Explanation of common printing terms

Bleeds - Where ink goes to the edge of the page after it is cut down. There should be 1/8" bleed on each side of the paper if the ink goes to the edge. If you do not want the ink to go off the edge of the page, it is recommended to have at least 3/16" white space from the edge of the page for business cards and postcards, and 5/16" white space for newsletters or saddle stitched publications. (The larger the piece, the more white space you should allow).

Bitmap Graphics - A bitmap graphic is defined by a horizontal and vertical grid of pixels known as a bitmap. The bitmap format is best suited for high resolution work such as photographs and fine detail line art drawings. Bitmap graphics are created in programs like Photoshop and Photo-Paint and other painting programs. We accept bitmap graphics saved in the (.tif) format and the Adobe Photoshop (.eps) format. Bitmap graphics fall into three categories: b&w line art, gray scale halftone (b&w photographs), color halftone (color photographs).

Camera Ready Copy - Good clean copy on white paper that we shoot with a traditional camera. Line screen for this kind of work should be no higher than 100 lpi (lines per inch).

CMYK or Four Process Color Printing - Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow, Black. These are the four colors used to print thousands of colors and photos on paper from an offset printing press.

Color Builds - Unless you are paying for Pantone or other spot color inks, all color fills, strokes and gradients created or imported into your layout must be converted to CMYK process. Print a laser copy with separations "on," this will show you how the colors will separate.

Disk Transfer - We would be happy to use your own computer files. Please follow the guidelines for submitting your files digitally. We use Mac and IBM-PC with most of the latest programs to serve you better.

Document Setup - When creating a single sheet document such as a postcard or sell sheet, please set your document dimensions to the size of the final piece prior to folding. When creating a multi sheet document such as a catalog or booklet, please set the document size of a single page.

Duotones - These are two color photos or graphics usually made in paint programs like Photoshop. They are made using two colors, usually black and a PMS color. Duotones need to be saved in Duotone mode and as .eps format.

Fonts - Please supply all typefaces and styles (e.g. Times-Bold, Times-Italic, Times-Bold-Italic) used in your layout, as well as all typefaces and styles used in linked graphics. When supplying a Macintosh PostScript font, be sure to include the font suitcase and the PostScript portion of the typeface. When supplying Macintosh True Type fonts, only the suitcase font is necessary. Macintosh True Type fonts can be identified by opening the font suitcase and locating files with a triple "A" icon. When supplying PC PostScript fonts, please include the .PFB and .PFM portions of the typeface. When supplying PC True Type fonts, only the .TTF file is necessary. Only use those typefaces and styles installed on your system. Do not use emulated or redundant styles. For example, software will allow you to boldface Times-Bold even if your system does not contain Times-Bold. In some typefaces the difference between bolded roman and true bold are slight, but in other typefaces the difference can be quite drastic and can cause text flow problems when printing to an image setter which is the equipment to produce film negatives. Print problems also arise when using Outline and Drop Shadow styles in some software. Avoid mixing True Type and PostScript fonts in the same document.

Halftones - Are photos or artwork that have shades of gray or gray tones. Grayscale halftone images should be scanned at approximately two times the lines per inch (lpi) of the final output and at 100 percent of the output size.

Image Resizing - When scanning images or using bitmap images be aware that the image resolution is inversely related to image size. For example a 4x4 inch 300ppi (pixels per inch) halftone reduced to 50% in a layout program will produce a 2x2 inch 600ppi image. Similarly, that same 4x4 inch 300ppi halftone increased 200% in a layout program will produce an 8x8 inch 150ppi image. There is no way to increase both image size and image resolution without rescanning. Artificially increasing image resolution in a program like Adobe Photoshop will simply increase your file size but not the quality. To reduce the file size of your job, it is best to resize all the images in a program like Adobe Photoshop to the final output size in your layout program. This will speed up print time.

Internet/Web Graphics - Graphics that are used for web sites are not suitable for offset printing. These graphics are in bitmap format and at low resolution (72ppi). They can be converted for offset printing but quality and size is low. The resolution and size ratio is the same as halftones. Graphics that are used in web sites are in .jpg format or .gif format and are in RGB (red, blue, green) or indexed color mode which need to be converted to .eps or .tif, and to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) mode before being used in a layout.

Line Art- Is a drawing or artwork that does not have shades of gray. To preserve smooth lines and fine detail, line art should be scanned at a resolution of 600ppi to 1200ppi.

Linked Graphics - Please supply all graphic files used in your layout...as well as any graphics which may have been placed with them. Please supply all linked graphics in .eps or .tif format. Avoid the excessive nesting of .eps graphics within other .eps graphics. In vector programs it is best to convert all fonts to outlines or curves to avoid font problems when printing.

PMS (Pantone Matching System) - It is the printing standard for colors. Programs like PageMaker and Quark Xpress have a PMS library built into the programs. If you want to match a specific color it is best to use the PMS library. PMS swatch books should also be used for accurate color.

Proofs - Color laser: low cost color, good for initial proof. Color is close but should not be used as a press accurate proof. Digital Blueline: Low resolution imposed color proof. This kind of proof is done for all jobs to ensure accurate impostion of the digital files. Epson 9600: Very accurate color proof. Printed on one side only. Print size is 36" by almost any length. Fuji FinalProof: Made from the same Ripped data that is printed on a plate. It is made with four pieces of transparent film, (one for each color CMYK) then it is laminated together on actual press paper. This is the most accurate proof. It should be used on all process color work.

RGB to CMYK - All scanners capture color information in Red, Green, Blue, (RGB) color space. Since printing presses use Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK) inks to reproduce color on the printed page, a bitmap must be converted from RGB to CMYK prior to printing. This conversion typically results in color shifts because the original RGB color space used by scanners and monitors is larger than the CMYK color space used by presses. Vibrant reds, greens, and blues tend to show the most color shift in conversion from RGB to CMYK. Keep in mind that your scanner may have a CMYK scanning option, this is still using a conversion from RGB. All color bitmap images should be supplied in CMYK mode.

Scanning - We can do full color or black and white scans here. If you are using our online quote form be sure to enter the quantity and size for each scan needed. If you would like to scan your own photos or artwork and put it on a disk, please follow the guidelines for submitting your files digitally.

Typesetting - On the online order form enter in the approximate number of words or typed pages in your document that you want us to typeset. This will give us a better idea for estimating your job.

Vector Graphics - A vector graphic is defined by a series of mathematical objects and paths. The vector format is best suited to logos, illustrations and other geometric graphics. Vector graphics are created by Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand, Corel Draw and other illustration programs. Vector images can be accepted in (.eps) format only. Vector programs let you incorporate bitmap images into their .eps files. For example you can take a photograph from Photoshop and place it into Illustrator. Unlike bitmap images, vector images can be resized without loss of quality. Be aware that any bitmap images placed into a vector program are still susceptible to image degradation if resized drastically. The major concern when constructing vector images is path complexity. Files containing excessive numbers of paths, objects, and gradient fills often will not print. Redundant paths and curve control points should be removed whenever possible to speed printing and prevent errors. Unless you are paying for a spot color ink, all fills, gradients and strokes should be converted to CMYK color mode. It is recommended to convert all the type in your vector program to outlines or curves. This will eliminate font problems when the .eps file is placed into a page layout program.