Digital File Preparation Guide | Newsletter

This week we showcase three unique articles describing various perspectives for preparing digital files for press. Check out these articles, and more, at PrepressX.com.

Digital File Preparation Guide

Use Page Layout Programs such as InDesign or Quark

• Create your document in the exact size of the final trimmed piece. For example, if you are creating a letter size multiple-page document with facing pages, your page size would be 8.5x11, not 11x17.
• Use the master page to place common items such as page numbers in the same location on multiple pages.
• Create multiple-page documents in reader’s spreads.
• Extend images that bleed off the document page by an 1/8” (standard).
• Delete unused colors in the color palette from EPS and page layout files.
• Images that cross-over facing pages should be divided into two separate picture boxes and aligned on their respective pages.
• Scale bitmap images no more than 10% up or down from their original size. A drastic enlargement will cause loss of detail and a drastic reduction may extend imaging time and delay your job.
• Link images in your Illustrator and FreeHand files. Do not embed them.

Tip: Remember to include any special Quark Xtensions you may have used to create your document.
Tip: Creating files in drawing programs such as Illustrator, FreeHand or Corel Draw can sometimes incur additional...

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Prepping Pre-press Files to Avoid Printing Problems

Any changes made to a job once it's arrived at the printer is going to cost you money! So, avoid the common pitfalls found delivering pre-press files to the printer. Making changes once a document has gone to the printer can be a costly mistake. Sometimes costly changes can't be avoided like when you have a finicky client, but that's his or her dime so we won't worry about that. Most problems come from the pre-press part of the print process. This is where, we as designers, need to make sure we take the time to make sure our ducks are all in a row. My policy is "check it twice - pay once." Following the simple guidelines below should eliminate the majority of simple problems that can cause...

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The Pre-Press Checklist for Notepad Printing

Before finally sending the designs to the notepad printer, you must first go through a pre-press checklist on notepad printing. This checklist will check if the outputs you would be coming up with are free of errors.

You do not want your errors to be duplicated hundreds of times in your custom notepads. Since you will be using them as stationeries and for official work, it is important to have everything correct and spotless as you produce them.

In this article, we are going to share with you a simple seven step pre-press checklist for notepad printing. This is a standard checklist, which you can use. Still, it is possible to modify this for your own purposes...