If you have been considering using printed mouse mats to promote your company, this article will help you to ensure you get best end product possible. You may know that there are many different types of mouse mats available for promotional use. These guidelines apply to the majority of styles and sizes.

The first thing to consider is whether you want screen printed mouse mats or a full colour design. If you are hoping to achieve an exact colour match of your logo, you will want to screen print your mouse pads. By screen printing, you can achieve an exact Pantone match of the colours in your logo. If, on the other hand, you are more interested in having a beautiful, colourful design, you will want to print in full colour. A very close, but not exact colour match of your logo will still be possible and you can have multi-coloured pictures printed on the mats. The full colour option is by far the most popular.

Once you have decided which printing technique is right for your requirements, it is time to get your artwork together. By following the below advice, you will achieve the best results while saving time allowing for a speedier delivery.

1. Screen Printing

• Supply an editable vector eps of your logo and design. If you are not sure what this is, contact your promotional gift supplier or designer. They should be able to assist you in getting your artwork in the correct format.
• Supply the design to be printed approximately 100% larger than the actual print areas. Your printer can then reduce the artwork down to fit onto the mouse mats.
• Ensure that all Pantone colours are supplied with the artwork! Failure to do so will delay your order and could result in missing your deadline.
• Please ensure that all of the fonts used in your logo and/or design are outlined. Failure to do this will delay the order if your printer does not have the font used on their system.

2. Full Colour Design

• Please ensure that your artwork is supplied in CMYK at a minimum of 300dpi.
• Ensure that all of the components used in your design are clearly identified. This includes, jpeg, tiff, pdf and eps files. All fonts used in the design should be supplied with the artwork.

3. Instructions Regardless of the Print Method

• Supply the design with a 5mm bleed. For those of you who are not familiar with this term, it means to extend your design by at least 5mm. This will ensure that the design fits correctly on the mouse mats when they are dye-cut so that the design does not stop before the edge of the mouse mat.
• Please ensure that all of the fonts used in your logo and/or design are outlined. Failure to do this will delay the order if your printer does not have the font used on their system.

Dan Toombs is the Managing Director of CompuGift Limited, the UK's first internet based promotional gift supplier. The company was established in 1997 and is a leading supplier of promotional business gifts to businesses in the UK and Europe. CompuGift's mouse mats can be viewed at http://www.compugift.co.uk/_/promotional-mouse-mats.

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How to Prepare Your Artwork For Printing on to Promotional Mouse Mats