Proofs & Downloads

With every order placed with us you are emailed confirmation of your order. Attached to this email is your invoice.
However, if you need to, you can also download your invoice from your account panel on the related order.

Follow the steps below to download your invoice:

  1. Visit your account panel.
  2. Locate your order (these are in your order list).
  3. Click the 'Invoice' button to download your invoice.

As standard, you are not able to download a PDF of your order from your account panel.
If you need a PDF of your order please contact our studio team: studio@colourdigitalprint.com

You will be sent a low resolution PDF file. We can only send a PDF file with an order that has been placed with us as our pdf files are only generated with a successful order.

In your account panel under your portfolio are your current designs with us.

At any time you can click and view the preview icon of the design you have created.

When viewing the preview, you can 'right click' with your mouse on each image and save to your computer - please note these preview images are thumbnail and low resolution and will also have the visual guides on them.

If you require a PDF file please contact our studio team on the email: studio@colourdigitalprint.com

Please note: We can only send a PDF file with an order that has been placed with us as our pdf files are only generated with a successful order.

About Us...

We are based in Devon, in between the rolling hills of Newton Abbot, Totnes & Torquay, ideally situated next to the New South Devon Link Road making for the best transport links in and out of South Devon.

Our new online design module is software that allows you the customer to design directly here on our website. Depending on the product you have chosen the software will allow you to choose a pre-defined template and adjust or make changes as you see fit or the software also allows you to create a new bespoke unique design from scratch. The facility to upload your own images and store them on our servers. You will be able to select elements such as fonts from a pre-defined list.

This software not only will streamline the design process it will allow you the customer to cut out the middle man designer. The software natively outputs a PDF file ready for use when printing with us.

All designs created by you will automatically be saved for later use when returning.

We help your business by offering an efficient print portal with competitive pricing. This teamed up with the online design module streamlines the processes involved in purchasing print. Our level of customer service and turnaround times means you are always ahead of the competition in support and service.

Printing & Colours

It is very important to remember that we print in CMYK and not RGB but we do recommend that you leave your images in sRGB format and let us do the conversion to CMYK as it provides a better result with our new CANON printers.

Adobe lightroom will use the sRGB format as standard and there is no need to change unless you are not getting the desired results. If you need or want to convert to CMYK you will need software such as Adobe Photoshop.

There are colours in the RGB spectrum that cannot be reached in CMYK, and if your files are left as RGB our printers convert them automatically, and do a pretty good jub, you just need to undersatnd these are different colour spaces so there may be a slight change.

Using Adobe Lightroom:

Ok, light room does not deal with CMYK images only RGB, so if you are using this software you really need to make sure that you format your images in the sRGB profile. Whatever you do DO NOT choose to format your images in the PROPHOTO profile - this profile is NOT suited to commercial printing and will provide undesirable results.

Using Adobe Photoshop: (NO LONGER REQUIRED - BUT HERE IS HOW IF YOU WANT TO)

Make sure your colour settings are correct, to setup your colour settings go to the EDIT menu in photoshop and choose the option > Colour Settings.
In this menu you have the choice of presets, your best choice for UK commercial printing is to choose EUROPE PREPRESS 3 - this will adjust your ICC profile to the coated Fogra39 profile for CMYK images which is what we use when printing.

  • Once you have set up this you can then start to open your images and then convert to the CMYK format.
  • To convert your images, use the Image Menu header and choose > Mode > CMYK. By selecting this your image will then be converted to the correct colour space for printing.
  • It is at this point you should then adjust your colours and or balance/saturation and what you see on screen should then resemble what gets printed.
  • Also, make sure you have the correct resolution for printing, this is 300dpi for optimal printing.

Save your images as JPEGs in this format and then use them in your online designs. Jpeg format help keeps the file size down for creating your calendars online. You cannot upload a TIFF file when designing online so saving in this format is the best way to go.

DIGITAL PRINTING - What you need to know...

We are a digital printer and use the latest technology CANON printers. These are 'toner base printers' which is then 'fused' to the paper.

The colour is made up of 4 colours (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) toners which are applied on top of the paper then get a hot roller process to 'fuse' the toners to the paper. This results in a more vibrant print - some people may say this is oversaturated, however, it is not, it is simply because there is no 'dry-back' to the paper like you would get with traditional wet ink printing method. Because there is no dry-back with digital print, your prints stay lush and vibrant.

As a recommendation we always say if colour is important to you then get a printed proof - this can save a lot of money in the long run if you are conscious of how your artwork/images are going to be printed and the colour output.

CMYK vs RGB - Just what exactly can happen?

OK, so now you know that your images will print differently based on what format and colour space you use, it would be worth showing you how this affects your images. We prefer your files in RGB format as we have found this provides a better printed result.

Shown here is an image formatted in sRGB which is lovely and vibrant, and then the same image shown converted to CMYK. You will see the image has lost some of its colours when converted to CMYK - this is because the CMYK spectrum of colour cannot match the same spectrum that RGB can reach.

If you do intend on supplying your files in CMYK, we recommend that you tweak your colours to suit your needs, but strongly recommend leaving your images in RGB if you have orginated them that way. This usually works better with our workflow and colour settings.

If you leave your images in RGB and then we print them, the printer automatically converts the images during the process to CMYK, based on what's going in it tries to replicate this as best as possible - the result of this is a more vibrant print which we have found most of our customers prefer - however it is natural for a slight difference from RGB and screen to CMYK when printing, but in most cases this isnt too dramatic.

As a recommendation we always say if colour is important to you then get a printed proof - this can save a lot of money in the long run if you are conscious of how your calendar is going to be printed and the colour output.

But My Screen Shows My Images How I Like Them...

Yes, of course it does...its YOUR screen, you are used to this, and you accept this as being CORRECT - but as equipment is all different, as well as lighting and ambient environments who is to say your screen is 100% colour accurate over the screen in your conservatory room, or the HD screen on your friends tablet or phone in their garage - which one is right? The image here shows just how different things can look, which one is correct.......Neither - the printed proof is correct.

This is a massive topic and we cannot go into it -but quite frankly you cannot rely on what you see on your moniotrs to be 100% correct. We calibrate our monitors here to match what we see on screen to what comes out from the printer.

We can do this as we have a start point (screen) and an end point (print) but we cannot convey that to you with an email proof. You must get a  printed proof to show the final output in all cases if colour is important to you.

So the Final Outcome?

We mention it quite a bit here, if you are in anyway conscious of colour or expect a specific output based on what you see then you really should be ordering a printed proof. We offer different levels of proofing, here they are explained in full:

1 - No Proof - I Accept The Printed Result:

This option is without any proofing, you assume full responsibility for your printing, Your job will get printed as is and there isn't much we can do if there is something wrong with your details or information. So colour accuracy is not covered, spelling, grammar etc - however, what is covered in the layout, if there is a printing glitch such as an image is missing off your calendar, but it's in your design studio, or there is a print defect then, of course, we rectify these issues.

2 - Email Proof

For this option, we send your file again to you after your order is placed. This file will be a low-resolution PDF file optimised to be sent by email. There will be a loss in quality for this proof and cannot be used for quality or colour accuracy - this email proof will be purely content only and is a good way of double-checking everything is ok with your file one last time before it goes to print - You CANNOT use an email proof as a colour accurate proof.

3 - Unbound Printed Proof

This means we will print your file out and proof physically. Here you will see the actual output for colour accuracy and final quality. If there is anything wrong at this stage we can then look to rectify any issues. Perhaps the colour isn't right or the quality of the images is too poor - we can then work together to rectify any issues to get the right output so everyone is happy.

4 - Full Bound Printed Proof

The same as above, but here we fully finish your proof into a final item, so any calendar binding and punching will be included showing the final product exactly as it's going to be produced.

All printing here is printed in CMYK. We do not print in RGB.

Any files that you use in your designs or any artwork submitted to us in RGB colour spaces will be automatically converted to the CMYK colour space for effective printing.

RGB colours are for screen application only and there are colours in the RGB spectrum that CMYK cannot reach - this is why your designs in RGB can appear slightly different when printed - this si to be expected.

Our online design module is setup to work in sRGB as standard and we convert to CMYK as the file is being printed, this seems to give the best result.

 

Resolution refers to the quality of the file you are going to print. we always recommend your files to be at 300dpi of their intended print size.

All professional software will output a PDF file at this high quality resolution however if the images you are using in your documents ARE NOT set at 300dpi before you put them in then they will not magically then become 300dpi when you output your files...

Certain software will not output your files as high res 300dpi, for instance Microsoft Power Point is a screen only application and not recommended to be used as a print application.

If you are in any doubt contact us here for advice, or send us a file so that we can check the quality of the file you are looking to print. If you have any hesitation in the quality you want to print, then we always recommed selecting a printed proof where available to ensure you are happy with the final outcome.

We now only print our products using DIGITAL PRINTING methods and have teamed up with CANON UK.

We term ourself as a 'Digital Printer' as our Offset machinery has Direct Imaging technology. This means we image directly to the printing presses negating the need for the traditional plate making methods and the chemical processes associated with these traditional methods. The majority of our print however is achieved using the latest Digital Presses from CANON UK. Offset litho printing is rarely used, but we do have this facility for very large print runs or special jobs we undertake.

We are very environmentally friendly with a very low carbon footprint. Our offset press also runs without a water feed (most offset printing presses have a direct constant water feed) and with vegetable-based toners is one of the most ecological printing presses on the planet.

Our digital print equipment is the latest Canon graphic production units, we run multiples of these machines that can handle short to high run print on demand, providing near offset printing quality. By running multiple machines we guarantee a 99% uptime which means we do not let our customers down.

Yes we do offer double sided calendar printing - this is only available on our design service range or our upload your artwork range - you cannot have a double sided calendar using the design online software.

Calendar Images

Our Themes are the layout style, and do not include the images as standard - However we do offer STOCK IMAGES using our PIXABAY service. This service will allow you to find 'millions of images' for use in your project if you do not have any of your own.

We also offer a host of icons, logos, graphics and clipart that can be used in your designs. These can be found in the inage gallery section within the design studio.

Yes of course you can, you can do this with our calendar design software or using the design service. We can also do this for you. It is normal to have different images per month for calendars. You can also include a front cover image if you have ordered a calendar with a  front cover.

Products

There is no limit to the amount of items you can order with us, however there is a limit to how many of each item you can order.

On all of our products the minimum and maximum quantity is listed. The reason for this is due to our printing methods and sheet sizes we only list our competitive volumes.

There are up to three options for supplying or designing and customising a product.
On every product page you are presented with these available options:

1. Custom Design: lets you create a bespoke design from scratch. Click it to open the design studio and use multiple tools to create your own design from a blank starting point and add your images, logos, captions and contact information. You can also add your own special dates to the calendars and diaries. We call these 'event dates' and there is a TAB section in the design studio to add these.

2. Upload Design: using this option, you can upload your own PDF PRINT READY FILE - use this option when supplying an already designed - Print Ready Artwork (Also called Camera Ready) - This service is intended for those that have created the design offline in full and its 'ready to print'
Please note: uploading just 'Images' is NOT  a print ready file - if you only have the images, then you should use our software online to create your calendar.

3. Browse Design: If the product has pre-defined templates available for use, then select this option to choose from our pre-loaded templates. Work on them or customise them through our design studio.

4. Designer Service: We offer a design service, which is a charged for service. If you have the images and information, but are not confident enough to use our studio software, or perhaps want your calendar to be as professional as possible, we offer this service. This service is only avilable on Calendars, Greeting Cards, Diaries and Notebooks. We do not offer a design service for our photobooks.

Delivery

We use a combination of FEDEX, DPD and UPS for our deliveries.

  • All UK mainland deliveries are sent on a next day service using FEDEX.
  • Remote, and 'over water' UK deliveries are sent using DPD 2 Day Service.
  • International deliveries are sent using UPS, Standard international service, usually 3-5 working days.

We have found these to offer the best all round service, not only including looking after your parcels during transit but also offering the best tracking methods available. FEDEX inform you for the day of delivery, DPD will go a little further and give you a 'time-slot' and UPS will also keep you updtaed on your delivery.

Pricing

Our price calculator system shows the price to you beofre placing the order. To get a final price for any item, simply add your items to the shopping cart - here you will see the final price you will be paying for your items. Any delivery charges will also be shown at the shopping cart and checkout stage.

Our dynamic price calculation system allows you to configure each product and see the price with or without VAT, right on the product page, or landing page before adding to the shopping cart or checkout stages.