PrintRoundTable

How to Make A Quality Document Exchange Without Exchanging Quality

Filed under Custom Printing Tips and Guidelines

In print production, document exchange is usually driven by sending your print service’s provider your project in what is called a portable document format (PDF). Why are PDFs used? PDFs should contain all of the necessary items to successfully print a job on a press. More importantly, both the PDF and the items it contains should be of sufficient quality. A print quality PDF starts with a print quality native application file, whether it be an Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, or QuarkXPress design document. A quality design document should have the following: Bleeds, Images with the proper resolution, Images in the correct color space, Print quality fonts and Properly named spot colors. • Images with proper resolution The resolution of the images (pixels per inch, or PPI) should be twice the line screen (lines per inch, or LPI) in which the job will print • Images in the correct color space Images must be converted from the red-green-blue (RGB) color space to cyan-magenta-yellow-black (CMYK) for print production. Considerations have to be made for paper type (whether it’s coated or uncoated), dot gain, and total ink coverage, for example. • Bleeds Repairing bleeds in a PDF can be a time-consuming process. Ensure that adequate bleeds are created (typically 1/8") in the native application file and that they are included in the final print PDF. • Print quality fonts The ability to embed fonts within a PDF is one of the format's greatest strengths as a compressed, encoded set of glyphs (characters) will be included in the file. It is important to keep in mind that some fonts contain licensing restrictions. This usually means that they cannot be embedded in a PDF. • Properly named spot colors If your project contains spot colors that will print as additional inks on press, make sure that they have not been converted to process in the native application. Correcting this is also a very time-consuming procedure and possibly costly procedure. You should also work closely with your print service provider to make sure that the PDF you submit for the job is of the best possible quality. By asking your print service provider for the Adobe PDF Settings that they recommend for creating PDFs for print production, you can create a quality PDF for print. By taking the time to use your print service provider as a resource, in addition to preparing the native document file to make certain that it generates a quality PDF, you will help yourself to avoid some of the problems that commonly plague these documents. For help more help in creating quality exchange artwork contact our Graphic Design Services Team at My1Stop.com.  

Save the Date: Not Just For Weddings Anymore

Filed under Custom Printing Tips and Guidelines , Full Color Magnet Printing , Save The Date Magnets

Practically everyone has one on their refrigerator. Perhaps there is one or more attached to the filing cabinet in the home office or at work. It’s helpful, fanciful, and even fun. “Save the Date magnets” are something fun, but still include information or a note with a few relevant details regarding when or where an event will take place. Mainly, Save the Date magnets have exactly what you would expect, the date and event. So what exactly are Save the Date magnets? These are informal notices sent before the actual invitation to an event or as commemoration of an event. Mainly, these are just to state the date and event. The most common use of Save the Date magnets are for weddings, usually including the couples picture along with the date. But Save the Date magnets can also be used for high school or college graduations, pre- or –post-prom parties, birthdays, bar mitzvahs (and bat mitzvahs), anniversaries, reunions, charity events, and other special events. Save the Date magnets can also be used as a way to commemorate an event. One way to do this is to either have one or several photos with a brief message detailing the event. Photos of family gatherings can be marked with text reading, “Thanksgiving 2007” or “Grandma’s 75th Birthday Party” or any number of descriptions. Additionally, Save the Date magnets can be sent with or even as, a holiday card. This can be ideal for family portraits taken during holiday gatherings or specifically for the occasion, including the date of the holiday. Additional designs can be added to make the image more festive. Keep in mind that the size of a Save the Date magnet is usually the size of a business card. So, when mailing magnets out, a business card sized Save the Date is too small to really mail out by itself. If that is the size that works best for you, then you might want to consider mailing the Save the Date magnet with a note, card, or a letter. When mailing out smaller Save the Date magnets, it may be a good idea to attach the magnets to a piece of cardstock to help keep the magnet’s shape. While Save the Date magnets may have started out as a wedding-related custom, the ability to print any combination of image and text has expanded their use to individuals, businesses, and organizations who want to announce the date of any family or formal event. These events range from wedding anniversaries to grand openings for businesses. When you have an event that you would like to have remembered by family and colleagues, consider sending them a colorful and handy