Creating Print Ready PDF

Table of contents:

We specialise in printing from artwork supplied. Our system incorporates numerous internal checks, all designed to ensure that the finished work we produce not only meets, but exceeds, your expectations.

We like to think of our relationship with you as a partnership and, as with any partnership, a great outcome depends on the input of both partners! Please check the following guidance which will help to ensure that your work proceeds quickly and efficiently through to successful completion.

Providing your Files
We can accept files sent on a wide range of 'hard' media as well as electronically.

'Hard' Media
We can accept the following 'hard' media by post or in person.

31/2" Floppy Disc - Iomega Zip drives
CDs/DVDs Recordable and Re-recordable

We can also take files from an unsupported drive if you send us the media and the drive (we will return them with the completed job).
NB: Due to the high cost of postage and the low value of media we no longer return media unless specifically requested. We make a small charge for carriage.
Electronic Media
If you would like to send files to us electronically we recommend that they are compressed first. This is particularly important for Apple Mac and large files on any platform.
We have decompressing software to interpret:
PKzip for PC and Stuffit for Apple Mac

Free trial versions of these compression programmes are available:
visit: www.pkware.com for PKzip
and www.stuffit.com/mac/deluxe for Stuffit

File Formats

Our workflow is based on PDF format. Ideally you should send your files to us in this format. The PDF should be prepared at press quality. Please refer to page 72- 74 for full details on artwork preparation.
Alternatively we can accept files as flattened tif (Tiff) or jpg (Jpeg) format. The disadvantage of sending files in this format is that all text and graphics will be Bitmap rather than Vector quality. If the file is High Resolution (300 dpi size for size) then in our experience the results are generally acceptable.
We take a pride in being able to accept virtually every file format there is. We list here the most common formats which we receive. The list is not exhaustive. If your application is not listed please check with us.

Client Proof Copy

A Client Proof Copy is key to our system. It may be defined as a master, which is correct in all respects, against which we can check all that we do.
It is vital that the Client Proof Copy is a perfect representation (content-wise) of the job to be produced. We strongly recommend checking it carefully before sending it to us.
When a high resolution (Press Quality) PDF, jpg or tif file is provided as the origination for printing then this file can also serve as the Client Proof Copy - CPC.
With a CPC to refer to when our designers work on your files they can be confident that the text is all present, that the fonts are correct, that the photos have not moved etc.
Historically a CPC used to be a print out from your own printer which was checked before it was sent to us with your disc and order in the post! Later they were commonly sent by fax with the files being sent by Email. We are still very happy to work in either of these ways but in the Digital age there are other ways of producing your CPC.
As mentioned on the previous page we are happy to accept your design in the format of the programme you used to create it. In this case the CPC needs to be sent as a separate file.
You may choose to send it as a low resolution PDF, jpg or tif along with your High Resolution file.
Alternatively it is possible to produce one by simply opening the page you would like us to print so it fills your screen and performing a 'Screen Grab' (On a PC press the Print Screen button to the right of F12, on a Mac press buttons Shift and 4 together). Paste the clipboard into a Bitmap programme such as Paint and save the file.
It may be useful to refer to www.printinfo.co.uk for further information on producing Screen Grabs.

Origination File Pre-Requisites
Whichever programme you use there are some common guidelines which may be helpful in preparing your Artwork.

Layouts

Please supply everything 'one up'. It is more successful if you leave us to sort out the imposition for printing. e.g. Provide one business card on a 90mm x 50mm or 85mm x 55mm page.
Booklets should either be in separate files for each page or number order pages (we will sort out the printers pairs).
We are pleased to accept 'ganged up' jobs. This means that several individual elements are arranged on a larger sheet. We regard the 'job' as being the larger sheet size and charge accordingly. The only additional cost is for the extra cutting to create the individual elements at the end of the production process.
'Ganging' of jobs can be exceptionally cost effective.
For example:
You may have a requirement for four sets of Business Cards for four different people at the same time. Rather than sending an order for four sets of cards you may choose to order an A5 Card. The cost is then just the cost of an A5 plus eight cuts.
Please note: You would need to place all your cards on the A5 and you must ensure that the Front and Back are correct. Please refer to the diagram below.

Bleed and 'Quiet Border'

Understanding the need for 'Bleed' and a 'Quiet Border' is vital if, as partners, we are going to achieve our joint aim of an excellent finished print job.
We require Bleed to allow for the tolerance of our Guillotines (the machine used for cutting your job after printing). Even with our 'state of the art' equipment there is a margin of error in the operation.
If your image finishes exactly at the edge of your required finished size then these small deviations may produce unsightly white flashes at the edge of your print. By extending your background colour or image beyond the edge of your finished job the consequences of such a deviation are not perceptible.
We recommend that elements intended to go to the very edge of your finished job should extend 3mm beyond the edge.
A Quiet Border is the distance you should allow from the edge of your finished page size to text or diagrams etc. The reason for this border is again the tolerance in cutting.
If you have a design where the text runs to the very edge then a cutting deviation will actually cut off some of your text! A very small quiet border can result in a finished job looking very uneven.
We recommend a quiet border where there is no text etc of at least 5mm around the edges of your job.

Fonts

We carry all the most popular Mac and PC fonts, please confirm at the time of ordering.
Where you have used a rare font outside the 'normal' range we recommend converting the text created with this font into curves. This means that we no longer require the original font when we print your job.
Where you are supplying your work as a PDF, tif or jpg, fonts become much less of an issue since these formats generally embed the fonts required to print.

Colour Matching

There are a large number of variables which can affect the colour produced in Full Colour Printing. Simply looking at the appearance of colours on a monitor, especially if no monitor calibration has been carried out, is unlikely to produce predictable printed results.
In just the same way an un-calibrated desktop printer, such as a laser or inkjet may well produce very different colours to those produced on a professional printing press.
Rather than leave colour matching to chance and 'keeping your fingers crossed' we strongly recommend that colours be chosen from Hard Copy Colour Charts.
We have produced two A1 Colour Swatches (one printed on Coated material and the other on Uncoated material) which show over 1000 colours together with their CMYK values. The advantage of using these charts is that they are exactly matched to our presses.
Our Colour Charts are available for £7.50 + VAT each or £10.00 + VAT for the pair. They are an invaluable and accurate way of ensuring predictable colour.
Alternatively we can supply Pantone® Colour Swatch books. If you would like information on the books available, please contact us.
Please note: Where you have a particular colour issue, for example a requirement to match to a specific company colour this MUST be brought to our attention at order stage.
If you have a swatch of the colour required please include a hard copy of that with your order. We cannot be held responsible if your printed work does not match your requirements unless those requirements are brought to our attention before we print.
We are pleased to check your artwork specifically to ensure that the highlighted colours have the correct CMYK values in your origination to print correctly.

Photographs and Graphics

Photographs should be scanned size for size at 300dpi and saved as CMYK images (The only exception to the CMYK rule is images for Hexachrome printing which should be sent as RGB).
If you have not scanned for print before we again recommend our Hard Copy Colour Charts. As well as the colour swatches these include an image which is called Ole no Moire. The same image is available for download from www.printinfo.co.uk together with calibration instructions.
By opening the Ole no Moire image on your screen and comparing it with the image on the Chart, it is possible to carry out a fair calibration of your monitor. Once this has been carried out, when you view a photo on screen, it will be a close rendition of the press print.
We can re-balance photos scanned by you for £6.00 + VAT per scan. Please send the original photo for us to match to. We can also retouch photos, cut out backgrounds, make good blemishes etc. The cost of these additional services would be fixed prior to ordering.
We also offer a scanning service for photos and transparencies. These can be dropped into the artwork you supply on disc, or sent back to you for incorporation in your design. Please contact us to discuss your particular requirements.

File Pre-flighting

Every job sent to us is carefully checked by an experienced designer and our proof readers prior to print. We are committed to ensuring that finished work is the best we can achieve.
Where we find potential problems with the files you have provided we work with you to resolve the problems. It may be that a new file is required or alternatively we can often correct the issues.
Please note: there may be a charge for these corrections.

Guaranteed Proofing

With artwork being checked carefully by you before sending it to us, and then us checking it again it is rare for an error to get through, rare but not impossible!
For absolute peace of mind we offer a guaranteed proof reading service for artwork supplied on disc. For a charge of 5% of the printing price (minimum charge £7.50 + VAT) we will check your job for typographical errors.
With your agreement we will correct any we find. In the unlikely event of a job which you have paid for us to proof read later being found to contain a typographical error we will reprint it completely free of charge.

Proofs

Our normal service does not include proofs. We simply check your files against your Client Copy Proof provided and proceed to print. The system is fast and efficient. However, in some circumstances proofs are desirable and we are pleased to produce proofs from your Digital Artwork prior to printing. We produce three different types of proof.
Pdf proofs: these are sent digitally via Email. They are ideal for checking layout and content but are not colour accurate and so are of little use when there are issues of colour, such as matching to a House Colour.
Laser Proofs: these are sent by post and provide something tangible to look at. Again these are not colour accurate and their use is limited to content and layout proofing.
Wet proofs: these are an exact match to the job which will eventually be printed since they are a small run of the finished job on press. We would always recommend a small run of print (to be used as a wet proof) prior to any very large run of print.

In preparing your artwork remember about

Bleed 3mm
Colour scheme: CMYK

PDF Pre-requisites

300dpi resolution image files
Text needs to be converted into paths
Transparencies need to be flattened
'Overprint' needs to be turned off when originating files
Download PDF writing software here