File Sharing and Requirements

Here’s how to share files with us for the best possible prints!

Basic File Requirements

We prefer files that are:

  • TIF. We can also work with JPG, PSD, PDF, PNG.

  • 300 PPI

  • sRGB color space

  • 8 or 16 bit

  • 1 GB or less

If you have files in other formats, we can most likely help! However, color can change during conversions, so it’s best for you to handle the conversion yourself if you know how you want the file to look.

Sharing Files

If your files are small enough, email them to hello@assistartservices.com. Otherwise, share using Google Drive, Dropbox, or WeTransfer.

File prep tips

Resolution and sizes

If you are going to get a small print made (like a 8x10), don’t send a 1 GB file. Save yourself and us some download time and save it at size! If you’re going to print a variety of sizes, send us a big file and let us prep it into the various sizes.

Different sizes and borders usually mean slight cropping of the images. If you want to have total control over that, prep one file for each size print you’ll do and send them to us. If you want us to do that for you, no problem! We prep each size file at no charge so long as you’re okay with us using our best judgement on things like cropping.

If you’re using layers in Photoshop, flatten your image before sending it to us. That will make the files smaller and avoid any issues that layers sometimes cause when we go to print.

If you have a file that won’t go to 300 PPI at the size you want to print you may still have options. The more textured the paper, the lower resolution you can normally get away with. People often print on canvas down to 150 PPI and are happy with the results. We also offer AI Image Upsizing that can help with resolution.

Bleed and Cut Marks

When you print stuff like business cards and flyers, the printer will often ask for a bleed or extra space around the outside. We don’t need that. We also don’t need cut marks. Just save the fiel at the exact size you want the print to be.

sRGB vs Other Color Spaces

sRGB is the most widely accepted color space. It’s also the one our printers fully support. If you’re using something else, convert it to sRGB before sending it to us. We can convert for you, but it does alter the color. If you do it yourself, it’s best to Convert rather than Assign the color profile in Photoshop.

Resampling

If you have a file that’s too small for how large you want to print, don’t simply make it larger in Photoshop! Be careful about altering the resolution in Photoshop too as it resamples by default. If changing the resolution, make sure to uncheck the box for resampling in Image Size.

Monitor Calibration and Brightness

If you’ve ever gotten prints that were a lot darker than you expected, your monitor is probably too bright. We suggest setting your monitor to 50% brightness.

For color, we highly recommend calibrating your monitor. That will make the prints you receive much closer to what you see on screen and save you many rounds of proofs while guessing at what changes you need to make. The Datacolor Spyder X works great and is relatively inexpensive.