Art File Prep

From sleek and stylish to bold and eye-catching, our full suite of design services ensures your project gets the professional polish it deserves.

Reach out to your dedicated customer representative or shoot us an email at help@memphisvinyl.com for all the details. You’ve poured your heart and soul into crafting your record and now it’s time to make sure it’s dressed to impress!

Please follow these guidelines when preparing your album artwork:

300 PPI RESOLUTION

For optimal printing quality, your final art requires a resolution of 300 ppi (pixels per inch). Please note: Large dimensions (i.e. 2000 x 2000) do not ensure a higher resolution.

NO RGB COLOR

For a pristine print, please make sure all of your art is in CMYK and/or PMS color mode. Trust us, it’s the way to go. Using anything else, like RGB, might mess with the colors once printed. Let’s keep those hues accurate and vibrant!

1/8`` BLEED

You’ll want to leave an extra ⅛” margin around the perimeter to allow for precise trimming. So, for instance, if you’re working on a 12″ x 12″ design, stretch it out to 12.25” x 12.25” in your final PDF file. This ensures a clean finish and will keep your art looking sharp! Note: Some items may require additional bleed, which will be clearly marked in our templates.

NO TEMPLATES ON FINAL ART

Let’s keep those specs and guidelines out of sight! When exporting your final art, you’ll want to hide any templates you’ve used. Clean artwork, no specs – that’s the idea!

EMBED ALL FONTS

Kindly keep those fonts in your artwork either outlined (yep, converted to those slick vector shapes) or bundled up nice and tight with your files. That way, we’ve got everything we need to nail the printing of your album designs.

HIGH QUALITY PDF's

For best results (and the quickest turnaround), please send us your album artwork in high-resolution PDF format. Delivering your art in PDF format will ensure that every detail is maintained in the final print. For information regarding other acceptable formats, please reference our advanced file prep guide below.

Additional Resources

FAQ's

We understand the intricate world of vinyl production can sometimes leave you scratching your head. Fear not! Here are some FAQs covering everything from our products to our ordering process. If your query isn’t covered here, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help!

How do I place an order?

Looking for a quote, or have an order ready to rock’n’roll? Tap here

What product options do you offer?

Dig deeper into our vinyl offerings at our Vinyl Records, and Deluxe Packaging pages.

How accurate are quotes?

While our quotes are pretty spot-on, they don’t cover shipping, production tolerance, or taxes. We’ll nail down those specifics with you at the end of the ordering process.

What is the production tolerance?

Due to the nature of vinyl production, there’s a variance of +/- 10% in materials. So, you might receive slightly more or fewer records than what you ordered. If you get less, you’ll be reimbursed; if you get more, we’ll send an additional invoice. Please be sure and speak to your customer service representative for more details.

How do I pay for my order?

You’ve got options for payment: we can shoot you a PayPal invoice, or you can ring us up and pay by credit card.
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Prefer the old-school route? We gladly accept checks mailed to:
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Memphis Record Pressing
3015 Brother Blvd.
Memphis, TN 38133

Just remember, unless we’ve made special arrangements beforehand, full payment is due before we kickstart the vinyl-making magic.

How do i submit my artwork?

Once you’ve hashed out the details with your friendly customer service rep, it’s time to send in your art files via email. Please send us your art files via a file-sharing service such as Dropbox, Hightail, WeTransfer, etc. We also accept transfers via FTP, so please reach out to your customer service rep for that info. Before we kickstart the printing process, you’ll get proofs of your art files to double-check.

For tips on file prep, head over to our Art File Prep page. Need a deeper dive? Check out our Advanced File Prep here.

How do I submit my audio files?

Once your order is all squared away with your customer service rep (CSR), please send us your audio files via a file-sharing service such as Dropbox, Hightail, WeTransfer, etc. We also accept transfers via FTP, so please reach out to your customer service rep for that info. Note that the preferred format for audio files is high-resolution WAV, which can often be pretty large files, and thus unsuitable for email.

For handy tips on file prep, hop over to our Audio File Prep page.

Do you issue UPC barcodes?

Absolutely! For just $35, we can hook you up with a custom barcode for your project. Just give us a heads-up if you need a UPC when placing your order.

Can i re-order?

Certainly! You’re welcome to reorder as frequently as necessary. Plus, the turnaround time tends to be turbocharged, thanks to MRP maintaining the audio and art for your project on file.

When licensing samples, what do I need to do?

For MRP to move forward, a paper trail via an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) form is paramount. This document demonstrates your authority to produce licensed content. MRP mandates this IPR form to maintain the sanctity of copyright materials and other intellectual property rights. Access the form here. It’s the verifiable voucher of your recording ownership; without it, MRP’s presses remain paused.

How much music can I fit on a 12`` record?

Heed this advice: stick to 22 minutes per side for a 33 ⅓ RPM record, and for 12” LPs spinning at 45 RPM, cap it at 16 minutes per side. We suggest you place your most powerful tracks upfront on each side. Remember, as the vinyl diameter shrinks towards the center, playback quality declines. For more information, head over to the Audio File Prep page.

Are there any minimums?

Given the intricate process of vinyl pressing, MRP kindly requests a minimum order quantity of 300 records. However, we now offer a special program called “Short-Run” where we can press as little as 100 records. CLICK HERE to learn more about short-run vinyl pressing.

Why do you have a lacquer mastering process when I already had the audio mastered?

Audio mastering and lacquer mastering are two different processes. It’s imperative your audio is expertly mastered specifically for vinyl and meets your satisfaction before forwarding the files to MRP. Once MRP has your audio files, we “cut” a lacquer master that is then processed through a series of steps to prepare it for manufacturing. For more information about this process, please check out our Vinyl 101 page.

What is the matrix number and catalog number?

The ‘matrix’ (or catalog) number is a unique identification number that is etched into the inner ‘matrix’ area of the record. This number is normally assigned by the person placing the order, and identifies the audio for any given record according to the customer’s organizational system. When it comes time to press the records, MRP etches the matrix/catalog number in the blank space between the label and the audio grooves (the ‘matrix’ area). This number is then pressed into every subsequent record, allowing for easy identification.

How will my records be shipped?

MRP’s got your back when it comes to getting your records to your distributor. And hey, if you need them sent somewhere else too, no sweat, we can handle that. We take extra care to double-box your records for a smooth ride. Usually, about 25 single-jacket LPs cozy up in one box, but that number varies. We like to roll with FedEx, but if you’ve got a different carrier in mind, just submit a request with your customer service rep!

Will you store my products?

MRP’s in high gear, hustling to get vinyl records from a bunch of labels and musicians into the hands of eager fans pronto. Our warehouse is always buzzing and filled to the brim, leaving zero space for storage.

Do you ship internationally?

Sure thing! If your distributor is based internationally, we’ll ship your records straight to them without any hassle.