Software
Page layout programs such as Adobe InDesign, Quark XPress, and Adobe PageMaker, have the required tools for high-resolution output and proper color separation. Some applications, specifically Microsoft Office, are designed for output on a laser or inkjet printer and lack the necessary features for quality commercial printing. For graphics, we suggest you stay with industry standard programs* such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, and Adobe Photoshop. UP
Setup
The document setup size should exactly match the final trim size of the piece. For example, a business card should be setup to the desired size rather than positioned on an 8.5"x11" page. A 16"x20" poster should be laid out on a 16"x20" page. Do not setup your document in “printer’s spreads.” We use imposition software which requires individual document pages set to the final trimmed size, numbered in chronological order. Making use of master pages keeps the position of elements consistent throughout the document. Any items meant to bleed off a page should do so by 1/8". Bleeds less than 1/8" may trim improperly. UP
Graphics
Do not paste graphics into your layout from another program! All images, whether raster or vector, need to be saved as stand-alone files and imported into your layout. Imported graphics should consist of either tiff files or eps files. Formats such as pict, bmp or wmf may not output as expected. Other formats such as gif or jpeg are great for web page design but will not print very well due to their low resolution. The jpeg file format uses “lossy” compression which can significantly degrade image quality. If you plan on doing your own scanning of images, be sure to scan at the appropriate resolution. Photos should be scanned so that they have a resolution of 300 dpi at the finished size. Line art should be scanned at 800–1200 dpi to insure sharp output. Avoid excessive scaling of graphics in your page layout as this will change the effective resolution of the scans. Please remember to include all graphics used in your project when you submit it for printing. UP
Fonts
Choose fonts wisely. Use postscript fonts whenever possible. Truetype fonts should be avoided due to their unreliability when printing to a postscript device. Do not use the “style” menu for type styles (bold, italic, etc.) Use the actual font from the type menu, such as “B Garamond Bold.” When delivering your job, be sure to include all fonts used in your publication, including fonts used in eps files that are placed into your document. UP
Colors
You will need to know whether your job is to be printed using spot colors or process color. When picking colors, do not go by what your screen is displaying. Colors will usually appear more vibrant on the screen than when they are actually printed. Use a PANTONE swatch book to accurately pick colors. Be consistent when assigning colors to elements in your imported art as well as in your layout files. “PANTONE 185 C” and “PANTONE 185 CVU” will output on two separate plates even though you may have intended it to be one color. Duplicate and unused colors must be combined or eliminated to avoid confusion. Be sure all colors separate as expected. The best way to check this is to print your documents as separations scaled to fit your laser printer. UP
Trapping
We utilize an advanced workflow which handles all trapping from nearly any publication with any type of artwork. This is very convenient as neither you nor we must manually trap any files; however, overprints that you set or overprints that are automatically set by your software do take affect. UP
Hard Copy
We need to have an up-to-date laser printout of your project. This is necessary for matching the output from our printer with yours. Without a laser copy to verify correct output, the job will be run "as is." If your project has more than one color, please include a color separated laser showing color names. Please proof read your project carefully to avoid delays. UP
File Delivery
With the prevalence of CD-writers, the CD-R(W) is a great format for transfer of large files. We accept DVD-R(W) discs if you really need the space. You may also use Zip 100 or 250 disks and Jaz 1GB cartridges. We do not accept floppy disks as most modern computers do not have a built-in drive, and floppies are prone to failure and corruption. If it fits on a floppy, email it instead. Contact us if you have a broadband internet connection and would like to send files remotely by FTP or AFP (Mac to Mac transfer), or let us know if you have another type of removable media. UP
Summary
- setup document to correct size
- graphics saved in correct color mode and file format
- raster/pixel artwork contains adequate resolution
- only used real fonts; no pseudo styles
- colors are named properly and separate as expected
- laser proofs are up-to-date
- graphics, fonts, and everything necessary to print my job is included UP
Final Notes
What has been touched on here is an overview of digital file guidelines. If you have questions or need more specific answers or instructions, please give us a call! Calling early in the design stage of your project can prevent delays and added cost. We are always happy to run a test file for you if needed. If you must use Microsoft Publisher or other Microsoft products, please call us early in your project so that we can help you understand limitations and potential problems.
Reach us at 763-425-7900. Email files to prepress@nystrompublishing.com UP
*Supported Electronic File Formats
- Acrobat PDF 1.6 (Universal)
- Quark XPress 7.0 (Mac/PC)
- Adobe PageMaker 7.0 (Mac/PC)
- Adobe InDesign 4.0/CS2 (Mac/PC)
- Adobe Illustrator 12.0/CS2 (Mac)
- Adobe Photoshop 9.0/CS2 (Mac)
- CorelDraw! 12 (PC)
- Microsoft Publisher 2003 (PC)
- Microsoft Word 2003 (PC)
- Microsoft Excel 2003 (PC) UP
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