Dept. 04 · Graphic Design
Graphic design in Calgary
Good design that falls apart at the press isn't good design. Ours is built by people who print it down the hall.
Quick answer
SURE Print Foothills offers graphic design in Calgary for logos, marketing materials, signs, banners and digital ads. Our in-house designers work at our shop at 3660 60 Ave SE, next to the presses and large format printers, so every file is set up with the right bleed, colour and resolution for how it will be printed or posted.
Most of the design problems we see aren't about taste. They're technical. A logo that only exists as a blurry JPEG. A flyer with text right up against the trim line. A banner built at screen resolution that looks fine on a laptop and turns to mush at eight feet wide. We've been printing in Calgary since 1985, and we've fixed a lot of those files.
So our designers start from the end product. If it's going on a coroplast sign along Glenmore Trail, it needs to read at 60 km/h. If it's a brochure, it needs to fold in the right places. If it's an Instagram ad, it needs to make sense on a phone in about a second. You get one team that designs it and prints it, and a proof before anything goes to press.
Bring a napkin sketch, a competitor's flyer you like, or a full brand guide. We can work from any of those.
4 services
Graphic Design services
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04.01Logo Design
A logo built in vector from day one, so it works on a business card, a van door and a storefront sign. You get the files in every format you'll need later.
View logo design -
04.02Marketing Material Design
Flyers, brochures, menus, postcards, booklets and business cards laid out to print correctly the first time, with bleed, folds and colour handled.
View marketing material design -
04.03Sign & Banner Design
Large format artwork for A-frames, coroplast, banners, retractable stands and storefront signs, designed to be read from across a parking lot.
View sign & banner design -
04.04Digital Ad Design
Social media graphics, display ads and email headers sized for each platform and matched to your printed materials.
View digital ad design
Why SURE
Why Calgary businesses bring this work to us
Designers who know the press
Our designers sit in the same building as our Xerox and Heidelberg presses and HP Latex printers. They know what prints well and what doesn't, and they set files up accordingly.
A proof on every job
You see and approve a proof before anything prints. Catching a wrong phone number on screen takes a minute. Catching it on 2,000 flyers is painful.
One look across everything
Your logo, cards, signs, vehicle graphics and ads come from the same team, so colours and fonts stay consistent from the van to the website.
Your files stay on hand
We keep your artwork, so reordering cards next year or adding a new banner doesn't mean starting over.
Design for print vs. design for screen
Print and screen use different colour systems. Screens mix light in RGB. Presses lay down ink in CMYK. A bright electric blue on your monitor may not exist in ink at all, so we choose colours that hold up in both, or set up separate versions when they can't.
Resolution matters too. A web graphic at 72 pixels per inch looks crisp online and soft on paper. Print usually wants 300 ppi at final size, while large format signs can get away with less because people read them from further back. We sort that out at the start so nobody gets surprised at pickup.
Reviews
What Calgary says about us
FAQ
Graphic Design questions
How much does graphic design cost in Calgary?
It depends on what you need designed, how much of it already exists and how many rounds of changes it takes. Setting up a business card from your existing logo is a small job. Building a brand from scratch is a bigger one. Tell us about the project and we'll email you a detailed quote.
Do I have to print with you if you design it?
No. We'll hand over print-ready files you can use anywhere. Most clients do print with us, mainly because it's easier when the designer and the printer are in the same building.
What files should I send you?
Send whatever you have. Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG or a PDF made from them) are ideal for logos. If all you have is a photo of your old sign, we can usually rebuild it.
Can I see a proof before you print?
Yes. Every order gets a proof, and nothing goes to press until you approve it.
Can you match my existing brand colours?
Usually, yes. If you have brand guidelines or Pantone references, send them. If not, bring a printed sample and we'll match it as closely as the material allows.
Ready when you are
Got a job for the press?
Tell us what you need and we'll email you a detailed quote. Or just bring your files by the shop. You don't need an appointment.