Submittiing a clean file:
Try to delete any objects or text, not intended for output, that may be placed on the pasteboard outside the page in your layout applications such as Quark, Pagemaker or Freehand. This will reduce the size of your file and will ensure the smooth and speedy production of your job by eliminating font or object linkage problems that might not even be necessary. Multi-page documents built in Quark, Pagemaker, Freehand or InDesign should be left in reader's spreads, not printer's spreads.
Supply only the files needed:
When submitting your project to your service provider try to include all the files and fonts needed to complete the job, however don't include your entire font library or a lot of files not actually used the job. This can only create confusion or can lead to the wrong files being linked and used. Most document-creation applications have a function called "Collect for Output" which can be used to create a separate folder into which the document and all of its related files can be collected in one place for easy transfer to disk. The "Collect for Output" function can also generate a report listing all information pertinent to the document such as fonts used, images used, etc. We highly recommend that you use this function when preparing your files for us.
Check your proofs:
Your service providers try their best to make sure you get exactly what you expect, but in this age of electronic information and data moving from computer to computer and format to format it is very important that you always check your proofs carefully. A lot of things can happen between the design and the printing processes. Output your own proofs and file list and look them over before submitting them to your printer. A lot of problems can be caught this way such as missing or damaged data and color separation mistakes. Your service provider usually provides proofs of some kind before output. Look carefully for font reflows, missing hyphens, symbols which might default to something else. Remember, when you approve a final proof of your project, you are saying to print the project exactly as the proof indicates.
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Planning ahead:
Consider contacting your printer while your job is still in the planning process. Future output and printing problems and delays can be avoided by simply asking a few questions or taking some suggestions. The more that the service provider and the customer communicate, the better off both will be.
Saving Photoshop files:
When submitting photoshop files for printing be sure that they are in a cmyk format, not rgb, and saved as a tiff, or an eps, never a jpeg, scitex, or gif file. The dpi of your image should be appropriate for printing, images downloaded from the web are almost always low res (72dpi or less) and are not appropriate for printing.
True Type Fonts:
Avoid using True Type fonts in your documents. They are not compatible with direct-to-plate imaging systems and will have to be converted using software such as Fontgrapher. This takes extra chargeable time and increases the chance of font related problems.
Streamlining your color pallet:
It is helpful if you specify exactly what colors plates are to be output, and remove any unused colors from your color pallets. This helps reduce confusion and sometimes will help you discover that an item in your file may have the wrong color indicated.
Flatten your layers:
If you use the layer functions in your Applications be sure to convert (or flatten) all layer specific items to one active layer. That way all the items you wish to print will output correctly and as expected.
Clipping paths in Quark 4:
Be careful when using the clipping path features available in Quark 4. The paths may not output to film or plate as cleanly as they appear to on your laser. NEVER USE THE "NON-WHITE AREAS OR PICTURE BOUNDS" selections to outline your placed images. It's always better to create a clipping path in Photoshop and save your image as an eps or create a path in photoshop, save it as a tiff, and then use the "EMBEDDED PATH" clipping selection in Quark 4.
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Providing laser copies:
Be sure to provide your service provider printed composite and separated lasers of your job and check them over carefully. If you can't print your files correctly then chances are your service provider will not be able to either.
Flightcheck:
Before sending your jobs out to the printer we suggest you check them with one of the flightchecking or job proofing software selections that are available. Foremost Graphics uses and recommends the software "Flightcheck" from the Markzware company. It not only checks your files for problems with images, fonts, colors, etc...but it also can be used to gather all your files and fonts when preparing your job for output. It will also print out a concise, easy to read report on all the files used in your job that you can then send along to your printer .
Illustrator files:
Placing different versions of Illustrator files in your page layout applications such as Quark or Pagemaker can cause printing problems. Illustrator 7.0 files seem to produce frequent postscript errors when placed on the same page with other versions of Illustrator files such as 6.0, 5.5 and even 8.0. To avoid problems in outputting your work try to save all Illustrator files used in your layout in the same version.
Fonts:
When supplying fonts with your job please DO NOT provide your entire font library, this can result in us looking through hundreds of fonts to open the few needed. Only supply the fonts actually used with your job.
Line width:
When the design of your document include lines drawings or rules, etc...Be sure to keep all line widths .5 pt or above. Many lines thinner than this do not image on a imagesetter when separations are being output. REMEMBER, .5 pt or above on all lines and rules.
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Style menus:
Never use the Style Menu in Quark or Pagemaker applications when changing your font styles to bold or italic, etc... always select the bold and italic versions from your font menu. When your job is output on a high resolution device the type will either default to courier or it may alter the fonts appearance or spacing.
Applications:
Always use your software for the purpose that it was intended. Quark and Pagemaker are page layout applications, not image manipulation or drawing applications. Illustrator and Freehand, etc... are drawing and artwork applications, not page layout applications. Photoshop is an image manipulation application, not a page layout or drawing application.
Time, money and frustration can be avoided when it's time to have your job printed by following this rule of thumb.
Image scaling and rotating:
When using EPS or Tiff image files in a page layout application, such as Quark or Pagemaker, always size and rotate the image in Photoshop or other similar applications before placing the image in the final document. By NOT reducing, scaling, rotating, or flopping an image in your page layout application you will reduce RIP time on the imagesetter, as well as eliminating possible problems when output is needed.
Printer and screen fonts:
When supplying fonts with your job, make sure you include both printer and screen fonts. Also remember to include any fonts you may have used in any placed art files such as Illustrator or Freehand, as well as in the page layout applications such as Quark or Pagemaker. Sometimes fonts can be converted to outlines in placed art files, thereby eliminating the need for the fonts altogether.
Spot and color names
When creating spot color artwork or images for placement on your page layout make sure the names of the spot colors in the file to be placed match exactly the names of the spot colors in your layout file.
Copyright 2004
Foremost Graphics, L.L.C.
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