Prisma Graphic Web to Print On Demand Commercial Printing

Tips for Commercial Print Design

Choosing the wrong design software can be detrimental to a designer’s productivity and general sanity in the workplace. There are hundreds of different applications and add-ons in the form of plug-ins or extensions that can be purchased. Downloadable images and art all come in a variety of color spaces and resolution. Even templates are available online, but are they right?

Where to start?

Work in the right software

Generally, graphic design applications can be grouped into three different categories: image creation and manipulation, illustration, and page layout software. Illustrator® is a drawing (vector) program, ideal for logos, packaging, posters and single-page layouts. Photoshop® is a pixel-based (raster) program that lets you size, color correct and manipulate scanned images such as photographs and flat art. Neither is intended for multipage documents. For that, use a page layout program such as Quark® or InDesign®. Microsoft programs such as Publisher® and Word® are not intended for page layout. If you use these programs, it is imperative that you create a PDF/X-1a.

Build to size

Build your files at actual size unless your final size is too large for your software to accommodate. A printed piece with a final size of 8.5 x 11 should be built to 8.5 x 11 page size. Spreads should be created as two 8.5 x 11 pages, not as a single 17 x 11 form. And always, always, always include bleed around the document. (Minimum of 1/16 inch, although 1/8 inch preferred)

Are your color and resolution ready for print?

Always preflight your file to make sure your images are at correct resolution and consistent color. Many files are supplied or downloaded as RGB, Index, DCS, 300 DPI, or 72 DPI, etc. It is best for you to address these issues and do any conversions while the file is in your possession rather than at proof stage. It’s easy to be misled by some of the “out of gamut” color seen on the monitors.

Prevent problematic files long before the print stage.

Banding

If possible, avoid using vignettes and gradients on large areas. Adding noise will help minimize banding.

Getting Rich Blacks

Large areas of solid black benefit from an undercolor (such as 40% cyan) to deepen it – creating a “rich black.”

Font type, Size & Color

Knockout type should be larger than 5 pt. and should only knock out of one or two colors. All type 5 pt. or smaller should overprint. Minimum type to knock out of a 4-color image is 8 pt. Minimum size on serif type is 5 pt. and should print in one color only.

RGB or CMYK?

Many graphic programs give you the choice to work in either RGB or CMYK. Most scanners and digital cameras create images using combinations of just three colors: Red, Green and Blue. These are the primary colors of light, which computers use to display images on your screen. In particular, you may notice that the greens and oranges are much brighter in RGB than in CMYK. Unfortunately, it is the world of CMYK. Printing presses reproduce full-color pictures using the primary colors of pigment: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. At some stage, your RGB file must be translated to CMYK in order to print it on a printing press. If your files are sent as RGB, we cannot guarantee that the color shift will match the file you created and viewed on your monitor.

Will my monitor color match what’s printed?

When preparing digital images for print, it would be ideal if colors could reproduce on paper exactly as they appear on your monitor. Unfortunately, an exact match is not possible, but it IS possible to produce a close resemblance by properly adjusting your monitor and converting your files via color management. Many clients have multiple color profiles for different printers. Some clients never adjust their monitors even though they’ve been on 24/7 and their luminosity is slowly fading. Always test your monitor to see that it’s operating properly. As far as calibrating for color and balance, the best method is to match a color proof to the same CMYK file that made the proof, using the controls on your monitors.

The Portable Document Format (PDF)

The versatile PDF format has become the de facto standard for file transfer. It is a “device independent” software application, and has a completely open system that can be used on a multitude of output devices and media. For instance, it can be used to convey information onto the Internet, in printed format, on cd-rom, or via e-mail without losing image quality or the layout, style, etc. of the document.

Its strength lies in, as the name suggests, the portability of the document it produces. What this means is that a PDF document can be transferred between systems, i.e. Macintosh® to Windows® PC, PC to printer, without being altered. So what you see on the computer screen is exactly the same as everyone else sees. In this way, it can be sent anywhere for remote proofreading, and this consistency can be conveyed to the final printed piece.

Adobe® Systems is the company that developed the PDF file format, and all PDF files can be opened and viewed using Adobe Acrobat® Reader®, a free download application from Adobe (www.adobe.com). PDF is a direct development of Adobe”s own PostScript® page description language that has been, and continues to be, the print industry’s standard output format. For the most part, PDF file format has gained considerable momentum because it addresses the needs of the overall multimedia market in general.

Simplified PostScript Code

PDF files reduce the complexities of the graphic constraints found in PostScript files that need to be rasterized by RIP devices.

Embedded Fonts

The type characters and instructions for kerning and manipulating Type 1 and TrueType® fonts are placed inside the file so the user does not need the font to view, process or edit the document.

Compressed Graphics

File compression can be dramatic with no loss of quality of the image. Vector graphic files can be reduced to 25 percent of their original size, while bitmap graphics can be reduced by up to 75 percent of their original size. All PDF files are scalable (to 800 percent) and printable on PostScript and non-PostScript printers.

Forms and Indexing Features

These Enables PDF to serve as a complete Integrated Document Management System.

Page Independence

Single pages can be sent to the RIP, rather than the whole document, giving significant workflow benefits in the production process.

Top 10 Adobe PDF Golden Rules

When designing documents for Prisma Graphic, please maintain the following guidelines to ensure trouble-free integration with our automated workflow.

Set Up

Always set up your document page size to be finished trim size plus 1/8th on all sides for bleed, even in the case of a document that may not contain a bleed.

Driver

Select a color PostScript printer driver (PPD) and print your document to a PostScript file. Black and white print drivers will not contain all the necessary color information for the press.

Seperate

If you are creating a document that will be incorporating variable data, each page should be a separate PDF document. This is required for imposing variable data documents.

Please remember:

• Create Acrobat 4.0 (or higher) compliant files.
• Exclude any preset security permissions.
• Flatten all transparencies.
• Always embed your fonts or create outlines.

Do not use PDFWriter

PDFWriter is intended to be used to produce the smallest viewable files possible, and will exclude most of the elements needed for final high resolution output.

Acrobat Distiller

If you are using the Acrobat Distiller PPD file, you must use the Prisma Graphic specifications. This will ensure that printing options have been set correctly for imaging within Prisma Graphic’s automated workflow. (see link for profile)

When working on a Windows platform, you may either:

Use the Adobe PPD to generate a PostScript file. The resulting PostScript file can be stored in any folder as “*.ps” or “*.prn”. The file(s) can then be processed using Acrobat Distiller to create the PDF.

You may use the Acrobat Distiller printer to create the PDF in one pass. The latest Adobe drivers are available online at the Adobe Web site (http://www.adobe.com).

Document Mode

When creating any document for Prisma Graphic, make sure that you are working in the CMYK color mode.

Black

When building the color black, use the following settings to ensure a deep rich black:

• Cyan = 40%
• Magenta = 30%
• Yellow = 0%
• Black = 100%

DPI

When possible, set your general resolution to 2400 dpi (dots per inch). Color settings in distiller should be:

• Color images – 300 DPI (dots per inch).
• Grayscale – 300 DPI (dots per inch).
• Monochrome images 1200 DPI (dots per inch).

Preparing Your Project for Print

Our preferred file format is PDF/X-1a. However, we will accept PDF files that are created according to the instructions on this site.