Resources
File Preparation
Acceptable File Formats
In Order of preference:
- InDesign
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Excel
- Word*
- Publisher*
- Quark Express**
When supplying files, please provide all graphics and fonts associated with files and graphics should be high-resolution, no lower than 200 dpi. Formats include jpeg, giff, png, pdf, tiff, psd, bmp. The better your graphics, the better your project will look.
PDFs - Please create as Press Quality, found in Properties, to ensure fonts and images are embedded.
While creating projects, please be conscientious of maintaining color consistency. Variations of the same color should be adjusted in the tint value, not by using a similar PMS color value.
Contact us before you start . . . we can help you set your project up correctly.
*Additional file preparation may exist.
**Must be saved version 4.0; additional file preparation will exist.
Graphics software we use:
InDesign
Illustrator
Photoshop
Acrobat
Dreamweaver
Print and Graphics Glossary
Prepress Terms
Acrobat: Adobe software that embodies the PDF format.
Additive Primaries: In color reproduction, Red, Green & Blue (RGB). When lights of these colors are added together, they produce the sensation pf white light.
Art: All illustration copy used in preparing a job for printing.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript): A digital prepress file format used to transfer graphic images within compatible applications. A file containing structured PostScript code, comments and a screen display.
Font: A complete assortment of letters, numbers, punctuations, etc., of a given size and design.
Format: The size, type page, margins, printing requirements, etc., of a printed piece.
Halftone: The reproduction of continuous-tone images through a screening process, which converts the image into dots of various sizes and equal spacing between centers.
JPEG (The Joint Photographic Experts Group): Formed to create a standard for color and gray scale image compression. JPEG describes a variety of algorithms (rules), each of which is targeted for a type of image application. JPEG is the default format for most digital cameras.
Layout: A drawing or sketch of a proposed printed piece. Also, the format of how a job is to be printed.
Mockup: preliminary layout showing the position of illustrations and text as they are to appear in the final reproduction. A set of blank pages made up in advance to show the size, shape, form and general style of a piece of printing.
PDF (Portable Document File): PDF is a universal electronic file format, modeled after the Postscript language device and resolution independent. Documents in the PDF format can be viewed, navigated and printed from any computer, regardless of fonts or software programs used to create the original.
Pixel: Short for “picture element.” A pixel is the smallest resolvable point of a raster image. It is the basic unit of digital imaging.
Portrait Or Landscape: Vertical or horizontal orientation format of a printed piece.
PostScript: A page description language developed by Adobe Systems, to describe an image for printing. It handles both text and graphics. A PostScript file is a purely text based description of a page.
Preflight check: Before printing or handing off the document to a service provider, you can perform a quality check on the document. Preflight is the industry-standard term for this process. The preflight warns of problems that may prevent a document or book from imaging as desired, such as missing files or fonts. It also provides helpful information about a document or book, such as the inks it uses, the first page a font appears on, and print
settings.
RGB (Red, Green & Blue): The primary additive colors used in display devices and scanners. Commonly used to refer to the color space, mixing system or monitor in color computer graphics.
Press Terms
4 Color Process (CMYK): The subtractive process colors of Cyan, Magenta &Yellow used in color printing with the addition of Black to enhance color & contrast.
Bleed: An extra amount of printed image which extends beyond the trim edge of the sheet or page.
Digital Printing: Printing by plateless imaging systems that are imaged by digital data from prepress systems.
PMS (Pantone Matching System): Color charts that have over 700 color patches of blended inks, used to identify display or define special colors.
Self Cover: A cover of the same paper as the inside text pages.
Sheetwise: To print one side of a sheet of paper with one or more plates, then turn the sheet over and print the other side with another plate or plates, using the same gripper and side guides edges of the sheet.
Work-and-tumble: To print one side of a sheet of paper, then turn it over from front (gripper) to back, using the same press side guide and plate or plates to print the second side.
Work-and-turn: To print one side of a sheet of paper, then turn it over from left to right and print the second side using the same front (gripper) of the sheet and plate or plates and using the other side guide of the press.
Bindery Terms
Accordion Fold: 2 or more parallel folds which open like an accordion.
Against the Grain: Folding or feeding paper at right angles to the grain direction of the paper.
Collate: The gathering of sheets and signatures.
Comb Binding (GBC): A rounded plastic comb-like binding piece inserted into punched holes on the binding side of the document.
Double-gate fold: Where a document has 4 panels with the 2 center panels having the same width, and the 2 outer panels having the same width also, but half the width of the center panels. This enables the document to be folded with the outer panels folding in like gates. Then the document to be refolded to the size of the center panels.
Double-Parallel Fold: Where is folded in half and then folded in half again.
Perfect Binding: Where the spines of folded signatures of a book, after being collated together, are cut away and glued together with a cover to form a square spined book.
Right Angle Fold: Used for 2 or more folds that are at 90 degree angles to each other.
Saddle Stitch: To fasten a booklet by wiring it through the middle fold of the sheets.
Score: To impress or indent a line to make folding easier on Cover weight stock.
Signature: The name given to the printed sheet after it has been folded.
Spiral or coil binding: A book bound with wires or plastic coil in spiral form, inserted through holes punched along the binding side.
Stapled: Where one corner or side of a document is held together by wire.
Tri-fold: Where a document is folded to one third of its flat size.
Wire-O Binding: A continuous double series of wire loops run through punched slots along the binding side of a booklet.
Paper Terms
Bond Paper: A grade of writing or printing paper where strength, durability and permanence are essential requirements.
Caliper: The thickness of paper, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch. In Board paper, however, it is expressed in “points.”
Cast Coated: Coated paper dried under pressure against a polished drum to produce a high gloss enamel finish.
Coated Paper: Paper having a surface coating which produces a smooth finish which can be Matte, silk, velvet and gloss in appearance.
Cover Paper: A term applied to a variety of papers used for the covers for catalogs, brochures, booklets and similar pieces. Book Paper: A general term for coated and uncoated papers.
Felt Finish: A paper having a heavy textured finish.
Grain: The direction in which most paper fibers lie which corresponds with the direction in which the paper is made on a paper machine.
Laid Paper: Paper with a pattern of parallel lines at equal distances, giving a ribbed effect.
Show-through: The undesirable condition in which the printing on the reverse side of a sheet can be seen through the sheet.
Stock: Paper or other material to be printed.
Substance: The weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to the standard size (17” x 22”) for business papers (bond and ledger).
Uncoated Paper: Paper with no added surface coating, but can be of a smooth, laid, felt, or wove finish.
Vellum Finish: Paper with a toothy finish which is relatively absorbent for fast ink penetration.
Wove Paper: A paper having a uniform unlined surface and a soft smooth finish.