Document Preparation Tips

Here's a collection of document preparation tips we've accumulated over the years in addition to those in our Designer/Print Checklist to make your day easier, your project more manageable, and your budget more reachable. Our account representatives will be happy to explain any of the tips in more detail, or perhaps suggest a more economical manner for the completion of your job.

Prepare your documents for print to make best use of the paper size to be printed on.
No matter what the size of the finished product, most printers use standard size sheets of paper and then trim them down to the specific size. Standard sizes include 8.5" x 11," 8.5" x 14" and 11" x 17."

For example, printed pieces whose finish size is 5.5" x 8.5" will be printed "two-up" on 8.5" x 11" paper. Pieces that are 4.25" x 5.5" will be printed "four-up" on 8.5" x 11" paper. Therefore, if you submit only one original of 4.25" x 5.5" camera ready copy or a file on a disk of that size, the printer will have to make three duplicates and place them together to make best use of paper and press time - the end result being more time taken and additional expense charged to you.

Business cards are almost always printed 4-up if they're raised or 8- or 10-up if they're not. Files received on disks for business cards with a document size of 2" x 3.5" (standard business cardsize) will have to be changed into a form we can use.

Therefore, when preparing camera ready copy, fill a standard size piece of paper with as many copies of your job as possible. There's no difference in cost between one business card or ten on an 8.5" x 11" paper going through a press. However, the 10-up sheet will only take about 1/10th of the press time and 1/10 the paper as the other with a resultant considerable cost savings.

If you have any questions about what's the most economical way to prepare your copy, either camera ready or on a disk, please contact your account representative.

Use PostScript fonts if possible.
TrueType fonts were created by Microsoft for non-postscript printers and are scaleable. The main problem is that a postscript imagesetter must first convert a TrueType font into the postscript language before the job can be processed. This may lead to reflowing and an undesirable result.

Don't mix PostScript and TrueType fonts.
When both types are loaded into a computer, the screen will display the TrueType version of the font, but a postscript imagesetter will use the postscript version, possibly giving a different flow.

Use bold, italic, etc., fonts of the font family when needed, not the menu styles.
Menu styles may look great on the screen, but if they don't have an equivalent printer font, the printed result will be jagged. A bolded menu style of a bold font may look cool on the screen, but rarely will print that dark.

Delete unused items from outside the document layout.
They may not print, but they'll have to be processed and therefore will take extra time and memory. Covering the unused items with a white box will only make matters worse.

Make sure you submit all fonts used to the printer, both screen and printer, including dingbat fonts.
Dingbat font or special fonts can be easily overlooked. Also include fonts used in EPS files.

Make sure any registration marks you draw in a file for 2+ color jobs are identified as registration marks.
This way, they'll print for all colors separations, and not just for the black one.

Don't change the name of a graphic or photo after it has been placed.
This will break the link to the file, so the application program won't be able to find it. If you edit a graphic after it's been placed, make sure you update the link since it will now be modified.

Provide all image/graphics/photos in either an EPS or TIF format.
These are standard formats. Other formats such as PIC may cause the imagesetter problems.

Extend bleeds about 1/8" beyond the margin. A bleed is a color that extends to the edge of the paper. If the ink only extends to the edge, a slight off line cut will create a thin white line at the edge.

Leave about 1/4" margin of white space to the edge of the paper for gripper. The printing presses must have some space on which to "grip" the paper to pull it through the press. Text too close to the margin will not print.