FAQ
Printing and design questions, answered
Paper weights, GST invoice format, bleed, minimum quantities and turnaround times. If your question is not here, call us — we would rather explain it properly than have you order the wrong thing.
General
Where is Absolute Media located in Surat?
Our studio is at UG 123, Massimo Complex, Bhimrad-Althan Road, Bhimrad, Surat 395017. We serve businesses across the whole city — Adajan, Vesu, Piplod, Athwa, Ring Road, Katargam, Varachha, Udhna and Sachin GIDC — with delivery available.
Do you handle both design and printing?
Yes, and that is the main reason clients use us. Artwork is built to our press specification from the first draft, so files do not bounce back for missing bleed or wrong colour mode. One point of contact covers the whole job from concept to delivered stock.
How quickly can you deliver?
Flex banners are often same day. Visiting cards take two to four working days, pamphlets three to five, bill books four to six, and catalogues seven to twelve depending on binding. Tell us your deadline when you call and we will say honestly whether it is achievable.
What is the minimum order quantity?
It varies by product. Sublimation and large-format work have effectively no minimum — single pieces are fine. Offset printing becomes economical from around 1,000 copies. We will tell you which press suits your quantity rather than pushing you to a minimum order.
Can I supply my own design files?
Yes. Send a print-ready PDF with 3mm bleed, CMYK colour and 300 DPI images. We preflight every incoming file and flag problems before printing rather than after. Low-resolution images and missing bleed are the two issues we catch most often.
Do you work with businesses outside Surat?
Our core market is Surat and south Gujarat, where we can deliver and meet in person. We do take work from further afield, particularly design-only projects such as logos and brand identity where physical delivery is not a factor.
Do you print GST-compliant bill books?
Yes. We lay out invoice books with your GSTIN, consecutive serial numbering, HSN or SAC columns and the correct CGST/SGST/IGST breakup, in duplicate or triplicate on carbonless NCR paper. If you are unsure what your book needs to carry, we will walk through it before printing.
How do I get a quote?
Call +91 74055 25038. Most jobs can be quoted on the call once we know quantity, size, paper and finishing. For anything more involved you can send artwork or a brief and we will come back with a written quote.
Logo Design
How much does logo design cost in Surat?
Cost depends on how many concept routes you want and whether you also need stationery and brand guidelines. Because scope varies so widely, we quote after a short brief rather than publishing a fixed rate. Call +91 74055 25038 and we will give you a firm figure on the call.
How long does a logo take?
Most logo projects run one to two weeks from approved brief to final files. That includes the concept round, refinement, and production testing. Genuinely urgent jobs can be compressed — tell us your deadline up front and we will say honestly whether it is achievable.
Website Design
How much does a website cost in Surat?
It depends almost entirely on page count and whether you need copywriting and photography. A focused brochure site costs considerably less than a multi-service site with dozens of pages. Call +91 74055 25038 with a rough idea of what you need and we will quote properly rather than guessing.
Will my website rank on Google?
We build the technical foundation that makes ranking possible — fast loading, clean structure, schema markup, sitemap. Ranking itself also depends on your competition and ongoing content. Anyone promising guaranteed number-one rankings is selling you something they cannot deliver.
Graphic Design
Can you work from my existing brand guidelines?
Yes. Send us the guidelines and source files and we will work within them exactly. If your guidelines have gaps — a common situation — we will flag them and propose consistent choices rather than inventing something different each time.
My images are low resolution. Can you fix them?
Sometimes, within limits. We can clean up and carefully enlarge some images, but a 72 DPI web image cannot become a genuine 300 DPI press image. We will tell you honestly whether a file will hold up at the size you need, before you print thousands of copies.
Branding
What is the difference between a logo and branding?
A logo is one asset. Branding is the whole system — the mark plus the colours, typefaces, layouts and rules that make everything you produce recognisably yours. If you only buy a logo, consistency across suppliers becomes your problem to manage.
Do I really need brand guidelines?
If more than one person or supplier will ever produce material for you, yes. Guidelines are what stop your brand drifting over three years of different printers and staff. If you are a one-person business printing one thing, they matter much less.
Advertisement Design
Why did the newspaper reject my advertisement file?
Most rejections come from wrong colour mode (RGB instead of CMYK), insufficient resolution, missing bleed, or dimensions that do not match the booked column size. Publications enforce mechanical specs strictly because they cannot fix files at press time.
Why does my ad look darker in the newspaper than on screen?
Newsprint is absorbent, so ink spreads slightly on contact — an effect called dot gain. Mid-tones print darker than they appear on screen. We compensate for this when building the artwork, which is why press ads need designing rather than resizing.
Social Media Design
Do you manage the social media accounts as well?
We focus on the creative — design, artwork and ad sets. Posting schedules and community management are usually handled by you or a dedicated agency. We will supply everything correctly sized and ready to publish.
Why does my text get cut off in Instagram stories?
Stories have interface elements at the top and bottom that overlay roughly 250px each. Anything placed there gets covered. We keep content inside the safe zone, which is why we design at full 1080×1920 rather than cropping other artwork.
Hoarding Design
How large should the text be on a hoarding?
A practical rule is about 25mm of letter height for every metre of viewing distance. A board read from 40 metres therefore needs lettering around one metre tall. This is why hoardings carry so few words — there is simply no room once type is sized correctly.
What resolution does hoarding artwork need?
Much lower than people expect, because it is viewed from far away. Artwork built at 1:10 scale and 300 DPI equates to 30 DPI at full size, which is standard for large-format flex. Supplying full-size 300 DPI files would produce unusably large files for no visible benefit.
Pamphlet Printing
What is the minimum quantity for pamphlet printing?
Offset becomes economical from around 1,000 copies. Below that, plate and setup costs dominate and digital printing usually works out cheaper. We will tell you which press suits your quantity rather than pushing you to a minimum order.
How much does pamphlet printing cost in Surat?
Cost per copy depends on quantity, paper weight and whether you print both sides — and it falls sharply as quantity rises. Because those four variables move the price so much, we quote on a call rather than publishing a misleading single rate. Ring +91 74055 25038.
Bill Book Printing
What must a GST bill book contain?
A tax invoice must show your name, address and GSTIN; a consecutive serial number; date of issue; the buyer’s details; HSN or SAC codes; description, quantity and value; the taxable value; and the tax rate split into CGST and SGST for intra-state supply or IGST for inter-state. We lay all of these out correctly.
Should I get duplicate or triplicate?
Duplicate gives you an original for the buyer and one retained copy, which suits most service businesses and counter retail. Triplicate adds a transporter copy and is the right choice if you move goods — which is why most Ring Road and Sachin GIDC clients take triplicate.
Visiting Card Printing
What is the standard visiting card size in India?
The most common size is 3.5 × 2 inches (89 × 51 mm), which fits standard card holders and wallets. Some businesses use 88 × 58 mm. We recommend sticking to a standard size unless you have a specific reason, because non-standard cards get bent in wallets.
Which GSM is best for visiting cards?
300 GSM is the practical standard and feels professional. 350 and 400 GSM feel noticeably more substantial and suit consultants, architects and premium retail. Above 400 GSM the card becomes awkward in a wallet, so that is a sensible upper limit.
Brochure Printing
Which brochure fold should I choose?
Tri-fold suits a sequential story and fits a standard envelope. Bi-fold gives a larger spread for product ranges and photography. Z-fold opens flat so the whole message is visible at once. Tell us what the brochure has to communicate and we will recommend the fold.
Why does my brochure crack along the fold?
Because it was folded without creasing first. On stocks above about 170 GSM the paper fibre breaks when forced, especially through a dark printed area. Creasing compresses the fibre along the fold line first. We crease heavier stocks as standard.
Catalogue Printing
Saddle stitching or perfect binding — which do I need?
Saddle stitching is cheaper, lies flat when open, and works up to about 48 pages. Perfect binding gives a square printable spine and handles far higher page counts, but does not lie as flat. Page count usually makes the decision for you.
Why must saddle-stitched pages be a multiple of four?
Because each sheet is folded in half and nested, producing four pages — two on each side. The construction physically cannot produce a page count that is not divisible by four. If your content lands on 46 pages, we either add two or trim two.
Book Printing
How is spine width calculated?
Spine width is page count multiplied by the paper’s bulk (thickness per sheet), plus the cover boards for a hardcase. It differs between paper stocks even at the same GSM, so it must be calculated for your exact specification — not estimated.
What is a gutter margin?
The gutter is the extra inner margin next to the binding. Without it, text disappears into the spine when the book is opened, particularly on thick perfect-bound volumes. The heavier the book, the more gutter it needs.
Poster Printing
What resolution does a poster need?
Around 150 DPI at final printed size is sufficient, because posters are viewed from a distance rather than held. An A1 poster therefore needs roughly 3500 × 5000 pixels. Going to 300 DPI at that size produces enormous files for no visible gain.
Which material for an outdoor poster?
Self-adhesive vinyl or synthetic paper with UV-stable inks, laminated. Standard art paper will cockle in humidity and fade within weeks in direct sun. Tell us the location and expected life and we will specify appropriately.
Banner Printing
What is the difference between star flex and backlit flex?
Star flex is opaque and suits banners lit from the front or not at all. Backlit flex is translucent and designed for boards with lights inside — using ordinary flex on a lit board produces a dull, patchy result because light cannot pass through evenly.
What resolution does a banner file need?
Much less than people assume. Banners are viewed from a distance, so roughly 30 DPI at full size is standard — which is the same as 300 DPI at one-tenth scale. Supplying full-size 300 DPI files creates unmanageable file sizes with no visible improvement.
Letterhead Printing
Which GSM is right for a letterhead?
90 to 100 GSM is standard and runs reliably through office printers. 120 GSM feels more substantial and suits letters that carry weight — contracts, formal correspondence — but check it feeds through your printer before ordering a large quantity.
Why does my letterhead smear in the office printer?
Usually heavy ink coverage near the edges, or stock too thick for the printer’s paper path. Laser printers also grip a margin at the leading edge. We keep designs clear of that zone and advise on stock that actually feeds.
Letterpress Printing
Can letterpress print photographs?
No, not well. Letterpress reproduces solid shapes, type and line art. Photographs and fine gradients do not translate. If your design depends on a photograph, offset or digital printing with a spot UV or foil accent will serve you far better.
Why is letterpress so much more expensive?
Because each colour needs its own plate, the press is set up by hand for each job, it runs slowly, and the cotton stock itself costs several times more than art card. It is a craft process — worth it when the tactile quality is the point, wasteful when it is not.
Sublimation Printing
Can you sublimate onto a cotton t-shirt?
No. Sublimation dye bonds only to polyester fibres and coated surfaces — on cotton it simply washes out. For cotton garments you need screen printing or DTF transfer instead. If you bring your own shirts, check the composition label first.
Will a sublimated mug survive the dishwasher?
Yes. Because the dye bonds into the coating rather than sitting on the surface, it does not peel or wash off the way sticker or vinyl-applied designs do. Sublimated mugs are dishwasher safe under normal use.
Invitation Card Printing
How far in advance should I order wedding cards?
Allow four to six weeks before you need to distribute them. Foiling, laser cutting and boxed assembly all add time, and wedding season demand is heavy in Surat. Ordering early also leaves room to correct anything found at proofing.
Can you print in Gujarati and English together?
Yes, and we set both properly. The two scripts have different line heights and character widths, so a layout designed for one usually needs adjusting for the other. Forcing them into identical spacing is what makes bilingual cards look cramped.
Corporate Gifts
When should I order Diwali corporate gifts?
Six to eight weeks before Diwali. Popular items sell out, branding capacity is fully booked across Surat in the final fortnight, and rushing assembly is where mistakes happen. Ordering in advance also gives you a better choice of stock.
Which branding method lasts longest?
Laser engraving on metal is permanent — it removes material rather than adding a layer. Sublimation on coated ceramics is also extremely durable. Screen printing on fabric is good. Vinyl stickers are the weakest and will peel, which is why we avoid them.
Tell us what you need printed.
One call is usually enough to scope the job, confirm specifications and give you a firm price. We answer during working hours and can quote most jobs on the spot.
Bhimrad-Althan Road, Bhimrad, Surat · Serving all of Surat