PREPARING YOUR JOB

Computer Programs

The graphics or composition software programs we support on either the MAC or PC platform are:

QuarkXpress - PageMaker - Illustrator - InDesign - Photoshop

Some programs were designed to produce a nice colored piece from your inkjet or laser printer, but they do not work well with the postscript output devices necessary to get your file to the printing press. The files you have created with those programs may require a lot of work or reconstruction to recreate what you want to print.

Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and Corel WordPerfect are most appropriate for single color text designs and/or for creating text which will imported into other graphic postscript programs.

Photos

Digital camera photos included for printing must be from a camera capable of at least 3 Megapixels. Photos from cameras with a lesser Megapixel capability will pixelate when the file is processed to film or plate.

Scan photos at 300 dpi at full size. For full-color printing convert the RGB photo scans to CMYK before placing or linking in your file. Photos to be printed in a single color should be converted to grayscale before placing in your file.

Fonts

The fonts used in your graphic design are to be sent to us with your file.

Note that some fonts which come with low resolution printers (output devises) will not work properly on our high resolution output devises.

Graphics

Some multicolored clipart graphics that may print properly on your inkjet and color printers must be separated for output to a printing press. The graphic should be opened in Photoshop or similar program and converted to CMYK or spot color.

If the graphic is a low resolution piece (often downloaded from the internet) it will pixelate when output to a high resolution devise. Before spending a lot of time designing your piece with graphic downloaded from the internet, be sure to check the size/resolution of the graphic.

PREPARING YOUR FILE

Make sure all elements which are to bleed are set in the file. Make sure all the photos are properly configured (spot color or CMYK). Make sure everything is set at appropriate color (spot or CMYK). Make sure you have enabled trapping, where appropriate.

To ensure that your file will open in the same format as you created, use the file collection software tools provided by your software.

The QuarkXpress tool is called "Collect for Output," the PageMaker tool is "Save for the Service Provider." These tools will collect the fonts and graphics and transfer the necessary components to us.

Be sure your software has included all linked items (fonts, photos and graphics).

Send a hard copy of your job.

Clearly mark all disks you want returned.

For jobs we are to design and/or assemble to your mock-up:

Give us all components (photos, text, graphics) at one time. Normally we will not begin the job until all components are in. It is more costly to design a piece in stages.

Be sure that photographs are clearly marked -- code their location on the printed piece and indicate to whom they should be returned.

SENDING FILE

We accept computer files:

On Zip disk (100 gig)
On 2 gig Jazz disk
On CD Rom
On Floppy disk

As an E-mail attachment (Compress a large file) The compression files are WinZip for PC or Stuffit for MAC

 

Upload your file to the server:
Please fill in the file-upload form below

File to upload
Notes about the file
Your Name
Your Email Address
Phone Number
	to upload the file!