Print Templates: Delivering files

You are on the verge of creating a dynamic print template with Storyteq technology. Great! In order for us to successfully turn your master file into a template on the Storyteq platform, it needs to meet some requirements.  

This article will show you all the requirements for delivering your project files.

1. The brief

Our main aim on all template builds is to get it right the first time and to keep amends to a minimum. This requires an accurate, detailed brief, which will remove the need for us to query or guess anything.

The brief is the most important part of any template build. On static studio artwork, the main consideration is usually how it looks. The templates we build are able to move and respond to the user’s controls, so not only do we need to consider how the template looks, but most importantly, how the template reacts.

This is your opportunity to tell us exactly what you want us to build and how you want it to work. The better the quality of information we receive, the more chance we have of getting it right the first time.

A good brief will feature the following:

• Artwork master files

• Information on which areas of the supplied artwork need to be editable

• Maximum character counts for any editable text areas

• Information on the functionality required, e.g., selectors, toggles, image/date pickers

Brief examples:

 2. InDesign Artwork Supply

Our team requires all artwork layout files to be supplied in InDesign. We have a set of scripts that we run to extract information from InDesign artwork, such as color information/breakdowns, image/text positioning, etc. They speed up the template creation process and allow us to build more quickly.


3. Preflight

Unless already produced or worked on in the ITG studio, we recommend that all supplied artwork is briefed into their department for preflighting. This has proved to be beneficial, as all issues are resolved before the artwork reaches us, allowing our team to concentrate on building templates.

 4. Location

Once preflighted by the studio, attach the InDesign file along with a brief in the ‘Order a Template’ tab in the Storyteq platform.

 5. Images


All images should be hi-res and positioned within the artwork to allow sufficient bleed. All logos should be supplied as vectors wherever possible to allow them to be used in various sizes. If different images/logos are required for selection, they need to be supplied in position on separate layers.

6. Text

Any editable text must be set up as a solid color. No patterns or vignettes.


If different headlines/copy are required for selection, they need to be supplied in position on separate layers.

7. Fonts


All fonts for editable areas should be licensed and available on Universal Type Client for us to work with. We are unable to work with Adobe Fonts for an editable copy as we need an actual font file to upload to Storyteq. If fonts are not available on Universal Type Client, they will need to be purchased via the studio.

 8. Extra information

Additional points for studio reference...

• With the exception of cutter guides, please ensure that no elements are set to overprint.

• If more than one layout is required, e.g., 1, 2, or 3 logos, we’ll need an example of each layout to work to.

• If the editable copy is set up in magenta, please let us know the color it should appear in on the template.

• Empty belly templates should always contain an example copy for us to work on.

• Ensure ‘Redefine Scaling’ is greyed out on all copy and that all copy is set up at 100%

• Avoid setting up gradients in InDesign. If possible, please add them to the image or background itself.

• Though drop shadows can be achieved, we suggest avoiding their use unless 100% necessary.

 9. Template examples