Preparing Your Print Project | Pre-Press Printing Tips | Wood Printing Services

Preparing Your Print Project

Common Print Industry Terms

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Ideally, you should speak with your printer before you even open your drawing or layout program, or before scanning any artwork or photos. You will get better results, save time, and possibly save money.

What to Discuss with your Printing Company

The purpose of your project: what do you want it to accomplish?
What is the intended audience?
What quantity is required?
What are the physical dimensions of the project?
What type of paper stock is desired?
Who will be designing your project?

Sending Your Data Files to the Printing Company

Be sure to include all items required or and properly prepare digital files or camera-ready artwork to avoid time delays and additional costs. You may need to send fonts and graphics. Requirements differ from one printer to another but if you know the basics for sending files, it will eliminate most common problems and speed the processing of your job.

Prepress Specs

Check with your printer for their prepress specs. These specifications will let you know your printer’s exact requirements for file submission and accepted file types and how to deliver them. Familiarity with prepress specs will help you in setting up your file, designing the project correctly, and delivering it to your printer the way that works best for them. Following your printer’s prepress specifications will ensure the accuracy of your print job, avoiding errors and extra cost for corrections.

Application file

This is the actual digital file that you created with your professional graphics application. Before you submit an application file:

Be sure your printer has the same software and a compatible version.

Ensure that the printer can handle files from your platform.

Note: Few printers accept Microsoft Publisher (.pub) files or files from anything other than the Adobe® programs, QuarkXPress®, Corel®, and other major 'professional' applications. This can vary by region.

If your application file is not acceptable you may want to consider submitting a PostScript® (or PDF) file for output.

Fonts

Even when you use common, classic typefaces you'll need to send the copies of the actual font files that your document contains. Fonts can vary from vendor to vendor; differences exist between the TrueType and Type 1 versions of fonts. If you don't supply your own fonts, another version of the font may be substituted. This might work, or it might result in subtle or obvious differences in your document.

Send both screen and printer fonts (for Type 1 fonts).

If you have embedded EPS files that include text not converted to curves, send the fonts for those images as well.

Avoid mixing TrueType and Type 1 fonts in the same file.

Send the same version of the font (that is, if you used TrueType fonts but send the Type 1 version of that typeface, you may see errors).

To avoid having to send font files, embed all your fonts or convert text to curves. However, this isn't always possible or advisable. Check with your printer first.

Graphics

Send copies of all your images used in your document. If you've practiced good file size management, then most of your graphics are linked, not embedded in your document. Your printer may need to have access to those original graphics, otherwise your application file may have only low-quality preview images in the file or no graphic at all.

Use EPS and TIFF images. If you must use other formats, check with your printer.

Convert RGB images to CMYK.

Save graphics in uncompressed formats (TIFF/EPS).

Don't change graphics file names unless you first re-link them in your application file.

In some instances, your printer may want you also to send original format graphics (Freehand, Illustrator, Photoshop files) in addition to the placed EPS/TIFF images in your page layout application for troubleshooting purposes.

To ensure that you include all fonts and graphics needed for your output, it is a good idea to use the collection capabilities of your program or third-party programs for Preflight Collection.