VECTOR ART

TIFF

JPEG

GIF

What is file compression?

Which Application should I use?

Additional Information for Microsoft Publisher®

I have a monthly newsletter that needs to follow a certain format. Is it okay to just “save as” each month and revise the same file?


What do I need to send when I’m ready to print my job?

Prior to submitting any job, please familiarize yourself with Holley’s Printing’s digital workflow by reading our Pre-Press 101 book at http://www.holleysprinting.com/files/PrePress.pdf so that you understand our requirements. The majority of file submission problems can be avoided by reviewing this material.

Send all necessary digital files used to create your document.

“SAVE AS” and rename a copy that will come to us that has the fonts converted to outlines or paths. We will not be able to make text edits, but this will eliminate font or text reflow issues. Always keep an unconverted backup of your files in the event edits are necessary!

This includes ALL links or graphics imported into your project, True Type or Open fonts (only if you are using a program that doesn’t allow you to convert fonts to outlines or paths) and any other electronic data necessary for your file to output correctly. Delete all unused items that are outside of the page.

In addition to your digital files, please submit a PDF or laser or inkjet printout of the job with all changes made. If a change was made after printing your copy and it’s not marked, our prepress technician will assume the file is incorrect and there will be delays. Our prepress department uses these proofs to compare our output to your file after it’s been opened on our system.

For PROCESS OR SPOT COLOR jobs, please print color separations (all colors marked to print) to a black and white printer to confirm the file is constructed properly. If you want us to print a two color job consisting of PMS 187 and black; and your printer outputs cyan, magenta, yellow, black and PMS 187, go back and make the necessary changes to the art to eliminate the colors not needed.
If your job is to fold or have any other special finishing, please submit a folded (at 100%) piece to show that it will fold with all panels centered correctly (see pages 12 & 13 http://www.holleysprinting.com/files/PrePress.pdf).
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Why did my lines disappear when they looked fine on my laser printout?

When you draw a line, be sure it has a specific point size. (Example: .5 pt) Please do not select “hairline” as a line weight choice. A laser printer will “fatten” up a hairline, but when it is imaged at the resolution of our output devices, it may “disappear” or breakup.
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What do you mean when you say a document needs to bleed?

If your document will bleed, that means that a background color or photos will run to the edge of the document. We will need the image or color to extend at least 1/8 inch (.125) on all sides of the document. When the piece is printed, it will be trimmed to the correct size. Be sure essential text or image does not fall into the bleed area, as it will trim out! For example: if your document will trim to 8.5” x 11”, the document, including bleed, will measure 8.75” x 11.25.
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What is the live area of a job?

That is the maximum area text or an essential portion of a background or photo should fall within. A solid color on a job that bleeds can extend past the live area. However, if you have a photograph of a group of people and the person on the outer edge runs into the .125 bleed area; that person or portion of the image will be cut off. The live area will be different based on the type of press the job will be printed on. A rule of thumb is to keep all text a minimum of .25” from the trim.
How do I “fix” an image that I needs to bleed, but will fall into the bleed area?
Revise the design of the page. If that is not an option, open the file in Photoshop and clone the image to “extend” the photo so that it extends to the bleed with nonessential image.
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COLOR

I’m designing a brochure that will print in four-color process. What color model do I need to use?

Full color documents need to be created using CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). Please use the Pantone® Solid to Process Color Guide when choosing colors! If your company color is Pantone164 (bright orange), the process version of that ink is a dark peach. You may consider printing that color as a fifth color.
CMYK is the color model used for commercial printing. These four colors create all the colors you see when looking at any printed piece.
RGB (red, green, and blue) is the color model used on monitors. This color model works well for web media, multimedia and slide output, but cannot be printed unless it is changed to CMYK color space. When RGB files are converted to CMYK, the color shifts slightly because RGB has a wider range of colors than CMYK. RGB colors tend to look brighter on your screen than the CMYK printed version.
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What do you mean when you ask me what PMS color my logo is?

Pantone® Matching System, or PMS is the industry standard for choosing ink colors. We have a full library available during business hours of Pantone® inks on coated, uncoated, matte, a process guide on gloss stock and a tint guide on coated and uncoated stocks.

Recently, Pantone® introduced the GOE™ System, which added an additional 2,058 new colors for spot color application.
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I’ve picked a really pretty maroon ink from my Pantone® book for my stationery but when I picked up my job, it doesn’t match!

Which Pantone® book did you select your color from? When choosing an ink color, select it based on the stock you will be using. Coated stocks do not absorb inks and usually are more vibrant and rich. Uncoated stocks absorb inks and will look nothing like its coated version. If you would like to use the same color ink for all of your materials, select an ink color that is consistent regardless of the stock used.
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I’ve created illustrations that I’ve imported into a layout page. Now I have multiple inks with the same PMS number. What has happened?

Confirm all Pantone® colors (also called spot or PMS colors) have the same name. Pantone® 485 CV, Pantone® 485 CVC, and Pantone® 485 CVU might seem to be the same color but because they have different names, the computer will interpret them as three separate colors and the file will separate out into 3 separate negatives. Also check to make sure they are Pantone® colors and not the CMYK equivalents to Pantone® colors.

To avoid this problem prior to submitting your files, please print color separations (all colors marked to print) to a black and white printer to confirm the file is constructed properly. If you want us to print a two color job consisting of PMS 485 and black; and your printer outputs black and PMS 485 CV and PMS 485 CVU, go back and make the necessary changes to the art to eliminate the colors not needed. If you can’t print separations, neither can we!
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I’ve created a two-color form in Word; will it print correctly?

A two-color job from Word will not separate correctly to two ink colors. Until recently, Microsoft® software could not color separate. Publisher® is the only Microsoft® program that will enable you to create a file that will separate (Additional steps are involved for this work correctly). You must select the option for Pantone® under the pull down menu under the “More Colors” option first.
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I’ve designed a brochure that looks beautiful on my monitor. I originally picked my colors from a Pantone® guide, but they looked a little dark, so I changed the color. Will this still be okay?

Do not rely on your monitor for accurate color display. A monitor uses RGB to show color and a printed piece uses CMYK. Also, most monitors are not calibrated. The most accurate proof is created on our Epson Chromapro proofing system, which is press calibrated.

However, even with a sophisticated color calibration system, RGB and CMYK are two separate color models and will look a little different. For color that must be accurate, such as a corporate logo, use Pantone® spot colors as an additional ink.
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FONTS—What is the deal with fonts?

We prefer that your document be sent to us with the fonts converted to either outlines (Indesign or Illustrator) or paths (Freehand). BE SURE TO FIRST “SAVE AS” and rename your document before converting fonts! If you use a program that does not allow you to convert your fonts, such as Quark, please include all fonts with your files. This includes the fonts used in your page layout program and all fonts used in your supporting files. There are now three types of fonts: OpenType®, PostScript® (also called Type 1™ fonts) and TrueType® fonts. PostScript® fonts have both a screen font and a printer font. When submitting printing projects to us, please send us both. OpenType® and TrueType® both have only one font that functions as a screen and printer font combined.

Also, send us all styles you use for each font. Helvetica Bold and Helvetica Italic are two different fonts. Be sure to include both. If you are using a Macintosh®, please designate each font with the font menu. Do not bold or italicize a font using the palette buttons. If you do, your font will not image correctly to plate.

Postscript Type 1™ fonts and TrueType® fonts are specifically designed for both the Mac or Windows platform. You can only use the fonts on the specific machine they were purchased for. Mac OSX will now allow Macintosh® users to use Windows® TrueType® fonts. To use Postscript Type 1™ fonts under OSX, they must still be Mac fonts.

OpenType® fonts however are the latest standard and are completely "cross platform". Which means the same set off fonts can now be used both in the Macintosh® OS (both OS 9.x and OSX) and the Windows® OS. OpenType® seems to be the new font standard for the future and Adobe has now made their entire Font Folio™ available in OpenType®.
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LINKS

I have a newsletter with a lot of charts, photos and graphics. Can I just embed them instead of finding all of them?

Include all images used with your document. This means all TIFFS, EPS, JPEGs, etc. Some programs allow you to embed images into your page layout program. PLEASE DO NOT EMBED YOUR IMAGES. If you embed images, we cannot check them for color accuracy, resolution and quality. We must have the original images so we can ensure your files print correctly!

When you start a project, organization is the key to success! If you will create a folder that includes your document along with a folder of ALL the links used, it will make file submission so much easier. If you have art that is stored all over your computer, find it, copy it and paste it into the folder for the current project. Missing links will delay your project!
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I’ve just been informed my photos don’t have enough resolution. They look fine on my screen. What am I supposed to do?

You may have to reshoot the photo or substitute it. Open the image in Photoshop and verify the image resolution is 300 ppi (pixels per inch) at 100% (final size) in your layout application when working with photographs and scans. Look at the size. For example, if it says 1” x 1” with a 300 resolution, the best that image will print at is 1”x1”. If it says 1”x1” with a resolution of 72, it will be extremely pixilated and print poorly. You cannot add resolution to an image that doesn’t have it to begin with. Either scan or shoot your photos at the highest resolution possible and downsize for the project as needed. If you have a photo that measures 42”x 36” with a resolution of 72 that needs to bleed on the front cover of an 8.5x11 brochure, change the size, to 8.75” x 11.25” first and then adjust the resolution to 300. Remember, low-resolution images off websites are not suitable for commercial printing!
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What is raster art?

Photographs and scanned images are referred to as raster art/images. Raster images are made out of pixels. Each pixel has a level of color and together the pixels create an image. Images that do not have enough pixels will not print clearly. Low-res images (images that do not have enough pixels) look jagged and muddy and will not yield desirable results.
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I’ve got a lot of photos that need to be used on the web and for printing. How do handle this?

Again, scan or shoot your photos at the highest resolution possible and downsize for the project as needed. Invest in multiple cards for your camera if necessary!
Create two folders on your desktop, one for web use and the other for print use. In Photoshop, check that the resolution is 300 at the size it is to be used in the document. If you’re not sure, err on the largest size usable.
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How does resolution and resizing images affect what I’m sending you to use?

If you have a 300 resolution image and enlarge it 200% in your document, it is no longer 300 – you have now lowered the resolution to 150. Graphics used on the web have a resolution of 72. You can’t trick low-res images into being acceptable for printing. You can open images from your website into PhotoShop® and change them to 300, but all this will do is add noise and unwanted “pixel trash” to your image. Yes, you will now have a resolution of 300, but your image will be of very poor quality and include additional information you won’t want to see when printed.
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I sent you an EPS created in Photoshop for a spot color job because you said you needed an EPS. Now I’m being told it’s not usable.

There are two kinds of files: raster and vector. Vector art can separate correctly for spot color or four-color process work Raster art can be used for single color or full color work only. It will not separate into two true spot colors!

Vector graphics are created with mathematically defined curves and lines so you can shrink or enlarge the graphic and it will stay sharp and clear no matter what size you make it. The majority of graphic art and logo packages you can purchase are vector images. Almost all files created with Illustrator®, FreeHand®, or CorelDRAW™ are vector graphics (EPS or AI)

Raster images are created with dots or pixels. Photographs and scanned images are raster images. Anything out of PhotoShop® is a raster image regardless of the format. Formats that fall in this category are: TIFF, JPEG or GIF files.

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) This format our most recommended format because of it being created out of lines and curves and its ability to separate correctly. Since it can be used for raster or vector images, it can be a little confusing. Again, vector art can separate correctly for spot color or four color process work and raster art can be used for single color or full color work only! It will not separate into two true spot colors!
VECTOR ART (anything out of Illustrator®, FreeHand®, or CorelDRAW™) should be saved as an EPS file. The only exception would be if you would import those files into InDesign. In that case, you should leave Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop files in their native .ai or .psd format.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) Raster image. All photographs and scans (or anything out of PhotoShop®) can be saved in this format.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) This format is mainly used for internet use. The JPEG format compresses images in order to create a smaller file size. When an image is saved as a JPEG, then reopened, the image looks the same but is missing information that was thrown out in order to compress the image. Please do not send us JPEG files because when we open them, they will not have all the image information. Instead, save your files as TIFF or EPS.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) This format is primarily used for web media and is used primarily for logos and graphics that are not photographs. Please do not give us these images for printing. This format is limited to 256 colors. Save them as TIFF or EPS images instead.
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What is file compression?

When you send multiple files by e-mail or ftp, you may want to compress your files, use a compression program such as StuffIt™ or WinZip™. These programs will store your files together into one smaller size file so that they can be transmitted faster. When we receive the "stuffed" or "zipped" file, we will be able to open it and have all of your original files in their original file sizes.
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Which Application should I use?

With the introduction of Adobe Creative Suites, the majority of our clients incorporated the package into their art department and we’ve made the components our applications of choice.

Photoshop® CS3: Photo adjustments, color correction, and more
Indesign® CS3: Page layout
Illustrator® CS3: Create vector art
Acrobat & Distiller®: Create press quality pdfs
Freehand MX®: Create vector art
PageMaker® 7.0: Will be converted to Indesign and require additional proofing.
Quark® 6.5: We will not upgrade this program past v. 6.5 due to the very limited submission of Quark files. Please submit press quality PDF with correct document size, color format, bleeds, etc. (See important notes below)
Microsoft Word® 2003: Please submit press quality PDF unless text file is to be used for HP Design Department custom design
Microsoft Publisher®: Please submit press quality PDF with correct document size, color format, bleeds, etc. (See important notes below)
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Additional Information for Microsoft Publisher®

Microsoft Publisher® is now able to print color separations. There are some important notes regarding issues that may not be apparent until the job gets on the press. We prefer a press quality PDF with correct document size, color format, bleeds, etc.

Do not use JPEGS or TIFF images for spot color separations, unless they are grayscale. Only an EPS graphic will separate into spot colors properly.
Review the links to confirm the format and color mode before the file is sent.

Microsoft® programs do not notify us of missing fonts. If a font is missing, another font on our system will be substituted in place of the missing font. This means we will not know if fonts are missing because it will appear to us that the substituted font was built into the file. Be sure to include all fonts as well as a printed copy of your file so that we can double-check for accuracy.

Please import images instead of "cutting & pasting" images from one document to another. If you "cut & paste" the image you see will be a screen shot and print out at 72 dpi, which is too low of resolution.

All Microsoft® programs do not have an accurate color management system. The colors you see on your monitor or color desktop printout will be different than the printed version of that file. To help avoid some potential problems, when selecting colors, do not select a generic color. Select the fill color or line color>More Fill Colors>Custom Tab>Color Mode>CMYK (full color jobs) OR Pantone>Select Pantone number (spot color jobs) when choosing colors. Please remember to use the correct Pantone® guide when making these selections!

When working in Publisher®, please print color separations on your desktop printer to check that your file is only using the colors intended. If you can’t make it separate, neither can we!
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MISCELLANOUS

I have a monthly newsletter that needs to follow a certain format. Is it okay to just “save as” each month and revise the same file?
It is always best to start with a new file. It is possible to incur problems when you reuse an old document, delete its contents and add new information. By using a new document, you can prevent file corruption that might be carried over from an old document. One option for making an older legacy document into a new one is to create a new document and perform a "thumbnail drag" of the old pages into the newly created document. You will now have a new document identical to the original, without any potential problems from the previous one.
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