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How to prepare artwork for print

Need help with artwork? Send us an e-mail: artwork@brandmonster.co.za

Steps to get your artwork print-ready using Adobe Illustrator.

• Download the specific artwork template for your product here.

• Open the template in Illustrator

• Create a new layer

A screenshot from Adobe Illustrator showing how to add a new layer

• Lock the template layer to prevent changes to the template.

• Select the new layer and go to File > Place.

• Align the artwork on the template. Make sure important content like text or logos stays within the safe zone, not right on the trim line.

• Select all text and go to Type > Create Outlines. This ensures your fonts are converted to shapes which is important. If “Create Outlines” is greyed out it is likely that your fonts are already converted to shapes.

A screenshot from Adobe Illustrator showing how to ensure the colour mode is set to CMYK for print.

• Ensure all linked files (images, logos) are embedded to avoid missing assets. In the Links panel (Window > Links), click the dropdown menu and select Embed Image(s).

A screenshot from Adobe Illustrator showing how to embed images.

• Confirm the document is set to CMYK for print (not RGB). Go to File > Document Color Mode > CMYK.

A screenshot from Adobe Illustrator showing how to convert fonts to shapes/outlines.

• Go to File > Save As, choose Adobe PDF, and select a preset like [Press Quality].

• Upload your final PDF on the product page, thats the one we will use to print from.

Crop Image