FAQ

Q - I want to send my print job to a printer but how do I get the files there?
A - We can accept digital files for Windows-PC or Mac. Files can be saved on 100 or 250 meg Zip disks, 3 1/2" floppy disk, CD-Rom, or e-mail. Try our file upload to our web site.

Q - I would like to send my file via e-mail but what is the file size limit you can accept?
A - We can accept e-mail files up to 10 megs, however your ISP (internet service provider) may not let you send files that large. Many ISP (internet service provider) or mail servers have limits of 2 to 10 megs. Some Web mail programs may not allow you to send attached e-mail files at all. Please consult your ISP or mail server company before sending e-mail attachments. When sending files via e-mail be sure to include the following information: Detailed information about the job, job number, your name, contact number, your company name, what program was used to create the file, the salesperson you are working with, and any other information that may be helpful to direct your e-mail in the right direction. We receive hundreds of e-mails a week, many with the same file names, which makes it very hard to know what job they are for without the proper information. Try our file upload to our web site, file size limit is 50 megs per file.

Q - Should I compress my files when I send them by e-mail?
A - Yes, we recommend that you use a compression software like Stuffit or Win-zip or PK-zip to compress all your files into one small file.

Q - What file formats do you prefer for graphics and photos?
A - All photos and graphics need to be saved as .tif or .eps format. They also need to be in the correct color mode. Full color photos need to be CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black); black and white photos need to be gray scale, line drawings need to be in bitmap or line art mode. RGB (red, blue, green), jpg, gif, and bmp formats are not accepted.

Q - I would like to scan my own photos, will my scanner give me good scans?
A - If you are scanning color you will need a high quality scanner and a color calibrated monitor to create a good scan. Most scanners from your local discount store cannot achieve the color quality needed for professional-looking color. If you are scanning gray scale or line art images, most scanners can produce adequate quality for offset printing.

Q - What resolution should I scan my photos?
A - Color and gray scale photos should be scanned at 300 ppi (pixels per inch), line drawings should be scanned at 800-1200 dpi (dots per inch). All images should be scanned at the final output size. Do not resize images in your photo editing program or your page layout program, this will ruin the quality of the image.

Q - What software do you support?
A - For the Macintosh we use Quark XPress 5.0, 6.1 Adobe Photoshop 7.0, CS Adobe Illustrator 10, CS Adobe PageMaker 7.0, Macromedia Freehand 10, Adobe Acrobat 5.0, 6.0 PDF.
For Windows-PC we use Adobe PageMaker 6.52, 7.0, Adobe Photoshop 7.0, Quark XPress 5.0, Adobe Illustrator 10, Adobe Acrobat 5.0 PDF.

Q - I use Microsoft Office, can you print my files?
A - We cannot print directly from your MS Office files, we can use most of the content and reformat it in a page layout program that is compatible with our image setter, this requires additional time and expense. Most office type programs are not made for professional printing, they are usually printer dependent which means that if you switch from one printer to another, your text will reflow for that printer. Office programs also do not support color separations. These programs are made for printing to your desktop laser or inkjet printers only. NOTE: If you plan on creating a lot of publications for print, you may consider buying PageMaker or Quark XPress. This will save you time and money in the long run.

Q - Can I use LZW or JPG Compression?
A - No, some photo editing programs will give you an option when you are saving your file. Compressing files will save disk space but it usually creates problems when printing to image setters.

Q - I have a digital camera, can I use my photos from it for color printing?
A - Most digital cameras that you may find in your local computer store will not produce a quality photo for printing. The photos may look great on a desktop inkjet printer but high resolution image setters require more data than a digital camera can produce. Most cameras in the store will give you a photo that can be printed with pretty good quality only at about 3" x 5" in size. Your more expensive cameras may go up to about 6" x 8", and these cameras usually range in the price of $800 to $2000. In the future you may see cameras at a lower cost with higher resolution and size.