Having a plan and a process in place to communicate with your print provider is an essential element in ensuring you get the results you want. Today we present a few quick tips to help prepare a file for printing.
By the time you’ve finished your print design and gotten a go-ahead for printing, you have no doubt spent hours working and re-working your project. You are an expert at communicating the ideas behind your design, but the next big question is can you prepare your file for printing and communicate how you want it printed?
We all know to proofread and give everything a final once over, but what should you be aware of, and what mistakes should you be looking for? From fonts, to images, to the structure of your document, here are a few steps to help make your needs clear, and help avoid mistakes and extra expenses:
Fonts:
Review your text not only for spelling and grammar, but also for spacing and text flow.
Remember to package all of the necessary fonts together with your project.
Better yet, include the entire font family, not just the individual font. Do this for every font you use in a project.
Images:
Check the resolution of all your photos – although the details are debatable, we feel the traditional standard of 300 pixels/inch is a good to aim for.
Review image links in InDesign or Quark, and make sure you have all your images together.
Colors:
Choose your color space carefully, and be consistent.
Check with your printer to see what color space they want you to use.
Be consistent when choosing spot colors – if you are printing on coated paper, than choose the coated version of a spot color in your design software. And definitely don’t mix coated and un-coated versions of a color.
Document:
Don’t expect a prepress team to know what you intend to be printed and not printed. Delete objects, text, and pages that aren’t needed.
Clean up your pages and get rid of guide layers – they can often be more confusing then helpful.
Make sure that your document is set for the proper size for your final piece.
Files:
Map your files: Create a guide for prepress to help understand which files are which. Eliminate as much guesswork as you can.
Label everything as well as you can.
Include a hard-copy sample from a laser or inkjet printer.
Point out any potential issues or special concerns like bleeds, overprints, knockouts, etc. right from the beginning.
Make sure your printer can use your files (program, version, etc.) and you are handing off your project in the format they want.
Learn to use your preflight options. InDesign, Quark, and other programs include a preflight function that will neatly review and package your project up with everything it needs.
And of course, when in doubt, be sure to talk with your printer as soon as you can to help make sure you have everything together, and they understand what you want.
If you have questions for us, feel free to comment below, email us, or call at 215.364.3898.
cutpasteandprint Printing, graphic design, binding, and promotional product specialists in Huntingdon Valley, PA. We proudly serve the Bucks and Montgomery County areas with superior quality, great customer service, and a commitment to getting you and your the best possible printed materials. Our services include: Digital Printing, Offset Printing, Graphic Design, Promotional Items, Bindery, and Copying.
estimating@cutpasteandprint.com • 215.364.3898
