Prelude to the Launch: Part V

A New Series on HD Prepress File Preparation

From The Art Director — Bobby Lee

Before reading please read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

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Part V – Tips & Techniques – Final Entry

This is the final entry in the weekly series offered as a prelude to the launch of our exciting new FastTrak File Processing program coming this March.  The items covered in the series provide solutions to the most common problems we encounter with client submitted files.  Our goal is to educate our clients on techniques to minimize, and even eliminate, delays on proofing and printing alike.

For those who are new to preparing files for printing, or for those more experienced designers wishing to brush up on technique, we hope this prelude will be a valuable learning experience whatever your level of expertise.  At the very least, the basic tips presented in this series will make the design process go more smoothly, and at most they will help eliminate the likelihood of someday hearing those dreaded words…“we ran into a problem with your files.”

15.  Missing Links and Fonts

Files with missing links cannot be processed for commercial printing because lo-res preview images are all that remain to print in their absence.  Depending on the program you use, these preview images will either fail to print at all or print out highly pixelated.  Obviously, linked images show up on the file you’re working on because they reside on your computer, but if we don’t receive them along with your main file, there is nothing we can do short of delaying your job until we receive them.

Over the years we have built an extensive library of fonts, but there is no guarantee we have all the fonts used in your document, especially if it’s full of newly downloaded fonts from the web.  The following techniques offer a few quick ways to get past these problems.  Please compress your files with Zip or Stuffit when you’re done to reduce the overall size and to protect the data during internet transfers.

InDesign: Select “Package” from the File Menu to gather all the files and fonts used to create your job. This will create a folder with all the files needed to print your job.  Compress and send this new folder.

QuarkXPress: Select “Collect for Output” from the File Menu to gather all the files and fonts used to create your job and place them in a new folder.  Compress and send this new folder.

Illustrator: Since there is no “Package” feature in Illustrator, we recommend that you convert all fonts to outlines so you don’t have to send them separately.  Then select “Save As” under the File Menu, rename your file to indicate it’s in outlines, choose Format “Adobe Illustrator” or “Illustrator EPS” and check the “Include Linked Files” option in the Illustrator Options window before saving if any of your images were placed as linked files.  We can accept either Adobe Illustrator .ai or .eps files.

Most other programs automatically embed images and vector art.  Make sure any images placed into these programs are both CMYK and at least 300 ppi at 100%.  To be safe, gather all the files involved with your print job, put them in a single folder and compress that folder into a single file.  That way we can edit any of your files if problems occur without delaying the job to wait for missing images or fonts.   If you’re not in the habit already, it’s a great idea to store a copy of each image, scan, logo or other digital artwork in a “Links” folder within the same folder as your main document file as you work on your project.  That way you have easy access to them during the design process, and they’re already gathered when you’re ready to go to press.

Regarding missing fonts: Most font problems can be avoided either by converting text to outlines, using one of the “Package” or “Collect” methods listed above, or by including any fonts used along with your files.  We do not recommend converting text to outlines or curves in QuarkXPress as type tends to shift position without warning.

16.  Damaged Links & Fonts

Occasionally, files are damaged when transferred over the internet, but sometimes they do come damaged from the source.  You can avoid unnecessary delays by opening your final file as a test before sending it.  If there are no problems, compress all the files (main files, images, fonts, logos, etc.) with Zip or Stuffit to protect them during the transfer…even as an email attachment.  It’s a good idea to test the compressed file as well.  Sometime errors or electronic glitches occur during the compression process.  (This is an excellent example of how a minute or two spent on checking files can save a day or two of high anxiety on a tight deadline.)

If you discover a damaged font on your computer, please don’t use it in the files you send us…even if it looks good on screen.  There is no guarantee it will work on our system unless you can successfully convert the type to outlines or rasterize your final artwork.  If you’re working in Photoshop, simply flatten the image to rasterize any fonts.  If a font looks bitmapped or severely stair-stepped on screen…don’t use it.

17.  Booklets:  Page Counts

The total number of pages in any stitched booklet must be divisible by 4, including the cover signature.  For example: an 8.5 x 11 booklet is—for all practical purposes—several 11 x 17 sheets folded in half and stapled together.  Each 11 x 17 represents 4 pages total, so that two sheets equal 8 pages, three sheets equal 12 pages, etc.  Files for loose-leaf binding, such as coil-binding, are divisible by 2 since they are composed of single sheets with fronts and backs only.

18.  Booklets:  Include Blank Pages

Position blank pages within your document as needed so the total number of pages in your file equals the total number of pages in the finished, printed booklet.  This applies to both stitched and loose-leaf booklets.  If, however, you have a loose-leaf booklet that is printed only on the front of each sheet you can avoid blank pages for the backsides, but please be sure to specify this option when placing your order.

19.  Booklet Spreads

We cannot accept files in “Printer Spreads.”  It’s perfectly acceptable to work in “Facing Pages” or “Reader Spreads” when creating your booklet so you can extend photos and other elements across the fold as needed for the design, however, it is critical that your document Page Size equals the Folded Size of the booklet, not the spread size.  The pages in your file must appear in the same order as they appear in your booklet, including blank pages and covers, even if your cover signature is printed on a different stock or a different weight than the rest of the book.  That way, your digital proof will be in order and there will be no confusion as to which pages represent the covers when the booklet is composed on larger sheets for printing by our prepress department.

20.  Spot Color Tips

Avoid Duplicate Pantone PMS Names: On spot color jobs, multiple Pantone names with the same color number can result in the output of extra plates and additional charges.  Example: a PANTONE 300 C duotone image from Photoshop placed in an InDesign file with PANTONE 300 U already in the color palette could generate two plates if you use both colors from the palette in the same file.  Use one or the other, not both

One method to avoid this problem is to place any monotones or duotones into your main document from the very beginning, even if you simply place it outside the document area as you work.  That way, the PMS colors from your images are automatically added to the color palette in your new file and you can use those colors in your design without having to access additional PMS swatches.  Another good habit is to clear your palette of anything other than the PMS colors you’ve chosen to use on your job.  This will help you avoid using one PMS swatch for fills and yet another for strokes without noticing it.

When you’re done, try printing separations to your desktop printer and then check for duplicates.  If you are working on a 2-color spot job and three prints emerge from the printer…you’ve got a duplicate color element somewhere.  If six sheets print out you may have inadvertently used a CMYK color swatch from the palette in addition to PMS colors.

CMYK or RGB Colors in Spot Color Jobs: You cannot use CMYK or RGB colors for images, elements or type in spot color jobs.  They simply don’t work because they eventually separate into CMYK in prepress and we end up with plates that have nothing to do with the PMS inks you intended to run on the press.  Again, clear your palette of anything except your chosen Pantone colors and black, if that’s one of the colors you’re using.  For placed images, use only monotones, duotones or tritones composed of PMS colors and black.

Use Only Pantone Colors for Spot Color Jobs: Avoid using or creating spot color names like “Red”, or “Color 1” and “Color 2.”  Use only Pantone PMS colors from your program’s swatch library to specify the ink color you wish to use, plus black if needed.  For example, using PANTONE 485 C tells us you want us to use Pantone’s PMS 485 ink to print on coated paper.

Spot Color with Adobe Effects: Some Adobe special effects, such as drop shadows and transparencies, do not work in combination with spot colors.  If your job is printing in full color anyway, you can convert any spot colors in the palette to CMYK and avoid these problems.  The “Warning” you sometimes get regarding spot colors when saving files applies here.

Next month we will launch our new FastTrak File Processing program.  We invite you to check out this exciting new program so you can FastTrak Your Files for Priority Proofs. It’s worth the time and effort.

I hope the tips presented in this series have been beneficial to you and your associates.  Feel free to send a link to whomever you think would benefit from the referral.  We look forward to serving you and hope this information will be beneficial to you, your organization or anyone else who prepares prepress files for you.

Our goal is to continually inform our clients of improvements in our system so you can experience quicker turnarounds and more accurate printing.  You can find additional setup tips on our Support Center at copycraft.com.  As always, your comments are appreciated.  Please feel free to call if you have any questions beyond the items listed in this series:  1.800.794.5594.

Watch for the launch of our exclusive FastTrak File Processing program coming to Copy Craft Printers next month.