Our artwork department can lay out your text and images in a professional way to make the most of your design ideas. Please follow the instructions below so you supply us with your pictures and text correctly and we can get you the best results.
Send us a mock up or rough sketches. If you have an idea of how you would like your packaging to look then please make a ‘mock up’ and send it to us by email or post.
Don't worry if your mock up looks rough. It can be some sketches on paper (you can then take a photo of the paper and send us the photos), or you can put it together in a program like Word, whatever you are comfortable using. We will use your design ideas as the basis for the artwork which will be used to create your finished print artwork.
If you do not have any idea of how it should look then we will lay out your words and pictures in a way that looks professional. If there is a certain style that you like then let us know and let us know what type of music is on your release so we can give your packaging a style appropriate to your music.
Send us a text file that includes all the text to be used for the artwork. This means all the text for your release sent in a word document, text file or in an email. If you supply your text on paper then we will have to type it up, there will be an additional charge and it will be your responsibilty to check for errors in what we have typed.
Here is a list of what you may want to include for your own release. It's not essential to include all of these so mix and match to include what's appropriate for your release.
P & C informatiom for self releases will usually be P&C, your name and the yearof release. Contact information might be social media, bandcamp, email, website, postal address, phone number or all the above; it's up to you. You may want to include other credits for producer, engineer, photography, or a list of thank yous.
Check that your text is correct before you send it to us. Print out a copy of your text and ask at least two other people to read through your text to check that it is correct. Try reading your text out loud - this is a good way to check that the text reads well.
Be realistic about the amount of text that can be included. We will not be able to fit thousands of words in a limited space so if you want a lot of writing then we may suggest that you should increase the number of pages in a booklet or include an extra insert.
When you're sure the text is correct check it one more time!
Make sure your images are large enough for us to use. If your images are too small they might not print as well as expected. They may look fuzzy or have halos or jagged lines instead of smooth lines. If your pictures are big then don't worry; it is better if the images are as large as possible.
CD
Images should be at least 1800 pixels x 1800 pixels (camera setting: 8 mega-pixels).
7” vinyl sleeve
Images should be at least 2500 pixels x 2500 pixels (camera setting: 10 mega pixels).
12” vinyl sleeve
Images should be at least 3800 pixels x 3800 pixels (camera setting: 20 mega-pixels).
Picture placement
If you want certain pictures to go alongside certain words, or on certain pages then please write a clear explaination of what you would like where. (ie front cover - flower1.jpg, back cover - tree2.jpg, page 2 of book - sky.jpg).
Logos
Send logos at the largest size that you have or as vector files and tell us where you would like the logos to appear. (ie on the back cover and the label or inside the book).
Most images originate as RGB whether that be from a phone, digital camera or a scanner however images must be converted to CMYK before they are printed. Many colours look less vibrant or bright when they are converted from RGB to CMYK so please remember this if your images have a lot of bright colours. When your picture is converted into CMYK it is likely that your pictures will not look as bright.
When you have let us know what type of packaging you require and sent us your text and pictures we will send you an initial quote.
Your initial quote will cover layout, PDF proofs (which we will email to you) and one set of amendments with a second set of PDF proofs. Any further amendments may be subject to additional costs if they exceed the estimated studio time.
When you recieve the PDF proof check everything very carefully. We recommend that you make a print out to cut out and assemble and check that all parts are on the correct pages. Be aware that you should check the page order using the page numbers indicated at the bottom of each page.
Read through it several times. Read it out loud. Give it to at least two other people to read through.
Make a note of any errors or changes that you require. List all of the alterations in an email to us, listing which page or part of the packaging that each alteration is on.