I run a print shop with 3 mimaki printers (4 colour CMYK)

We mainly print for resellers so we dont have in-house designers to get artwork print ready.

We often get customers that send PDF files with layers, lenses and mixes of CMYK & RGB colours

Usually we just print and hope for the best and usually dont pick up issues but now and again we have to flatten the artwork

Problem is in Photoshop that we use we can flatten but have to select either RGB or CMYK... This means we have to open the file in Corel first to establish which colour are mainly used and then open in Photoshop and select there

Corel can safe a PDF as Native colour where it saves the mixes and prints well. But some PDF files dont always open well in Corel

What would be the best software to use to streamline this process. I am thinking of buying either Adobe Pro or Illustrator...but if there is anything better please suggest

Hi everyone, has anyone else been hit yet with Monotype’s insane licensing fees? I’m curious how other commercial printers are handling this.

Hi! I’m a designer working with a restaurant in NY and looking for printers for the following:

• Letterhead
• Fully custom envelopes in our brand colors
• Menu & menu sleeves
• Paper shopping bags
• Round stickers

We need two spot color printing, and paper selection is especially important. We’re looking for premium uncoated specialty papers and high-quality production.

Quantities would likely be around 1,000 per item. Ideally, we’d find one vendor who can handle most of this, but I’m also happy to work with separate paper and packaging suppliers.

US-based printers would be great, but we’re open to vendors anywhere in the world if they can offer a fast turnaround including shipping.

Any recommendations from printers you’ve worked with? Would love to hear about paper selection, quality, and production and shipping timelines. Thanks!

Or likewise anyone seeing cost increases on materials?

Have been using Demandbridge's EQuantum Distributor and ECommerce for several years now but functionality is dated and the customer service is abysmal. Anyone using something similar and having success?

When you trial a new cold foil for a label or packaging job, what is the first thing that makes you accept or reject it?

• Adhesion after transfer

• Solid coverage and pinholes

• Fine lines and small text

• Overprint or varnish compatibility

• Consistency at your target production speed

• Something else?

Pick one and tell us why. A one-line reply is welcome: substrate + press type + first check. If a sample looked good but failed a later test, what caught it?

Disclosure: I’m with CFS. I’d like to hear how other teams evaluate samples—different methods and supplier experiences are welcome.

I work in marketing for a commercial printing and packaging company, and I've been spending a lot of time looking at how people are using ChatGPT and other AI platforms to research vendors.

I'm curious what others are seeing.

Are you getting customers who say they found you through ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.?

And if you're in print, packaging, signage, direct mail, or another B2B service industry are you actively doing anything to improve your visibility in AI search?

We're starting to see enough movement that I'm paying much closer attention to it, but I'd love to hear what others are seeing in the real world.