Step and Repeat Design

How to Make Step and Repeat Banners

Step and RepeatCOLOR 

When preparing your artwork for print, make sure your working file and all embedded images are CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) files. While RGB images may look great on your RGB screen, they don’t always translate well into print. Some colours, when changed from RGB to CMYK, can alter significantly.

IMAGE QUALITY

Images designed for the web are usually 72 dots per inch (dpi). When translated to print, these images appear fuzzy and make your prints look unprofessional. For paper print most applications require a resolution of 300 dpi while for large format printing most applications require a resolution of 150 dpi. The easiest way to asses this is to zoom-in; if correctly setup, the image will appear clear and crisp.  The image will appear blurry and fuzzy if it’s set up incorrectly. For large format printing we suggest zooming in to 200% and for paper print we suggest zooming in to 400%.

BLEEDS AND CROP MARKS

If your background or images end or extend past the borders of your artboard always make sure you create a bleed to avoid while lines caused by trimming. Bleeds should extend at least an 1/8 of an inch past the trim marks so your files appear correctly.  We also suggest the you keep key logos and type 1/8″ inside the trim line on paper print and 1″ inside the trim line on large format prints.

Aim to work with vector elements and files (AI, EPS or SVG) and ALWAYS:

  •  Save out your files as PDF’s
  • Make sure all your text is in outlines
  • Avoid thin borders around the edge of your artwork
  • To create a rich black use a mixture of  40% Cyan, 40% Magenta, 40% Yellow and 100% Black and not just 100% Black