you have approved your proof, it’s then over to us to print your products to the highest quality and finish. If you are local to our office in Billericay you can come and collect your printed products in person, we also can deliver to anywhere in the UK.
When you entrust Black Square with the printing for your business you can be sure to receive a personal service with direct contact with Adam or one of the team at every stage of your job.
We hope this explains in detail the order process from initial enquiry to final printed product and what you can expect when printing your product at Black Square. If you are looking for a quote for your next printing job contact Adam today.