Best Practices: Preparing Files For Digital Printing
Best Practices: Preparing Files For Digital Printing
Best Practices - Preparing Files for Printing
At Quality Imaging, we like our customers to understand how setting up files is important to how it outputs on a digital press. The quality of your print will only be as good as the quality of your file. We have come up with some basic guidlines to follow when preparing your document for printing.
First, when creating a new project in a graphic design software package (i.e. Adobe inDesign or Illustrator)youhave the option to work in either aCMYK or RBG Color Space. Digital presses use CMYK colors, therefore your file should also be CMYK to match the printers platform. Text, graphics, and photography should also be CMYK.
You may wish to usePantone Colors (Spot Colors). These are predefined colors and can be references in the Pantone swatchbooks. Digital printers, using CMYK, do their best to emulate spot colors and can usually hit very close as long as the color is within the gamut of the press. Remember, If you plan to print on on an uncoated mattepaper, then use PMS Uncoated colors. If you are printing on coated paper (gloss) use PMS Coated Colors. Always use the same color book, throughout your project. For more information on Color, see our "Digital Color Printing" section on our website.
Setting up the final print Dimensions are also important. When submitting afile to a printing company, files should be final print size. For example, if you submit a business card, the document's dimension should be 3.5" x 2". Keep in mind final dimensions may need to include bleeds. If bleeds are used, 0.125 (3 mm) is generally recommended for digital printing. For example, if printing a business card with bleeds, the final document size should be 0.25" larger to allow room for trimming (Le. 3.75"; x2.25"). For more infomation on bleeds, you can visit our"Printing with Bleeds" section of our website.
Our digital press creates dense blacks and can usually reproduce grey if set up correctly in the file. When printing a pure black, use 100% K for text and solids. When printing Grey, Use a percentage of K (black), and small percentages of C. M, and Y as tints(i.e. lf you're trying to achieve a steel grey, then your color values may look like this C=3% M=1% Y=1% K=80%). Where you add more Cyan to tint the grey blue.
Text within a piece should contain outlined or embedded fonts for printing. To Outline Fonts: First, duplicate your file or Save As, and then outline the fonts. Do NOT save over your original file with the text layers. There is no going back if you save over your file! If using InDesign or Quark, embed the fonts when you package the file. This will ensure you print shop will print the correct fonts.
If your end result needs to be bound and finished, you must leave room in the margins for punching. For Twin Loop, Coil, GBC, Velo Binding, and 3-Hole Punch theBinding edge margin should be 0.5" to avoid trimming text. When Saddle Stitching remember you must have a multiple of four pages. Please insert blanks if necessary. If there is a bleed, use a .25" bleed for face trimming.
As always, consult your print prefessional before submitting a file to make sure it is set up correctly. At Quality Imaging weare more than happy to review your file and help prepare it for printing. We can be reached at 212-566-5540.
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