supplied files, acceptable formats and printing specs

 

Setting up your files for printing

We specialize in timely turnaround with high quality printing and can only achieve this if your file is set up according to our guidelines. If you have any questions after reviewing the specifications sheet please contact us by phone or email.

Acceptable formats:

ADOBE PDF:
CMYK colour format.
Embed Images. (minimum image resolution 300dpi)
Convert all fonts to curves.
Files must be saved as a postscript file from your native program first, then 'distilled' with Acrobat Distiller using PRESS setting.

QUARK XPRESS:
Only for magazines and multi-page documents.
CMYK colour format. (+ if Pantone colour is used)
Include all fonts.
Include all images. (CMYK and min. resolution 300dpi)

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR:
CMYK colour format.
Embed Images. (minimum image resolution 300dpi)
Convert all fonts to curves.
Save as .EPS version 10 or higher file format.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP:
CMYK colour format.
Flatten Image.
Minimum resolution of 300dpi.
Save as .TIF file format.

Supplied file requirements:

FONTS:
All fonts used must be supplied. Both printer and screen fonts should be included.
Postscript fonts yield industry standard results. Alternatively all fonts can be converted to outlines.

LAYOUT PROOFS:
For all document types please include a low resolution JPEG of your document for layout proofing purposes. You may also provide us with a Laser or Inkjet colour output as a layout proof.

COLOUR PROOFS:
It is VERY IMPORTANT to include a colour proof of your layout with your job. Without a hardcopy we can not guarantee accurate reproduction of the image. A Laser or Inkjet print-out is not true CMYK and cannot be produced exactly.
*Note - We can produce CMYK proofs through a colour key or Digital Epson. This is an added expense that will be passed on to you.

SCANNING:
All scanned images should be of a professional standard. Scanned images need to be scanned and saved at an appropriate resolution of 300dpi or more for continuous tone reproduction (photos and/or illustrations). Photos or scans should always be saved in CMYK and .TIF file format.

BLEED:
Pllease make all bleeds outward (at least .125" all the way around) unless otherwise specified. If you are bleeding outward please include bleed when requesting a quote. *Note – A quoted 6x4 job includes an inward bleed of .125 inches. A 6x4 with outward bleed will be quoted as 6.25 x 4.25 and will cost more.

COLOURS:
All colours in your document must be CMYK. If you use spot colours in your design, please include them in the file and name them properly. Exact colour match is not guaranteed. Critical colour requires a colour key or match print. Colour Laser copies or other proofs are not considered accurate prepress proofs.

Optimum colour output:

For Rich Black in Backgrounds and Large Areas Only - You cannot use 100% black and expect a rich black, you will end up with a grey instead of black. Use 100% Black, 40% Cyan, 30% Magenta, 0% Yellow.

For Rich Black Type – Because we cannot register the four colours of CMYK for small type (it will make it look blurry) use only 100% Black.

Don’t pick colours that are on the verge of another colour because colours can fluctuate 5-10%. Use a CMYK colour book that shows the colour recipes. Then pick a colour that will not have a significant colour change if it goes past 5% in any direction. Jobs can come out one colour one time and a different colour another time. Pick colours that will compensate for the printing process so that there is not a visible difference if the colour shifts slightly.

Imposition:

Do not impose your files. Fit as many up on a page or add crop marks to your file. We will take care of this in our imposition techniques.

Supported programs:

We accept files on both PC and Mac platforms. The following programs meet both these criteria.

MAC:
Quark Xpress - Multipage documents and Magazines Only.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe PDF

PC:
Quark Xpress - Multipage documents and Magazines Only.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe PDF

Unsupported programs:

The following programs are not supported for press prints:
Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, Adobe Persuasion, Corel Draw