Print Buying Direct

Printing – what does the future hold? – Part 5 – 2nd March 2009

Is there a future for printing?
The potential of the clever new press concepts will allow print companies to explore new opportunities, whilst helping to mitigate some of the pressing issues such as eco concerns, cost reduction and ever faster turnaround times. They make the commercial print market in 2009, and for the future, extremely exciting.
But in that ‘new’ future, business models and strategies will have to change, as will the way we think of the work that ‘print’ companies produce. There will still be the production of many of the commercial applications that are printed today, but companies will be increasingly expected to add other multimedia options as well.

Will print endure? Think of a world without it. We are all super hungry for information, we need to communicate, we need to be constantly in touch; many want to gobble up every crumb and detail of their favourite celebrity or wallow in the latest fad. We all want to know exactly what is going on, we want to see and experience everything, and we want it all now.

Look around you, read through this blog, and see how many, or more likely, how few, things you can see that do not have some element of print connected to them whether offset, digital, flexo, screen; industrial printing, textile printing, packaging and labelling, or even good old fashioned print on paper. Was your nice wood effect door printed on a flatbed inkjet? Are you lucky enough to have hand painted wallpaper, or was it more likely printed? How did the writing get onto the label of your bottle of beer so that you know Bud from Carlsberg? Were your last birthday cards black or did you have a merry greeting and a funny picture? The Mac I am writing this on has a nicely printed sign, along with the easily recognisable ‘printed’ apple, telling me that is indeed a Mac. I think you get the idea! And, so it will be for many applications in the commercial print market- they will be here for a while yet. However, commercial printing is increasingly not just about print anymore, but about communication- a vast resource of interactive and complementary technologies, without which the world could not operate.

The Printing House Ltd - Suppliers of brochures, leaflets, postcards, flyers, business cards, letterheads and general printing for marketing or office use.

Print Buying Direct is one of the Uk’s leading suppliers of design and print, based in Cheshire (UK) but supplying all of the UK & Ireland.

Please feel free to browse our print buying website and use it as a useful tool – we are adding new pages and offers every week. So keep popping back, subscribe to our printing blog, email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk or call call 0870 950 8444.

For more information please see our websites

Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

Eight Easy Ways to Improve Digital Print Sales to Creative and Design Agencies – 11th February 2009

Print Services Providers (Printers) Can Help Design Agencies Improve Business Results for their Clients with Fast-Growing Digital Colour Printing.

The greatest opportunity for printers to grow print volume today is with digital colour printing and a new study finds that creative agencies play a critical role in that growth.

Looking specifically at digital printing. Over the next five years, digital printing is projected to grow 11 percent annually, while the U.S. printing industry as a whole will grow by only 1.5 percent, according to market research from CAP Ventures. The firm further projects that the total revenue generated worldwide with digital colour printers and presses producing 41 pages per minute or more will grow by 26 percent annually.

Creative advertising and design agencies will specify many of these jobs. A recent survey of 250 agencies by the Printing Industry Center at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) found that 83 percent were involved in media buying decisions, accounting for an average purchase of $1.5 million annually and a median of $400,000. And 89 percent say they play either the primary role or a collaborative role with the client in campaign development and direction. According to Victor Basile, senior vice president/director of Print Graphic Services, Publicis N.Y., and chair, Print Management Committee, American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), Agencies today seek to offer integrated services that tap into all the resources in their network at speeds that weren’t possible a few years ago. Digital printing provides the fast turnarounds that keep pace with these programs. The quality is really good, and it can only get better. If you’re not looking at digital printing today, you should be. Digital colour printing’s economical short runs and personalization capabilities can also improve the targeting, response rates and overall effectiveness of such integrated communications programs. Print services providers who can support these programs and help agencies use new media to better track with their clients’ goals will have an advantage in landing agency business.

Following are eight tips for print providers seeking to sell digital colour printing to creative design professionals.

1. Target agencies with business-to-business clients.
Agencies that support businesses communicating to consumers generally focus on building brand awareness through mass media, such as television and radio. In contrast, business-to-business (B-to-B) agencies tend to have more limited budgets and narrower targets that they reach through trade magazines, direct mail (leaflets, flyers, postcards) and sales collateral (brochures). Digital-colour printing delivers the highly targeted, cost-effective print that makes these programs thrive. One additional point: B-to-B firms tend to have smaller marketing departments than business-to-consumer (BtoC) outfits, so they rely more on the agency for everything from marketing strategy to media and print services provider selection.

2. At the agency, target the production manager.
According to the RIT survey, the production manager is the most common agency contact to the print community. In numerous agencies, the production manager also plays a role in educating the creative department on new technology options (for example variable data printing), making that person both a sales target and a marketing partner, who can help the print provider sell its services to the agency’s creatives.

3. Demonstrate the image quality.
Designers are unforgiving judges of image quality, yet many may be working with dated references for toner-based print, which has only recently become an effective substitute for offset in most applications (even Annual Reports, Parish Plans and Brochures). Bring designers up to date and set correct expectations with a sample book that shows offset and digital prints of the same text and image files. Consider enabling designers to submit test files via the Web to receive a free digital print sample of their design.

4. More advanced technical infrastructure supports stronger partnerships.
Supporting a sophisticated integrated marketing campaign typically requires a set of advanced capabilities that can include variable information colour printing, Web systems programming and design, telemarketing, fulfillment and other services. Some print providers develop these capabilities, others partner for some or all. Most count digital colour printing among their base core competencies, and most find that broader infrastructure support strengthens partnerships with agencies.

5. Demonstrate effective return on marketing investment.
For the best results, print providers should link their service offerings to the agency’s media selection criteria: reaching target markets, cost and budget considerations, and marketing strategy implementation. In other words, print providers need to demonstrate that digital color is the most cost effective alternative for successfully reaching target markets. The pitch is most effective when backed by examples showing a significant return on the marketing investment.

6. Quality and dependability are more critical than price.
That’s right: price is not the agency’s key factor in print vendor selection. The RIT survey found that pressure on the agency to meet deadlines and deliver quality led respondents to select dependability as the top factor in selecting print services providers. Quality was second, followed by turnaround time and ease of doing business. Price ranked fifth.

7. Help creatives design for digital.
Print service providers can help creative designers improve their printed work by providing guidebooks and seminars on designing for digital. Many print providers and industry associations publish materials and can provide assistance to help in this effort. In addition, color variable information printing introduces new design challenges, such as accounting for all the possible image and text variations in a piece. That requires close collaboration with variable information programmers, relationships that print providers would do well to foster.

8. Measure the results.
Print services providers should ensure that a measurement system is in place for programs they run, and the best measurements use ‘boardroom terminology.’ For example, one creative group in the study was able to show that every dollar spent on marketing communications in one campaign resulted in $6,000 in revenue. Such measurements increase the likelihood that the agency and its clients will buy into future programs, and they are useful as a sales tool for prospects and for fine-tuning programs to optimize results. The RIT study found that a change in sales was the most frequent measurement (29 percent), followed by the number of sales leads (24 percent), the response rate for a direct mail piece (ie postcard or leaflet) (23 percent) and return on investment (six percent).

Most measurement programs were conducted by clients (37 percent), though client-agency partnerships were nearly as frequent (34 percent) and agencies sometimes took on the task alone (22 percent).

Help Lead the Transformation
More than ever before, marketing executives are looking for more efficient ways to communicate and share business information. Many are finding these efficiencies in integrated communications that mix old and new media to deliver improved business results. Digital printing technology plays a critical role in this more efficient media mix, while also offering printers their best opportunity for revenue and business growth. Print services providers who help lead this transformation by building strategic partnerships with creative agencies around integrated communications opportunities will be well positioned to capture this growth.

For more information please see our websites

The Printing House

Print Buying Direct (Print Buying Direct is a brand of The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK)

We’ve been so busy with enquiries for our wallet folders (presentation folders) that we just aren’t going to get them all produced in January. So we have taken a decision today to extend our offer until the end of February 2009.

So if you haven’t come across our wallet folders (presentation folders) before (or indeed perhaps this is the first time you have found Print Buying Direct), here is a summary of what we are offering.

• They are designed to hold A4 Documents (eg Leaflets, Flyers, Brochures)
• They are printed in full colour to the outer side only
• They are printed onto a 350gsm Silk Board
• They have what we call an Interlocking Pocket (no glue)
• ONLY £199 for 100 folders

Print Buying Direct is one of the Uk’s leading suppliers of design and print, based in Cheshire (UK) but supplying all of the UK & Ireland.

Don’t forget to place your order soon – if you need to know any more then just call 0870 950 8444 or email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk

Please feel free to browse our print buying website and use it as a useful tool – we are adding new pages and offers every week. So keep popping back or subscribe to our printing blog.

The type of stock used for printing (whether digital or offset litho) has a significant effect on
colour reproduction. Paper reflects unabsorbed light back to the eye of the viewer, so the more reflective the paper’s surface, such as coated paper, the wider the range of colors perceived that can be produced.

Choosing the right paper calls for a strong knowledge of paper characteristics and how they relate to the specific print technology. Digital Presses use dry ink, which is a very fine powder. Litho presses use liquid ink. The following stock properties interact with the dry ink to determine the quality of colour images. At The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we have 3 offset litho presses, all manufactured by Sakurai (ideal for high quality colour printing of annual reports, brochures, leaflets, flyers and newsletters. One large format inkjet (ideal for large posters, pull up banners etc) and a Xerox Digital Press (ideal for short run printing, business cards, appointment cards, postcards, posters etc).

BRIGHTNESS

Brightness is the measure of blue light at 457 nm. Brighter papers produce images with higher contrast.

Be aware that some artificial brighteners can affect colour reproduction by reflecting colors unevenly. A bright blue-white paper may reflect more blue and less red and green, affecting how the eye perceives the paper color.

Blue-white papers contain ultraviolet (UV) brighteners that break down over time when exposed to UV light. As UV brighteners break down, the paper shade may change from bright white to a warm white (yellow cast). UV light exists naturally indoors and outdoors.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BRIGHTNESS

As a general rule, use brighter papers when printing documents with photographs, halftone images, or complex graphics. Ideal for brochures, annual reports, postcards, leaflets and flyers.

FINISH/ SMOOTHNESS

Finish is the smoothness or roughness of a paper’s surface. Paper is processed to have a specific type of finish, ranging from very smooth to highly textured. Finish can significantly impact image quality on the printed sheet. If paper is too rough, light patches and graininess appear in solid areas. Halftone images also
appear grainy. Dry ink may not fuse properly to extremely rough paper, which may cause deletions where the ink rubs or flakes off. Wet ink suffers from muted colours and drying issues, always allow longer for uncoated papers to dry.

Smooth and coated papers produce sharp images because they reflect light more directly than
rougher papers.

Sheffield is a test that is used to measure the smoothness of paper. It measures the rate of air flow over the surface of a sheet. The lower the Sheffield smoothness number, the smoother the sheet.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FINISH/ SMOOTHNESS

Use smooth or coated papers for proper dry ink transfer to ensure the best colour density and image detail, and to increase the appearance of glossiness. Using a very smooth paper is especially important when printing fine lines and detailed images.

SHADE

Shade is the color of the paper. Paper shade may change the colors of printed images because ink is transparent and also is applied in dot patterns that allow the paper shade to show through. Lighter images reveal more of the paper color than darker images.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SHADE

• Select a true white for the truest colors and natural looking skin tones.
• Be aware that shaded paper will affect image colors and overall hues.
• Remember that paper shades can vary significantly among brands and lots.

FORMATION

Formation is the distribution of fibers and fillers in paper. Fibers and fillers should be distributed evenly throughout the sheet. Although formation is not included in the manufacturer’s specifications, you can check it by holding a sheet up to a light. If the sheet looks even throughout, it has good formation. If
you see uneven light and dark areas, formation is poor. Good formation is especially important when documents include halftone images of photographs or high ink coverage. Halftone images appear sharper
on paper with good formation. Solid images can appear uneven or spotty when printed on paper with poor formation.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FORMATION

• Choose paper with good formation to ensure uniformity of color images.

IMPURITIES
Impurities in the paper-making process can leave tiny specks in some stocks. The specks can appear as marks or spots in printed images, especially in high resolution images, fine type and fine lines.

Impurities in recycled papers consist of inks and adhesives (from window envelopes, stick-on notes, labels, etc.), which are difficult to remove during the recycling process.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPURITIES

Use high quality non- recycled papers when the best image quality is required.

OPACITY
Opacity impacts the ability of a printed image to show through from the opposite side of a sheet or from another sheet below it. To increase a paper’s opacity, filler may be added to increase thickness or be applied as a coating.

Opacity is measured according to how much light a sheet blocks and is expressed as a percentage between 0 and 100. Most papers fall within the 80% to 90% range. However, an opacity of 98% will prevent a printed image from showing through on the opposite side of the sheet (show through).

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OPACITY

• Choose paper with high opacity when printing on both sides of the paper or when heavy dry ink coverage will be applied.

For More information of assistance please visit either of our websites – The Printing House Ltd – Print Buying Direct – or call us on UK number 0870 950 8444.

PREPARING TO PRINT

Once the layout and design of a job is complete, you’ll need to decide how to hand over your files. At The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) we usually prefer a single PDF but can work with all of the source files.

Either way, you’ll want to run though a preflight checklist. For more information see our artwork guidlines webpage.
PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST… ARE YOU READY?

• Ensure that all graphics and images are in their final size and correct resolution, 100% at 300 dpi.
• Rotate, scale and edit images and graphics prior to placing them in page layout applications.
• Image file formats should be EPS or TIFF (not JPEG) and verify that all source files are linked properly.
• All spot colours should be designated as spot colors and not as CMYK recipes.
• Spell check your document.
• Remove any trapping (allow the printer to apply trapping).
• Check for transparency and either flatten or notify the printer so they can flatten the file. All bleeds should generally be set to 3 mm.
• Gather all source files: fonts, graphics, images and layout documents, if requested. Use the [Package] feature in InDesign or the [Collect for Output] in QuarkXPress.
• Perform a visual preflight using overprint preview, colour separations preview and transparency flattener preview.
• Prepare a mock-up to give the printer as a finished sample.

TRAPPING

• For best results, trapping should be applied by The Printing House and not the yourself. Trapping settings made in the application are not included in the PostScript when printing with the Composite mode.
• Avoid instances where trapping to gradients or images is required (the change in color may not reproduce well).

BLEEDS

Include 3 mm bleed for all areas that extend off the page when trimming is required.

IMPOSITION

If you plan to use binding, leave ample room for the gutter. Aside from that, we will do all imposition work.

INDESIGN CS2 PREPARE TO PRINT

PREFLIGHTING

• Use the [Preflight] feature under the File menu to make sure all fonts, graphics and image links are present.

PACKAGING

• Use the [Package] feature under the File menu to collect all fonts, graphics and images used in the job. This will ensure that all elements are collected when the job is delivered to The Printing House. Instructions and contact information can also be included by the designer for us.

QUARKXPRESS 6.5 PREPARE TO PRINT
USAGE…

• Use the [Usage...] feature in the Utilities menu of QuarkXPress to review that all fonts, graphics and images are linked correctly in the file.

COLLECT FOR OUTPUT

Use the [Collect for Output] feature in QuarkXPress to gather all fonts, graphics and images used in the job. This will ensure that all elements are collected when the job is delivered to the print provider. Note, however, that you will need to gather fonts from imported EPS or PDF pictures manually unless they are already imbedded into the EPS or PDF file.

ACROBAT DISTILLER 7 SETTINGS

• Create PostScript from the source application using the Acrobat Distiller PPD.
• Be sure to use the Binary data format and include all fonts.
• Use the Smooth Shading feature in Acrobat Distiller.
• The Save As features in PDF Writer/Maker or the Mac OS X Save As PDF feature should be used with caution.

The following recommended settings have been optimized for high image quality printing. In some instances, productivity may take priority over image quality and, therefore, require different settings (such as adjustments in compression).

Open Acrobat Distiller and go to the Settings menu. Select [Edit: Adobe PDF Settings...]. Create a custom set choosing the following recommended settings and select [Save As...] using a new fi le name (e.g.,“ artwork for The Printing House”).

Distiller will save the file in the right place so it can be accessed as a new Job Option set.

• Select Acrobat 6.0 ( PDF 1.5) for the best compatibility. Note that since you are working with a PostScript file there is no need to select Acrobat 4.0 compatibility for transparency concerns (writing files to PostScript always flattens any transparency effects).
• To ensure that the orientation of the pages prints correctly, do not select the Auto-Rotate Pages feature.
• Embed Thumbnails is optional. Versions of Acrobat 5 and higher are able to dynamically create thumbnails on the fly.

IMAGES

To preserve the best image quality, compression is generally not recommended.

Distiller 7 contains a new Policy button. You will need to decide the threshold of what level of resolution is appropriate for the quality of the job and if the job should pass, fail or warn the user. Try setting the minimum as 200dpi and the max as 400dpi.

FONTS

• If jobs fail while distilling, check the job for missing fonts. The following settings recommend cancelling the job when fonts are missing to ensure the document prints correctly.
• To guarantee the font information is successfully included in the Adobe PDF file and will view properly on the monitor, the required fonts should reside either in the system folder of the computer or in the PostScript file.
• A higher percentage value is generally recommended for [Subset embedded fonts . . .].

COLOUR

• The Settings File selection under Adobe Colour Settings should usually be set to [None], [Leave Colour Unchanged].

ADVANCED

• The Convert Gradients to Smooth Shades feature can help smooth vignettes/ sweeps/ gradients with Vector-based programs such as Adobe Illustrator or QuarkXPress. Using this feature with Microsoft Office jobs may or may not improve the job due to the way sweeps are generated in those applications.
• As a precautionary measure, use the Save Adobe PDF Settings Inside PDF File feature. The recipient of the PDF may be able to troubleshoot problem files more easily if the settings are included with the job.

EXPORTING PDF FILES

When exporting files from InDesign or QuarkXPress, you can apply many of the same Acrobat Distiller recommendations discussed previously.

INDESIGN CS2—EXPORT PDF

The PDF options for InDesign are fairly similar to those in Acrobat Distiller. If there is a custom set saved from Distiller, it will be selectable from the PDF Export dialog box. Follow the settings previously discussed.

There is one additional group of settings, [Marks and Bleeds], that can be set to your preference.

QUARKXPRESS 6.5—EXPORT PDF

In QuarkXPress be sure to click on the [Options...] button to access all of the available controls over PDF settings.

You will want to check the options under the Job Options and the Output tab. Take special care to ensure the Color [Output Type] is set to [Composite] and that [Print Colors] is set to [As Is].

Note that blends made with PANTONE® colors in Quark 6, will print as RGB when the [Print Colors] selection is set to [As Is]. To preserve PANTONE Blends (gradients), set Print Colors to [Device N]. Using [Device N] will, however, convert any RGB text, objects and images to CMYK.

PREFLIGHTING PDF FILES

In Adobe Acrobat 6 or higher you can use the Preflight tool to create your own custom preflight profile or use one of the default profiles. If you are not familiar with this tool you may want to talk with your print provider first. They may be able to provide you with a customized profile or walk you through the process.
Also refer to the Adobe documentation provided with Acrobat.

For more information or help please call The Printing House (Print Buying Direct) on 0870 950 8444

The Printing House Ltd – Marshfield bank, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

When designing for Variable data printing we use our uDirect XMPie Software. Please read on for details of what it does and how to design for it. For more information see our Variable data printing webpage.

BENEFITS OF USING VARIABLE INFORMATION APPLICATIONS

The output file is created such that static elements should get ripped only once and reused as needed. Both static and variable images, graphics and text can be printed on the same page. In many cases, large elements such as images, are not embedded in the output fi le, similar to an OPI workflow (referred to APR
by Creo). This allows the output file to be much smaller. It is commonly used for producing postcards, leaflets, brochures, annual reports, parish plans, town plans and business cards.

DESIGNING DOCUMENTS WITH VARIABLE INFORMATION

Unlike designing documents for offset presses, careful consideration must be given to the placement of static versus variable information. Graphic artists should have a good understanding of database and printing technology. They must also understand the capabilities of the software and hardware they are
using in order to successfully design a variable document.

LAYOUT AND DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

• Avoid using Quark frames on elements that contain variable information.
• When designing VI documents, keep in mind that trapping text at the RIP may not be applied to variable elements.
• When using variable imposition, ensure that all document pages are the same size and orientation.
• Printing documents containing simplex and duplex pages within the same document may not be supported. If documents must be printed with simplex and duplex pages within the same document, insert blank pages in the original layout and duplex the entire document.
• Whenever possible, embed all fonts or else the font must have the exact match at the RIP. However, OpenType fonts are cross-platform compatible.
• Type 1 fonts may have problems with kerning (may not be able to supply the kerning file).
• Some VI applications that create VIPP will take PDF resources and convert them to EPS but the result can be unpredictable.

IMAGE QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS

• For the best performance, ensure that all images are set at 300 dpi. Using a different resolution may slow down the RIP or reduce image quality.
• Ensure that all images are at their final resolution, size and orientation.
• All variable elements for a specifi c area should be cropped to the same size. Rotating, scaling and clipping images during the RIP will slow down performance and could cause improper placement or scaling.
• Do not save TIFF images with LZW compression.

VARIABLE FORMATS

• Some VI languages may not comprehend layering.
• If the VI authoring tool allows, position variable elements above static objects (bring to the front).
• When using APR with variable images, ensure that the names of the variable images conform to the same naming restrictions associated with APR and static images.

Information provided courtesy of The Printing House Ltd incorporating Print Buying Direct.

For those of you who are looking to design their leaflets, brochures, flyers, or appointment cards in Microsoft Word ready for printing, please read on. We have compiled a few items for you to consider before you start the design process.

IMAGES
Microsoft Office applications will send RGB data to the printer, unlike page layout applications that send CMYK data. Images can be in TIFF, EPS or JPEG file formats ( JPEG compression is not recommended). CMYK images, however, will be converted to RGB unless they are in the EPS file format.

BLACK TEXT AND GRAPHICS
Microsoft uses an RGB color model (unlike other graphics applications that use CMYK) and creates black text using equal amounts of red, green and blue. This can be problematic as the saturation of dry ink in a small area can produce a halo. One option is to export the file to PDF and all instances of black will be converted to gray. Make sure the Adobe PDF PostScript printer driver is properly confi gured to use PostScript Gray for text and vector graphics for R=G=B. Consult with us to ensure the best black text and graphics
rendering.

APPROXIMATING PANTONE AND CMYK COLORS
To create a close match to a PANTONE color within Microsoft Office applications:

• go to www.PANTONE.com and select [Support: Color Library Updates] for a close approximation. Download the PDF Color Chart and Value List for your system to obtain the latest 1,089 PANTONE equivalent values.
• Using Photoshop, create a new color with the corresponding CMYK PANTONE values to determine the RGB equivalents. Make sure the Color Setting in Photoshop is set to [sRGB] for the RGB working space and [SWOP CMYK] for the CMYK working space, unless otherwise directed by your print provider.
• Use RGB values from Photoshop to create new color equivalents in MS Office.

GRADIENTS
When printing a Microsoft Office file that contains a gradient fill within non- EPS graphics or vector objects, banding may occur in the printed output. Office does not render gradient fills into PostScript gradients. Instead, Office uses the Microsoft Windows Graphical Device Interface (GDI) to generate halftone steps
that are then sent to the press.

The banding effect may appear more obvious with larger gradients and depend on the percentage of colors used. For the smoothest gradients, you may want to create them in Illustrator CS2 and in the [File] menu select [Save for Microsoft Office]. This gradient.png file can then be placed into the Microsoft Office
document. Also, processing an Office file into a PDF with [Convert Gradients to Smooth Shades] selected in Acrobat Distiller may improve smoothness or reduce banding. Experimentation is recommended.

We hope you find this blog of some use – The Printing House Ltd – (Print Buying Direct)

Call us for more information on 0870 950 8444.

Welcome to part two of our ‘How to design for print blog’ click here for part one- covering some more areas that graphics designers should be aware of. Please be aware that this blog is directed at design for digital printing, and whilst litho (offset) print has similar requirements there are some fundamental differences, so please talk to us first.

SAVING GRAPHICS FILES
While you are working on files, you’ll want to save them in the application’s native file format (i.e., Adobe Illustrator Document). When you are ready to place them in the page layout application, however, you might want to consider the PDF format for the best portability.

SAVING ILLUSTRATOR CS2 FILES

• Use the Save As feature to save files as PDF.
• Consult your print provider to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. By selecting [Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)] you will automatically flatten any transparency effects present in the file. Acrobat PDF 1.4 or higher formats will preserve live transparency attributes.
• PDF files can be edited later if the [Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities] option is selected.
• The PDF format can often provide better previews (than EPS) when placed in page layout applications.

SAVING FREEHAND MX FILES
Use the Export feature, not Save As, to export files as PDF from Freehand.

• Click the [Setup] button and use those recommendations shown in fi gure 3-13.
• In the [Convert Colors To:] pull down menu, be sure to select [CMYK and RGB]. Freehand will not modify CMYK images or RGB & CMYK native elements (note that it will, however, convert any RGB placed images to CMYK). Choosing [CMYK] will convert all RGB content to CMYK.
• Consult your print provider to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. By selecting [Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)] you will automatically flatten any transparency effects present in the file. Acrobat PDF 1.4 or higher formats will preserve live transparency attributes.
• Using a PDF format can provide better previews (than EPS) when placed in page layout applications.

SAVING GRAPHICS OR PAGE LAYOUTS AS EPS FILES
Though the PDF format is preferred, occasionally you may need to save files from Illustrator, Freehand, InDesign or QuarkXPress in the EPS fi le format. When saving graphics or page layouts, the following are recommended:

• Use TIFF 8-bit color preview.
• Do not assign a color space when possible and select [Leave Unchanged] or [As Is].
• Use [Transparency: High Resolution] when fl attening graphics with transparency.
• Embed all or complete fonts.
• Send all image data.
• Include CMYK PostScript in RGB fi les.
• Only use OPI if the printer requests it.
• Use Binary format.
• Use Adobe PostScript Language Level 3

IMAGE CONSIDERATIONS
OPENING IMAGE FILES
Though most images are either acquired through a digital camera or scanner, Photoshop is generally the first step in assigning the color space of an image.
If the Color Settings in Photoshop are set to [Ask When Opening] for Missing Profiles, you may encounter a window asking how to handle the color of an image being opened.

If no embedded profile is detected when the fi le is opened, you may choose one
of the following options:

• Leave as is—will not embed a color profile into the image. However, for operations that require a color space definition, Photoshop will use the RGB or CMYK Working Space defined in the Color Settings preferences (for example, when performing a Mode change between RGB and CMYK).
• Assign Working Space—assign the profile of the Working Space defined in the Color Settings preferences. Select this option when you want to consistently use one working space or if the working space matches the source space of the received file.
• Assign Profile—assign a specific profile if the source color space is known when the image fi le is opened.

Talk to us about which workflow to use. Assigning the right color space from the start will give you a better idea of how the file will look in print. Remember to implement monitor calibration and characterization as guided by your printer (hopefully us).

Things to consider in choosing a source profile:

• If the RGB or CMYK source space of the image is known, you can assign the profile that matches that color space or you can convert to the assigned working space.
• RGB images without the source color space information may require guesswork to determine the most appropriate source color space. sRGB has a smaller gamut but is a universal working space ideal for images coming from digital cameras and the internet (or destined for the internet). Adobe RGB has a wider color gamut and may work best for images that contain vivid colors.
• For unknown CMYK images, SWOP (v2) is recommended for US markets and Fogra or Euroscale for European markets.
• When working with documents that contain images from a variety of sources, discuss with us if one working space should be assigned to all the images or if the original source color spaces should be assigned individually.

If an ICC profile is detected you can either:

• Use the embedded profile. Photoshop will automatically use the embedded profi le when the Color Settings are set to [Preserve] under the Color Management Policies.

• Discard the embedded profile. If the embedded profile is believed to be
• inaccurate, convert to either an assigned profile or to the working space.

SIZE AND SCALE

• All images should be edited, rotated, cropped and sized in an imaging software application such as Adobe Photoshop. Do not re-size, crop, rotate or adjust images in page layout applications, if possible. Place images into the page layout at 100%.

• In order to obtain high-quality output, the recommended image resolution should be 300 dpi at the actual finished size. Scale images with bicubic sampling and crop all images in Photoshop. Do not use page layout applications such as QuarkXPress to make image size adjustments.
• Also note that submitting images with higher than needed resolution adds unnecessary processing time, creates larger files and may degrade image quality.
• For the best print quality, do not include transfer functions or screen angles unless directed to do so by the print provider. If the job requires specific screen angles or transfer functions, make sure to consult with us first.

SAVING IMAGE FILES
EMBEDDING COLOR SPACES
All images have a source color space. Whenever possible discuss with your print provider if you should embed that source color space (such as the camera or scanner profile). This can allow the RIP to perform the color conversion from the assigned color space to the printer’s color space. This workflow
can provide good color matches.

• Embed the correct source color space with each image saved in either TIFF or PS file format. Note that some printers may request images in JPEG format for jobs that are Variable or require faster productivity.

• ICC profi les in TIFF files generally cannot be embedded into the PostScript code on print. They are mainly used for output previews and to convert from one color space to another within applications such as Photoshop and QuarkXPress. The EPS format, however, can embed the color information (CSA) into the PostScript code and then be picked up by the RIP at the printer.

• Some printers opt not to utilize the embedded profi les and may end up stripping them from files. Be sure to talk over the color management settings and strategies with your printer.

SAVING PHOTOSHOP CS2 FILES— PHOTOSHOP EPS FORMAT

• If you want to embed the source color space of an image, use the EPS format.
• Embed both the ICC Color Profile and PostScript Color Management (PSCM) Color Space Array ( CSA) (see figures 3-18 and 3-19).
• Using the EPS format can also preserve colors that may otherwise be converted by an application such as Microsoft PowerPoint. When images are saved as TIFF or JPEG, the color may be converted prematurely in the page layout application. Colors in EPS format are generally preserved.

The CSA remains with the image when the EPS file is placed in the page layout application (or even with applications that are not color managed, such as Microsoft Word). The RIP can then be set to recognize the embedded CSA in the PostScript stream and perform the conversion from that embedded color space to the printer’s final destination color space.

Note:

• Always make your print provider aware that you have embedded color profiles in your files.
• When saving images as TIFF files, embed the ICC Color Profi le, if possible.
• Save the file in TIFF format without LZW compression.
• Check [Embed Color Profile] in the Save As window.

IMAGE COMPRESSION

• It is recommended that you do not use JPEG compression as it may cause unpredictable results.
• If upsampling is required, although this is not recommended, use bicubic.
• Images higher than 450 dpi should be downsampled using bicubic sampling.

Information supplied by The Printing House Ltd & Print Buying Direct, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

More to follow…

Transparency features in graphics applications allow users to create elements with drop shadows, overlays, blends and feathering. Because transparency effects can be complex, be sure to consult us for best results. But the following notes should point you in the right direction for getting your artwork ready for print.

TRANSPARENCY IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

• Select [File: Document Color Mode] and choose [CMYK Color].

• Set the [Effect: Document Raster Effects Settings] Color Model to [CMYK] and the Resolution to [High (300 ppi)]. Any effects that require rasterization will use the value specified here.
• Use the Transparency palette and [Effect] stylize menu to control transparency effects. Note that [Filters] can produce unpredictable results.
• The [File: Document Setup: Transparency: Preset] should also be set to [High Resolution].
• The Flattener Preview palette [Window: Flattener Preview] can identify areas that have transparency applied or are effected by other objects.
• Be sure to enable [View: Overprint Preview] for the most accurate display of what the fi nal design will look like.

TRANSPARENCY IN INDESIGN

• Select the [Edit: Transparency Blend Space] to [Document CMYK].
• Use the Transparency palette to control transparency effects.
• The Flattener Preview palette [Window: Output: Flattener Preview] can identify areas that have transparency applied or are effected by other objects.
• Be sure to enable [View: Overprint Preview] for the most accurate display of what the fi nal design will look like.

PRINTING WITH TRANSPARENCY

• In the printing or exporting windows always select [High Resolution] for the Transparency Flattener.
• Printers often define flattening settings or flatten artwork themselves. Consult your us to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. Note that transparency effects will always flatten when printing to PostScript or EPS, or if they are exported using the Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) format. Transparency effects will remain “live” only if exported using the Acrobat PDF 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6 formats.

CAUTIONS

• Use spot colors in transparency effects with discretion. When spot colors contact CMYK objects with transparency, the best practice is to make sure they are on the top of the stacking order.
• Avoid transparency designs that contain both RGB and CMYK content.
• QuarkXPress 6.5 does not have built-in support for transparency.

If in any doubt call us on 0870 950 8444 or contact us through either of our websites – Print Buying Direct or The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

Designing For Print

Information supplied courtesy of Print Buying Direct at The Printing House Ltd

We get asked all the time about how to design for print. This blog focuses digital print as we find many designers haven’t ever been advised of the advantages or limitations of digital print. Obviously many things are still relevant to litho printing (this still remains our core business) so whatever kind of print you design for hopefully you can draw something useful from the information below.

TEXT CONSIDERATIONS
GENERAL

• Include all fonts in both page layout and vector graphics files.
• Supported font types include PostScript Type 1, 3, OpenType, TrueType, Multiple Master
• When possible, select fonts from the Font menu and use caution when working with stylized fonts from the Style menu.
• Preserve text as a font; do not rasterize text in the application.

TYPE COLOR

• Create solid black text with 100% K only for the most dense black.
• As with any digital or offset printing system, saturated text presents the best appearance. When a tint is used, the halftone screen may be visible on the edge and cause a jagged appearance. Text containing at least one ink of 100% C or M or K presents the best appearance with solid, rich colors
• RGB solid text, such as 100% red, may reproduce as a tint. Define solid color text in CMYK if possible.

TYPE SIZE

• For positive solid text use a minimum of 4 point and 6 point for reverse.
• For positive tinted text use a minimum of 6 point and 8 point for reverse.
• With smaller text, sans serif fonts are recommended.

GRAPHICS CONSIDERATIONS
COLOR IN GRAPHICS

• Colors for fine rules or small graphics, such as bullets and icons, print best when at least one color separation (other than yellow) is set to a solid or near solid color (e.g., 90-100%).

SPOT COLORS (PANTONE)

• Select PANTONE colors by choosing them from the PANTONE color library.
• Do not change the name of PANTONE colors (e.g., PANTONE 106C to Sunshine Yellow or to PANTONE 106C copy).
• When PANTONE colors are desired, it’s always safest to ask us how the colours you want are best printed.
• Be sure to specify the color as a [Spot] color. This will allow the digital press to provide the best spot color accuracy within the limitations of the printer. (THIS IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF DESIGNING FOR OFFSET/LITHO PRINTING – PLEASE ASK IF UNSURE)

GREYS

• Grey text, graphics, and gradients will be best produced if they are created with K only in a CMYK working space.
• Grey balance is dependant upon selections made at the printer. If you are creating grey colors with RGB or CMYK combinations, consult us for the appropriate values needed to achieve good neutrals.

BLACK

• When printing black on uncoated substrates, add a small amount of C, M or Y to improve uniformity and minimize paper texture.

TINT UNIFORMITY
Digital printing systems, in general, may show slight variations in color within large areas of mid-density tints. Color variation may be emphasized with coated stock due to smoothness of the paper.

• Design with smaller areas when using tints and/or design with colors that are less than 40% or greater than 70% in value.
• Sensitivity to color variations may be reduced by introducing a texture or by adding text or graphic objects.

GRAPHIC EDGES

• Edges of tinted areas may also have a jagged appearance, dependent on line frequency and the angle of the halftone screen with respect to the angle of the edge. When selecting the color for fine rules or elements, better results will be achieved by choosing saturated colors or setting at least one separation (other than yellow) to 100%.

GRADIENTS
The best produced gradients will be produced when using vector gradient tools in programs such as Illustrator that take advantage of PostScript Language Level 3 and PDF 1.3 Smooth shading operations.

Following are suggestions for achieving the smoothest gradients:

• To ensure enough gray levels, gradients length should be greater than 2cm.
• Use a color change of 100% for at least one colour separation for gradients less than 2 cm long and a change of 50% for gradients less than 4 cm long.
• Adding Noise or a Gaussian blur can improve gradients in Photoshop.
• Saturated colors generally produce the smoothest blends.
• Avoid creating gradients that blend from a very dark color (e.g., navy blue) to white. They have a tendency to have more banding.
• For gradients blending to white, set the same color to 0%. Do not use white. Example: first color PANTONE 032C: 100%, second color PANTONE 032C: 0%.

I hope you’ve found this useful. More useful hints to follow in the next few days.