DO create your documents in the Authoring Application (QuarkXPress, PageMaker, InDesign, etc.)

This provides us with the maximum ability to make any corrections/alterations after we have received the document from you. We have experience working with the majority of the accepted page layout programs available today.

DON'T create complex, multiple-page documents with color graphics or photos in a word processing application (Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, etc.)

These programs do not possess the tools to create color-separated high quality printing files. They also don’t travel well across platforms (PC to Mac, or vice versa).

DO be certain that your artwork/photo is in the colorspace you want us to print.

Red, Green, Blue (RGB) artwork is designed for computer screens and television, not printing presses. Presses print Black & White, Greyscale, Spot Color and Process (CMYK) inks. If you have any doubt about what colorspace to use – ask us.

DON'T compress your graphics.

The disk space you save is not worth the time and materials wasted if the Authoring Application is incapable of correctly decompressing the data at print time. If you absolutely MUST compress your artwork in order to make it all fit on a disk, please indicate the form of compression you have used, so that we can decompress the file(s) before we attempt to output the film.

DO use PostScript fonts instead of TrueType

We know that TrueType fonts are less expensive, but they have a bad habit of not playing well with high- end imagesetters. If you have both PostScript and TrueType versions of the same font, please use the PostScript version.

DO send fonts with your job

It’s a good habit to send the fonts you used in a layout with the layout. If the fonts are PostScript, send both the Screen (Bitmap) and the Printer (Outline) parts of the font. This is an especially good idea if the font(s) is(are) not mainstream, commonly-used fonts (Bargain Bernie’s Best Buy of the Week).

DO send your document in the Application in which it was created (QuarkXPress, PageMaker, InDesign, etc.)

This provides us with the maximum ability to make any corrections/alterations after we have received the document from you.

• Adobe Acrobat PDF files are becoming a more acceptable file format for high quality printing. Careful attention must be paid to setting the information included in the PDF properly to insure the level of quality you desire in the final output. You must use the full version of Acrobat to create PDF files - Acrobat Reader will only allow you to view and print PDF files. See Creating PDFs for detailed recommendations in this area. We can do limited correction/alteration to the PDF once it is here
• Encapulated PostScript (EPS) files can be used for high quality printing. However, the big disadvantage to this form of file submission is that we cannot edit the file before outputting the film, so it has to be right when we receive it.DON'T send Pure PostScript files (sometimes called PostScript dumps).
  

This file format leaves us with no avenue for correcting/altering the file if there is a problem and places all of the responsibility for correctly outputting film for plates on you.

DO send all the pieces of the recipe with your creation.

If you include all of the artwork, photos, fonts, etc. that you put into the document, we have everything we need in case there is a problem with any aspect of the job. Missing, or incorrectly formatted, artwork will bring print production to a grinding halt. If we don’t have it—we can’t fix it.

Do talk to us!

Asking questions about file format, what colors you want to use, whether we have a particular application or our level of experience with it, is it better to save a file as EPS or TIFF, etc., this is no different than any other working relationship you maintain – it requires good communication. If you are unsure about any step in the process – ask us! Please consult with our prepress experts. The rewards are many for this effort on both our parts.

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