DOCUMENT TO PRINT
The layout of your document involves many aspects
• Page Layout / set up
• Color
• Imports
• Fonts
• Resolution
• Imposition & Folding
• Bleeds
• Ink coverage
• Transparencies
• Artwork & print format
• Dpi
• Converting files in photoshop, Illustrator, Corel for print/web
PAGE LAYOUT
• Always define your document page size to equal your final trim size.
• You should always pull a bleed 1/8" beyond the page boundary if bleeds are not present on the film, bleeds must be added and new film run or your document will have to be under trimmed. Lack of bleeds is sometimes overlooked during pre-flighting of your document on the screen. Cutting can only be accurate to about 1.5 mm when chopping small items like flyers.
COLOR
• Unless specified; all colour printing is full color and should be completed and saved in CMYK process. Do not use Pantone or similar colors unless pre-arranged for specialist jobs.
• RGB color mode does not separate as process color correctly.
• Define spot colors as Spot colors - The only way to get a film separation for the spot colour you want is to have it defined as a spot color in your document. PMS colours ie Pantone 124 CV are not spot colors if they are defined as CMYK values in your document. Depending on the project this can be very time consuming if not properly planned for in the initial design stages.
• Define process colors as Process colors - A document made up of several spot colors can easily be made to convert all colours to process upon output. You can do this in most applications. Beware, this effects all of the spot colours on your document. Depending on the project this can be very time consuming if not properly planned for in the initial design stages.
• Match the color names- If your color import is PMS 125 CVC and your document additionally has Pantone 125 CV, you will get two corresponding spot plates. (counts as 2 colours instead of 1). Name your colours to match.
IMPORTS
• Scale all pictures and anything else you are using for your document at 100% or 1/8 over 100%. You lose quality dpi if scaled over. If your using Quark, the files should be resized in Photoshop / Illustrator before placing in Quark. You should also not use the convenient text display attributes (bold, italic, etc..) use the proper font family associated if you do not have it then download the proper file. Both may not work when the file is ripped and may result in fonts and pictures that are unreadable.
• Predefined trapping amounts will become too slight or too large if vector art is scaled in a page layout. Example. a .2pt trap on an overprinting stroke becomes a full point trap when artwork is enlarged by 500%
FONTS
It is critical to organize your fonts!!! Your fonts should be organized by job name or # or by By Client. Each client may use a specific set of fonts for all of their jobs. There are programmes that you can use as well such as: suitcase fusion that will allow you to manually organize your fonts and also includes an option to add fonts temporarily and activate them on demand.
You must make sure you keep all PostScript font components (and outlined fonts) in the same folder together for each project.
• Missing font files is one of the biggest problems when it comes to digital printing. It only takes one missing file to put a print job on hold and behind schedule. Some programmes gather your fonts in a specific folder.
• It is very important to include all fonts used in a document when you send a file to print. If the font is missing the print font will default, to something I am sure you will not want, this is called type reflow. Even include it if you are using Helvetica; there are many variations and the one the print shop may have may be different than the one you want.
RESOLUTION
• All non-vector artwork should be supplied at a minimum of 300dpi. If the final output dpi (resolution) is too low, quality will not be present.
• Use caution when scaling images. Remember if you have an image that has a resolution at 100%, a 300 dpi image that is 2" x 2", the quality will be there when placed. If you place that same image in your document at 200%, that reduces your output dpi to 75 you will lose your image quality.
PHOTOSHOP FILES
• Photoshop files should be saved as uncompressed tiff files or Photoshop EPS files.
• All Photoshop files must be flattened prior to saving. Tiff files saved with layers or EPS files containing vector information may not work properly when ripped.
• CMYK
• 300 dpi
• include fonts with file
ILLUSTRATOR
• save as eps
• images embedded
• create outlines
• include fonts with file
COREL
• convert all files generated in CorelDraw and Corel Photo-paint to bitmap files: TIFF or JPEG.
• Saving CorelDraw documents as EPS is possible but may alter the artwork.
REMEMBER
**One simple rule CMYK. Images in RGB or other color modes do not separate the same as process color correctly. ***
**One simple rule about FILE FORMAT - TIFF OR EPS. The internet has many formats that have been introduced but they are only good for the internet. They are not for postscript output. For printing files must be postscript friendly. TIFF or EPS formats. **
The layout of your document involves many aspects
• Page Layout / set up
• Color
• Imports
• Fonts
• Resolution
• Imposition & Folding
• Bleeds
• Ink coverage
• Transparencies
• Artwork & print format
• Dpi
• Converting files in photoshop, Illustrator, Corel for print/web
PAGE LAYOUT
• Always define your document page size to equal your final trim size.
• You should always pull a bleed 1/8" beyond the page boundary if bleeds are not present on the film, bleeds must be added and new film run or your document will have to be under trimmed. Lack of bleeds is sometimes overlooked during pre-flighting of your document on the screen. Cutting can only be accurate to about 1.5 mm when chopping small items like flyers.
COLOR
• Unless specified; all colour printing is full color and should be completed and saved in CMYK process. Do not use Pantone or similar colors unless pre-arranged for specialist jobs.
• RGB color mode does not separate as process color correctly.
• Define spot colors as Spot colors - The only way to get a film separation for the spot colour you want is to have it defined as a spot color in your document. PMS colours ie Pantone 124 CV are not spot colors if they are defined as CMYK values in your document. Depending on the project this can be very time consuming if not properly planned for in the initial design stages.
• Define process colors as Process colors - A document made up of several spot colors can easily be made to convert all colours to process upon output. You can do this in most applications. Beware, this effects all of the spot colours on your document. Depending on the project this can be very time consuming if not properly planned for in the initial design stages.
• Match the color names- If your color import is PMS 125 CVC and your document additionally has Pantone 125 CV, you will get two corresponding spot plates. (counts as 2 colours instead of 1). Name your colours to match.
IMPORTS
• Scale all pictures and anything else you are using for your document at 100% or 1/8 over 100%. You lose quality dpi if scaled over. If your using Quark, the files should be resized in Photoshop / Illustrator before placing in Quark. You should also not use the convenient text display attributes (bold, italic, etc..) use the proper font family associated if you do not have it then download the proper file. Both may not work when the file is ripped and may result in fonts and pictures that are unreadable.
• Predefined trapping amounts will become too slight or too large if vector art is scaled in a page layout. Example. a .2pt trap on an overprinting stroke becomes a full point trap when artwork is enlarged by 500%
FONTS
It is critical to organize your fonts!!! Your fonts should be organized by job name or # or by By Client. Each client may use a specific set of fonts for all of their jobs. There are programmes that you can use as well such as: suitcase fusion that will allow you to manually organize your fonts and also includes an option to add fonts temporarily and activate them on demand.
You must make sure you keep all PostScript font components (and outlined fonts) in the same folder together for each project.
• Missing font files is one of the biggest problems when it comes to digital printing. It only takes one missing file to put a print job on hold and behind schedule. Some programmes gather your fonts in a specific folder.
• It is very important to include all fonts used in a document when you send a file to print. If the font is missing the print font will default, to something I am sure you will not want, this is called type reflow. Even include it if you are using Helvetica; there are many variations and the one the print shop may have may be different than the one you want.
RESOLUTION
If the final output of the dpi is too low the quality of your final print product will suffer, and if the dpi is too high then you are increasing RIP time.
• All non-vector artwork should be supplied at a minimum of 300dpi. If the final output dpi (resolution) is too low, quality will not be present.
• Use caution when scaling images. Remember if you have an image that has a resolution at 100%, a 300 dpi image that is 2" x 2", the quality will be there when placed. If you place that same image in your document at 200%, that reduces your output dpi to 75 you will lose your image quality.
PHOTOSHOP FILES
• Photoshop files should be saved as uncompressed tiff files or Photoshop EPS files.
• All Photoshop files must be flattened prior to saving. Tiff files saved with layers or EPS files containing vector information may not work properly when ripped.
• CMYK
• 300 dpi
• include fonts with file
ILLUSTRATOR
• save as eps
• images embedded
• create outlines
• include fonts with file
COREL
• convert all files generated in CorelDraw and Corel Photo-paint to bitmap files: TIFF or JPEG.
• Saving CorelDraw documents as EPS is possible but may alter the artwork.
REMEMBER
**One simple rule CMYK. Images in RGB or other color modes do not separate the same as process color correctly. ***
**One simple rule about FILE FORMAT - TIFF OR EPS. The internet has many formats that have been introduced but they are only good for the internet. They are not for postscript output. For printing files must be postscript friendly. TIFF or EPS formats. **