A great print job starts before anything is printed — with a clear brief. A few minutes spent telling your printer what you actually need saves a round of proofs, a delay, or a reprint. Here's what to have ready.
Quantity
Start with how many you need, and whether you'll reorder. Quantity drives the method: a short run and a long run aren't priced or produced the same way, and a printer who knows you'll reorder can set the job up to repeat exactly.
Stock and finish
Decide the impression you want before the technique. Should the piece feel substantial? Should a logo catch the light, or sit raised off the sheet? From there your printer can recommend a stock weight and a finish — engraving, letterpress, foil, thermography — that matches. If you're not sure, our guide to specialty finishes and how to choose paper weight are a good start.
Artwork and files
Supply your logo and artwork as vector files where possible — they scale cleanly and hold fine detail, which matters enormously for engraving and foil. Include the fonts, and specify your exact brand colors. The cleaner the file, the truer the result.
Deadline
Tell your printer the real in-hand date, not a padded one. Specialty finishes take longer than flat printing — there are plates and dies to make — so an honest timeline lets the printer plan the job properly rather than rushing it.
Leave room for advice
The most useful thing in a brief is a printer who's allowed to push back. A 170-year-old workshop has seen which combinations work and which don't — ask. The best briefs are a conversation, not a spec sheet handed over a wall.
Ready to start? Request a quote and we'll help you brief it right.