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SAVE TIME AND EFFORT BY LEARNING TO PREPARE YOUR FILES FOR PRINT
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1. Start with the best art possible
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| Despite all the advances in graphic software and printing, the adage “Garbage in, garbage out” still applies. The better the original, the more latitude the printer has in achieving the results you want. Use photographs that exhibit the full tonal range. Don’t convert a color photo to make a black-and-white reproduction, if a black-and-white original is available. Start with the best you can get because each step results in a generational loss in quality.
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2. Work in the right software
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| Prepare your art in the program that is best suited for the task. Illustrator is a drawing (vector) program, ideal for logos, packaging, posters and single-page layouts. Photoshop is a pixel-based (raster) program that lets you size, color-correct and manipulate scanned images such as photographs and flat art. Neither is intended for multi-page documents. For that, use a page layout program such as QuarkXPress or InDesign.
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3. Make image changes before importing them
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| Scale, rotate, crop and manipulate images in the original graphic application (Photoshop or Illustrator) before importing them into your page-layout program (QuarkXPress or InDesign). If done in a page layout program, these steps consume a lot of computer memory and may cause output difficulties.
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4. Maintain image quality
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| Photoshop provides tremendous pixel control, but keep in mind that raster software cannot enlarge images without a loss in quality. When producing a digital image, start big because you can scale down with impunity. If you need to make an image larger, it is best to rescan or reshoot it at a higher resolution.
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5. CMYK or RGB
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| Remember that offset printing requires that all files be in CMYK to separate properly. For stock images that are usually supplied in RGB mode, printers often prefer to make the conversions themselves. If the printer requests otherwise, ask for a conversion profile to follow. Keep in mind that standard default settings on your software may convert some colors to straight black, rather than build the color out of CMYK. Images, especially with flesh tones, may appear dark and muddy.
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Sappi Fine Paper North America. "The Standard: Prepress, Preparing Files for Print". Boston:2005.
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6. Trust the software not the screen
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| If you are doing color corrections or manipulations on your own, rely on the numerical color gauges in Photoshop rather than what you see on the screen. Be sure to color calibrate your monitor and printer to reduce discrepancies.
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7. Keep track of your colors
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| Graphic programs give you an infinite choice of colors, and you may want to test out different hues to see which works best. Just be sure to keep track of them and eliminate any unused colors before releasing files. If you don’t, you may end up with a separate match-color plate for every color you tested. Or you may accidentally specify four-color process for a job that must be printed only in match colors.
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8. Build to size
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| Build your files at actual size unless your final size is too large for your software to accommodate. A printed piece with a final size of 8.5 x 11 should be built to 8.5 x 11 page size. Spreads should be created as two 8.5 x 11 pages, not as a single 17 x 11 form. Before releasing, add 1/8th inch bleeds where appropriate and be sure to indicate this. Let your printer make any adjustments for crossovers, gutter grind-off, creep, etc.
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9. Name your files clearly
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| Unusual characters in a name have been known to cause a printer’s computer to crash. Keep file names under 30 characters and use letters and numbers only. Make sure your files are labeled with the correct extension: .ai or .eps for Illustrator; .tif or .eps for Photoshop; .indd for InDesign; .qxd for QuarkXPress, and .pdf for PDF. Important: Indicate which software version you used in preparing the file because some printers may not have the latest versions.
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10. Unmarked Revision
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| For revisions, send only the files that have changed and give them a new name. If new support files or fonts are used, include them – and supply new lasers with changes clearly marked.
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