Digital

Prepress

Proofing

Offset

NexPress

Letterpress

Finishing

Mailing

Professional solutions in prepress

We utilize both Macintosh and PC operating systems in our prepress area. This reduces the potential for text flow problems that are a result of font incompatibility. We preflight each job on the same platform in which it was originated.

Application software
We support the major software applications including:

Application	Ver.	Mac	PC
QuarkXpress	7.0	X	X
Adobe Photoshop	10 (CS3)	X	X
Adobe PageMaker	7	X	X
Macromedia Freehand	MX	X	X
Adobe Illustrator	13 (CS3)	X	X
Microsoft Word	2003	X	X
Adobe InDesign	5 (CS3)	X	X
Corel Draw	12	-	X
Microsoft Publisher	2003	-	X

Saving open application files
Using the proper procedures when saving application files saves time and helps assure that your job will be printed as planned. When you send us a digital file, in addition to the application file, you need to include fonts, linked artwork and a printout of the job.

Fonts
Fonts used by both client and vendor must be of the same version, name and manufacturer. In your document, you should not select a style attribute such as bold, or italic that may not be available as a printer font. On the screen (and when printed from some laser or inkjet printers) the font will display with the selected attribute. Most raster image processors (RIPs), however, will output the unmanipulated version of the font.

PostScript™ fonts generally output better than TrueType™ fonts.

Hard-copy proofs
A hard-copy proof gives us something against which we can check our initial output. For files sent by email or uploaded to our website, fax a hard-copy proof. Send the original via our free pick-up service or overnight delivery.

Proofs should be 100% in size and printed with file name, crop marks, date and time. Click the registration marks option in the print dialog box when using PageMaker®, QuarkXPress® or other programs.

For spot- or process-color projects, color proofs are preferred. If you are relying on black and white laser proofs, the gray scale mode should be used when printing proofs of color pages. Black and white proofs of color pages in QuarkXPress should be printed with "Colors as gray" turned on.

Defining Colors
When defining colors you must always reference a Pantone swatch book before entering values in the color palette because RGB monitors do not accurately represent how ink will appear on paper.

When specifying spot colors, set the process separation button to OFF to ensure that the color you specify is not generated as a CMYK match. This is perhaps the most common error encountered in defining colors.

Scans
Scan images at 300 dpi at 100 percent of the size at which they will be printed. Scanning at 72 dpi and then increasing the resolution to 300 dpi in Photoshop will not make the image high-resolution. The same is true of most images downloaded from the Internet.

Creating PDF (portable document format) files
A PDF is a file format that allows you to view a file even if you do not have the application in which the file originated. To work properly, the PDF must be saved correctly. You need Adobe Acrobat Distiller to do this.

Step 1.
Open the file you want to save as a PDF. Make sure all fonts and images used in your file are loaded and updated. Choose "print" in your application program. Postscripting will embed all graphics and fonts.

Step 2.
Create a postscript file of your document. This requires that you have a postscript printer driver on your computer. The file should include crop marks, registration marks and 1/8" bleed. Select "print to file" in your print window. This creates a document with a ".ps" (Macintosh/PC) or ".prn" (PC only) extension.

Step 3
Before you distill the file in Adobe Acrobat Distiller, you must define the parameters by which Distiller processes the file. Select the following parameters in Distiller:

Click for larger image

 

Step 4
View your PDF to confirm that all images are in place, that the type has not reflowed and that the colors look right.

Follow this procedure and you will have a high-resolution PDF. If your version of Acrobat has more or different settings, contact your Printing Partners' sales person.