Requirements for
Customer Submitted Disks

Before beginning or scanning your images to send on a disk, be sure to read the following requirements carefully. Following these standards will prevent delays or additional charges for corrections. Changes or corrections are billed at current hourly rates.

Media:
We support the following formats:
CDR/CDRW
DVD
USB Flash Drives
Digital Camera Discs

Layout Applications:
Use one of the following (Mac or Windows version) to assemble your ad layout AND indicate which was used and the version on your order:
Indesign CS2
Illustrator CS2
Photoshop CS2
QuarkXpress 6.1

We do not support Microsoft programs such as Publisher, Excel and Word. If these files can be converted to .pdf we can sometimes use them.

IMPORTANT: Include a printed sample of your layout as a guide and color samples of images or artwork for color matching. These items are important for verifying that the final product closely matches the designer’s concept. We will not be responsible for the finished product if these samples of layout and colors are not included with your order.
Documents may be converted to .pdf  files but must be saved in PRINT format and embed the fonts and graphics in your Save preferences.

Linked Artwork:
Designs created in drawing programs like Illustrator should be saved in EPS format (with preview) and included with the layout.

Scanned Images:
Scan color images according to the chart below. Save in CMYK (for 4 color process printing). RGB artwork is accepted but will incur a charge for converting from RGB to CMYK. All JPEGs and GIFs are in a format other than CMYK. Make sure to scale and rotate your images before placing them in the document. Allow at least a .125" bleed for trim when design is required. We are not responsible for color reproduction from customer supplied scans. Scanned images need to be at least 300 DPI for optimal printing quality.
*NOTE: We charge per image for converting RGB to CMYK and changing web files (JPEG, GIF, PNG, etc.).

Digital Pictures
Most digital pictures are lower quality images. This depends on the camera and your knowledge of it. Cameras are now measured by megapixels. The more megapixels the camera offers, the higher the quality. If you plan on using a digital camera,note these important steps:

• Hold camera as still as possible while shooting the picture. (A common practice is to count 1 second after snapping the shot)
• DO NOT RESIZE the photo before sending it to us. We will resize the photograph and adjust the quality of the picture as needed.
• Set your camera to the highest quality setting.
• Preview your image if your camera has that capability.
• If indoors and a flash is needed, make sure to enable the "red eye" filter before snapping shot. Also, make sure there is plenty of light on the subject you are shooting.
• If outdoors, make sure the light is not "bouncing" off of the lens.

File Names:
We work on Macintosh systems which have few restrictions, however, keep in mind that file names should normally not be longer than 18 characters and should be in lower case. Also, it is safer to use underscores ( _ ) instead of spaces in a file name. (Example of a good file name: file_name.tif)
(Example of a bad file name: file name.tif)

Do Not Use:
Spaces, dashes, periods, capital letters, slashes, dollar signs, hyphens, commas, etc.

Note to PC Users:
Do not change the file extensions, i.e.: .tif, .eps, etc.

Important Notes!

• Create documents at actual size.
• Apply bleed as necessary.
• Import images and color art at 100%.
• Indicate fold lines, score lines, perf lines.
• Consider fold lines, etc. when placing type in your document.
• Allow 5/8" for hole punching and keep copy and pics from this area.
• We recommend no less than 3/16" margins, 1/4" for catalogs with more than 40 pages.
• Check font usage and include all screen and printer fonts used in all files.
• Include all files linked to your document. DO NOT store files in your document.
• Include a printed sample of your layout and a color sample of images and artwork.

Common Problems Related to Customer Disk Submission

The following are the most common mistakes made in submitting a disk for your product. These can cause costly delays that may not be expected.

Keyboard Fonts: This happens when you select the “bold” and “italic” from the Style list instead of selecting the Bold and Italicized font. The ImageSetter will not recognize keyboard fonts and type will default to the basic.

Bleed: We require 1/8" bleed (.125") for any picture or color background that bleeds off the edge of the piece. This means the picture or background must extend past the trim line 1/8".
Copy / Images 3/16" from trim line: Copy or images that do not bleed should always be at least 3/16" (.185") inside the trim line.

Stored Files: When files are imported into your document such as images or scanned artwork, we need the original file you imported. These files should be “linked to” not “stored in” your document. Even if you store them, we need the original scan or artwork to be able to process your file. In most layout applications, you are normally only viewing a “placeholder”.

CMYK Colors: Colors in the scanned images or other artwork in the layout must be converted to CMYK process colors to print.
Illustrator files: Be sure that your artwork is selected and converted to CMYK process.

Note to PC Users: Do not change the file extensions such as .tif, .eps, .P65. Files cannot be read by our Mac system without these extensions and if there are too many characters it will shorten the name and then may require the files to be relinked in the document. The following file name is acceptable: pic_boy.tif

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