File Preparation Guide.
Before preparing your project files, please refer to this guide for assistance.
1. Work with the best applications for the job.
Use industry standard programs such as Quark X-press & Adobe InDesign for page layouts, Adobe Photoshop for image manipulation, and Adobe Illustrator for illustrations. These programs output the highest quality and give us the most flexibility in processing your digital files. Avoid using Microsoft Office or Microsoft Publisher since they are not designed for high quality printing.
2. Supply all the necessary files & fonts for the job
Send us all placed art files (or linked images) and font files used in the page layout document. Be sure to delete all extra images left on the pasteboards before you collect for output. This will avoid any confusion or unnecessarily large collected files. Both Quark X-press & Adobe InDesign have a “collect” function that will automatically do this for you. Graphics that are missing will result in low resolution outputs, while missing fonts may create text reflow.
3. Colors
Be sure all placed graphics are saved in CMYK mode. RGB graphics must be converted to CMYK to avoid undesirable color shifts and extra preflight charges. Define the names of any spot color inks by their respective Pantone numbers. All foils, die lines, and embossing areas should also be designated as spot colors.
4. Images
All photographs and raster images should have 300 dpi resolutions at 100% of their final size. Using more than 300 dpi for images is not recommended. It will not enhance the image quality, but rather increase the overall file size and slow the print process. When in Quark X-press or Adobe InDesign, avoid rotating images or using the Quark clipping function whenever possible. For best results, do your rotations and clipping paths in Photoshop and save the file as an EPS.
5. Fonts
When defining a font, avoid using the application’s styles menu. Instead, use the actual font for bold, italic, bold italic, etc. This will guard against type reflow and guarantee the fonts will print as expected.
6. Document Layout
For single page layouts, always create your document to the exact finished trim size. Do not build files on an oversized sheet with crop marks manually drawn in. Be sure to keep non-bleeding items at least 1/4” from any edge for bindery operations. If your print job has a bleed, make sure the bleed has at least 1/8” (0.125”) extended margin. If your layout folds, please adjust for the folds accordingly to avoid folding thru images or type.
For multiple page documents like magazines, books, and brochures, prepare your files in one of the industry standard page layout applications such as QuarkXpress or Adobe InDesign. Always build your document as single pages, never as spreads. Make sure your pages are numbered correctly and are in the proper sequential order. NEVER use printer spreads. Printer spreads is an antiquated system and often results in significant AA charges.
7. PDFs (Portable Document Format)
Adobe PDF is a universal file format that preserves all the fonts, formatting, graphics, and color of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. Adobe PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated, and printed exactly as intended.
When converting files to PDF, you need to make sure to select either “Press Quality,” “Print Quality” or “High Quality.” The options may vary depending on the application and/or the version of Acrobat. In some applications or versions, you may get the option of “Custom” which allows you to manually enter the amount of resolution for Color, Grayscale, and Monochrome images. Also, make sure the options for embedding fonts are checked and include bleeds (1/8”).
