|
|
| ::
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS :: |
| A 1/4 inch border (inner bleed) containing no "live"
information MUST be allowed along each edge for cutting purposes.
The size of the final printed
piece will be the same as the document size listed under Page Setup in the application
program, and should correspond with the applicable product measurements as listed in our
"product sizes" section.
Each side (Front and Back) of your
flyer/product should be setup, and saved, as two separate pages/documents. Do not create,
or save, both sides in a single file, page or document.
Files should be setup at a minimum
of 300dpi [dots per inch] resolution.
Files must be
flattened (one layer only) and saved in CMYK format. For
persons using vector art programs/software, be sure to
convert all fonts to outlines/curves prior to saving and
submitting your graphic file(s) for printing. In
addition, all placed images must be saved as
"embedded" images prior to saving and submitting your
graphic file(s) for printing. In other words, only
single, flattened documents/graphic files should
be submitted, without the need to submit any additional
supporting images or fonts.
All solid Black areas should be
composed as a combination of Cyan 50%, Magenta 20%, Yellow 20%, and Black 100%.
Files should be saved with
descriptive filenames to facilitate expedited order processing. (eg:
"clientname_front_quantity.jpg" and "clientname_back_quantity.jpg")
Thereafter, both files should be compressed into a single archive using WinZip®
or Stuff-It®
before uploading. This final compressed file should also be saved with a descriptive
filename
(eg:
"clientname_quantity.zip")
< TOP OF PAGE > |
|
|
|
| ::
COMMON MISTAKES :: |
Resolution
Prior to beginning your design, ensure that your new document has a setting of 300 ppi/dpi
(pixels per inch/dots per inch) for the resolution. When utilizing images from the web,
keep in mind that resolutions are often at 72dpi and less than the suggested optimum in
order to compact file size. But, for high quality, offset printing, documents with lower
than optimum resolution produce a final product which is soft, blurred and often
pixelated. A common mistake is beginning your design at a low resolution and, upon
completion, increasing the resolution to the correct dpi/ppi. This, however, is not
recommended as it will still result in a product with soft, blurred, and pixelated images
and text.Color
Prior to submitting your final document(s) for printing, be sure to preview in CMYK color
mode. Often designers preview their images in RBG color mode, which display colors as more
vibrant and web ready than "true life" colors. To view a more accurate
representation of how your colors should reproduce on your final printed product, convert
from RGB to CMYK color mode. This will "wash" your colors slightly and give a
more "true life" representation of how the final colors will appear.
Bleed (Inner or Outer?)
Though we do allow for the printing of full bleed documents, we do not utilize outer
bleeds for the printing of graphic files. Instead, we utilize inner bleeds. All documents
should therefore be designed to the final product size as listed herein, and thereafter,
all text and imagery which cannot be cut during trimming should be kept at least 1/4"
away from each of the document's closest edges. Therefore, the "live" area
contained within a specific document design should equal: the final product
dimensions less 1/4" on each side. All text and imagery which may be cut during
trimming can bleed to the edges of the document, thus allowing for full bleeds on the
final printed product. Documents submitted with outer bleeds included will be resized to
the listed product size, and thereafter printed. If crop marks are contained therein, they
will be printed and delivered as such. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that
all documents and bleeds are supplied correctly and that vital information will not be cut
during trimming.
Saving Files with Extensions (MAC
Users)
When saving files, MAC users MUST manually type the appropriate file extension at the end
of each filename (eg: filename.jpg) for it to be correctly read across platforms. MAC
files which are submitted without the necessary extension typed manually cannot be
opened and therefore will be disregarded.
< TOP OF PAGE > |
|
|
|
| ::
RECOMMENDED GRAPHICS PROGRAMS |
| The following software is per industry standard and suitable for formatting and
preparing graphics for high quality offset printing: Adobe Photoshop (Photoshop, Photoshop EPS, TIFF, JPG)
Adobe Illustrator (Illustrator, Photoshop, Photoshop EPS, TIFF, JPG)
Quark Xpress (Generic EPS, PDF)
Corel PhotoPaint (Photoshop EPS, TIFF, JPG)
Corel Draw (Photoshop EPS, TIFF, JPG)
< TOP OF PAGE > |
|
|
|
| ::
ACCEPTABLE FILE FORMATS : |
| We accept only the graphic files in the following formats: Photoshop *.PSD (flattened), *.PDF
*. JPEG, *.JPG (image compression or quality: 8/high, format: baseline standard,
anti-alias: yes)
*.TIFF, *.TIF for 5th color files (compression: none, byte order: IBM PC)
*.EPS (preview: tiff/8 bits per pixel, encoding: binary)
** ensure all text/fonts are converted to curves/outlines
< TOP OF PAGE > |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| :: SAVING FILES IN THE PROPER FORMAT WITH RECOMMENDED GRAPHIC PROGRAMS :: |
Adobe Photoshop
Begin a new document at the product dimensions listed, at a resolution of 300 ppi/dpi, and
in CMYK color mode. Upon completion of your design, flatten image to create one (1) single
background layer. Delete all paths and additional channels created during your design.
Save the image as either a Photoshop (.psd) document, a TIFF document, or a JPEG file
(image compression or quality setting of 8/high).
<
TOP OF PAGE > Adobe
Illustrator
Begin a new document at the product dimensions supplied at an output resolution
of 300 dpi.
Upon completion, go to the File menu, then to Export.
a) To export as a Photoshop compatible file
which requires no fonts or supporting files and has a transparent background:
select "Photoshop" as the file type, color mode: CMYK, resolution:
high/300dpi, anti-alias: checked, write layers: unchecked.
b) To export as a JPEG:
select "JPEG" as the file type, image compression or quality: 8/high,
format: baseline (standard), anti-alias: checked
<
TOP OF PAGE >
Quark Xpress
General Information:
1. Do not use hairlines (very thin lines) in your document. All lines must be a
minimum of 1 point in width to be printed.
2. Do not use picture boxes with a fill of none, unless the image being used in that box
is Vector Art or EPS with clipping paths.
3. To achieve a rich or deep BLACK, make a new color in your Colorlist menu called
"process black" with the following values: Cyan: 40%, Magenta: 40%, Yellow: 20%,
Black: 100%
** This only applies to large fill areas. ever use rich
black for small type or lines. This may cause blurring in those areas.
a) To export as a
Generic EPS:
In the "File" menu, select "Export Page as EPS". Click
"Yes" in the "Download fonts with this EPS file" box that appears. In
the resulting dialog box, choose a location for the file, and adjust the settings are as
follows: Scale: 100%, Format: Color, Data: Binary, OPI: Include Images, Spread:
Checked. Then, Click "Save". If a box appears that says "Some disk files
for pictures in this document are missing or have been modified", click "List
Pictures". Select any files in the list that are marked "missing" or
"modified" and click update. When there are no more files in the list, click
"Save as EPS". Click OK in any resulting dialog boxes. Your file is now saved in
Generic EPS format. Next, open the Generic EPS file you just
created in Photoshop. Ensure that the document's resolution is shown at 300dpi, color
mode: CMYK, and that the dimensions are as required in our "Product Sizes"
section. If not, make the necessary adjustments/corrections. Then, click OK in the
"Rasterize Generic EPS Format" window. In the "File" menu, click
"Save As" or "Save Copy As", and save as a .JPG file with the
following settings: image compression or quality: 8/high, format: baseline (standard),
anti-alias: yes
<
TOP OF PAGE >
b) To export as a PDF:
You will need Adobe Acrobat Distiller and a PostScript Printer Driver to use this
method.
In the "Edit" menu, select
"Preferences", then "PDF Export". Then in the "PDF Export
Preferences" box that results, click on the "Job Options" tab and be sure
the settings are as follows: Override Distiller's, Job options: Checked, Embed all fonts:
Checked, Subset fonts below: Unchecked, ASCII Format: Unchecked, Compress text and line
art: Unchecked, Color Images > Compression: None, Grayscale Images > Resolution:
Keep Resolution, Grayscale Images > Compression: None, Grayscale Images
> Resolution: Keep Resolution, Monochrome Images > Compression: None, Monochrome
Images > Resolution: Keep Resolution. Click the "Output" tab and be
sure the settings are as follows: Printer Description: Select "Acrobat
Distiller" from the list, Separations: Unchecked, Use OPI: Checked, select
"Include images" from list, Registration: Off, Bleed: Page Items Only. Click OK
to export the PDF file.
Next, open the PDF file you just
created in Photoshop.
** If it is a multi-page document, repeat the following for each page and save each with a
different filename. Select a page in the next window and click OK. Ensure that the
document's resolution is shown at 300dpi, color mode: CMYK, and that the dimensions are as
required in our "Product Sizes" section. If not, make the necessary
adjustments/corrections. In the "File" menu, click "Save As" or
"Save Copy As", and save as a .JPG file with the following settings: image
compression or quality: 8/high, format: baseline (standard), anti-alias: yes
< TOP OF PAGE > |
|
|
|
