Prepress...the bane of existence for both printers and designers alike. If the shape of a press shop were that of a bottle, the prepress department would certainly be the neck. Missing fonts, low resolution photos, files saved and packaged incorrectly. Yikes! It's the perfect storm. Since this can be such a headache for many designers, Bridgetown has put together a checklist for you to make this process as painless as possible. The next time you send a job to your printer, take a peek at this list and your life should be much easier!
Pre-Press Checklist:
If you are providing print resolution bitmaps rather than having us scan them for you, for best results please use these guidelines:
❏ Scan the image at the appropriate dimension for your document. An 8 x 10 original image being used in a 4 x 6 space need not be scanned at 100%.
❏ Do not enlarge the scanned image beyond 120% when placing it in your document.
❏ Try to follow the 2 to 1 rule. The resolution should be two times the line screen. For example, 150 lpi x 2 = 300 dpi.
❏ Bitmaps for process color separation need to be CMYK EPS or CMYK TIFF files.
❏ Do not use compression methods (i.e. LZW or JPEG) on placed images for output.
❏ Avoid using RGB images whenever possible, they will be converted to CMYK.
When creating documents to send to us for output, please ensure that:
❏ The document dimensions are correct.
❏ No lines or anchored rules are thinner than .25 points.
❏ All images are correctly positioned.
❏ Avoid rotating images in layout software (i.e. Quark XPress, InDesign). Instead rotate high-resolution images in photo manipulation software (i.e. PhotoShop).
❏ Vector Graphics (EPS files from Illustrator or FreeHand) do not have excessive points and long paths have been split.
❏ Logos and graphics created in programs like Illustrator and FreeHand have the type converted to paths.
❏ The status of all imported pictures or links is "ok."
❏ You have used only fonts that you intended to use.
❏ All unused colors have been deleted.
❏ The pasteboards surrounding all pages are empty.
❏ Bleeds have been extended at least 1/8" beyond the desired trim.
❏ Process Separation has been designated for all process color builds.
❏ Colors defined in Adobe Illustrator or other applications should be consistent.
❏ All documents have been proof-read and double-checked before submission.
Before sending files to us, please make sure that you have included:
❏ All printer and screen fonts required to print the document.
❏ All EPS and/or TIFF files.
❏ All required Quark XTensions.
❏ All original application files.
❏ Final laser prints of all document pages, including separations if applicable.
❏ Laser output of the directory of files.
❏ Names of all files to output.
❏ Page ranges to output for each document.
Posts
Kyle: Great idea! We are working on the same concept for web sites. You should print this on a mousepad! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, Nick! We figure, the more we can educate our customers, the easier it makes life for everyone!
ReplyDelete-Kyle
You could also add a final mockup to the list. I always appreciated it when designers would provide a correct mockup of the page order and position. Now as a designer I continue to do that and prepress departments always are happy.
ReplyDeletegreat reminders... i'm thinking this would make a great broadside myself!
ReplyDeleteNice list. Thank you. One thing I would like to see mentioned is that embedded images are a big No, No. I have been told by senior designers (that should know better) that they always embed images. Yikes! I heard this in a college classroom from an instructor. I am still cringing and wishing I walked out.
ReplyDeleteMichael, mock-ups, or as some call them "lasers", are always greatly appreciated! This list came more from a file preparation standpoint, but certainly when we proceed with the project we appreciate mock-ups as well as the file directory.
ReplyDeleteupfronsumdirt, glad I could help!
Laurie, yes, I will definitely need to add that to the list! It's surprising how many designers are unaware of this!