What are Custom Templates?
Custom Templates on the Print Services Gateway allow you to order smaller, non-standard paper sizes like postcards or rack cards, while ensuring the best cost efficiency. Usually, this involves the system placing multiple of your final sized print onto a larger sheet of paper to maximize usage, then having your items cut out.
Print Services has a wide range of sizes available, but if there's a size that you'd like that currently isn't an option, please submit a request using this form: New Custom Template Size Request
What does 'Bleed' mean?
Specifically on the Custom Templates, this notes if the template is configured to account for design bleeds - check out this other Knowledge Base Article about bleeds: What is Full-Bleed Printing?
On templates that do not indicate bleed, the item will be printed with a 1/4" (0.25") white border around all edges of the final print.
What are these 'Scaling' Options?
On most templates, you can adjust the scaling of your artwork to the image frame on the template.
Your artwork will always be centered into the frame, regardless of the size of your artwork or the scaling option selected.
All examples will use this 'artwork' sized 8.5x11 inches in portrait orientation.
Scaling: "None / Actual Size"
If you have created artwork for the exact size and orientation of your selected template, this is the option you should select!
This option is used when you want the artwork to remain at the original size; the artwork is not scaled down and anything that is outside of the frame is 'clipped' off from the print - shown in the example below as washed out.
Scaling: "Best Fit"
This option scales your artwork proportionately until the entire artwork is visible within the frame; in many cases, this will create a white border on two of the edges.
Scaling: "Fit to Shortest Edge"
This option scales your artwork proportionately until the shortest edge of your artwork is fully within the frame; which can be either the vertical or horizontal edge depending on your artwork. Any artwork that is outside the frame edges will be 'clipped' off from the print - shown in the example below as washed out.
Scaling: "Fill"
This option stretches your artwork to fill the frame, regardless of orientation or size. This option is generally suggested to not be used except for very specific instances.
Scaling: "Proportional Fill"
This option scales your artwork proportionately to fill the frame; artwork outside the frame edges will be 'clipped' off from the print - shown in the example below as washed out. This can be useful in situations where there is excess background space that is safe to cut out without distorting the image and information.
