Proper electronic file preparation is the key to a successful
project. Please take a moment to review the following application
specifications and tips.
Preferred
applications
For best results, we recommend the following applications:
• QuarkXpress • Adobe InDesign •
Adobe Pagemaker • Adobe Framemaker •
Adobe Illustrator
Avoid using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft
PowerPoint, and Corel Draw when creating files for eventual
imagesetting – they can be problematic.
Embedded fonts and high-resolution images
If you are submitting PDF files for imagesetting, embed all
fonts and be sure that the images are “high-resolution.”
(Adobe Acrobat will embed “low-resolution” versions
of your images unless you specify otherwise.)
Preferred files for links Preferred files for links within
QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, or Adobe PageMaker include:
• EPS files, created from Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand
• TIFF format files
Do not save linked files in GIF, PICT, JPEG, or Microsoft
PowerPoint formats, as these can lead to unexpected and
undesired results.
Tips for successful file preparation Our prepress department will carefully
review every file you submit. We try to catch anything that
might cause a problem with your project when it reaches the
press. Here are some file preparation tips to help the process
go smoothly.
Image files
•
Do not embed images. Save them with a link outside
the document.
•
Do
not use QuarkXPress outline features. Photos must
have their own clipping paths saved as EPS files,
not TIFF.
•
Do
not use Adobe Illustrator for lengthy multi-page
documents. It makes them expensive to impose.
•
Save
Adobe Photoshop files as CMYK or Grayscale, not
RGB.
•
The
standard resolution for photo files is 350 dpi (used
at the same size in the layout) for continuous tone
images, and 1200 to 2400 dpi for bitmap line art.
•
Do
not enlarge images more than 150 percent or reduce
them lower than 50 percent in your layout.
•
Delete
all extra channels and paths that are not being
used in TIFF files.
•
In
Photoshop, when you save your EPS file, there is
a “choice of preview” mode. Save your
preview as a Macintosh 8-bit file and not as a JPEG
file.
Fonts
•
Use
Type 1 fonts unless there is no alternative. TrueType
and Multiple Master fonts can cause difficulties
within trapping software.
•
Avoid
using “style” menus to set fonts within
a document unless there is no choice (e.g., use
“B Helvetica Bold” rather than Helvetica
which is “bolded” in the style menu).
Color
•
All
colors should be converted to CMYK or “spot,”
not RGB. Within QuarkXPress, the “process”
box must be checked. It is not enough just to specify
a CMYK build.
•
Colors
within all files need to have the same names as
those within the final output document or they will
come out on separate plates (e.g., Pantone 300,
Pantone 300CV, and Pantone 300CVU will print as
three separate plates).
Layout
•
Build
your file to the exact document trim size. If there
are bleeds, allow 1/8 inch on top, sides, and bottom.
•
Do
not build your layout into “printer spreads.”
It is easier for us to impose reader single-page
documents.
•
Do
not specify rules finer than .25 point including
“hairline.” Some applications allow
you to define narrower rules, which will appear
in a preview and may even print on a laser printer,
but not show up on press.
Final tips
•
Be
sure that you provide ALL images used in your files.
Double check your Adobe Illustrator files in particular.
Even if you do a “collect for output”
in QuarkXPress, it may only pick up the placed Adobe
Illustrator file, but not its links.
•
Provide
lasers of your files and note if they are scaled
down to fit the paper.
•
Indicate
what program, platform, and version you are using
for your files (e.g., Adobe Illustrator 10, QuarkXpress
5.0, MacOS X, Windows XP, etc.).
