Preparing and Submitting Trouble Free Files
Providing files to your printer that are Clean and Trouble Free will make your project run smoothly, and keep the number of calls and questions from the printer to you at a minimum.

DOCUMENT SETUP
The electronic document (page) size should be the same as the trim size of your book.
Use the “Facing Pages” option if it is available in your layout application.
Set up the files with the actual margins you want in the book.
Use the Master Page feature for running headers, running footers, and page numbers.

Fonts: Include all screen and printer fonts used in your file (don't forget fonts used in placed graphics).

Image Size: 11" x 17" maximum, plus 1/16" bleed.

Placed Graphics: Images should be saved in TIFF or EPS format (don't use DCS format or save images with screen angles or transfer functions applied). Scanned images should be 300 dpi at 100% scale.

Color: Provide color files using CMYK mode. Never use RGB! The RIPs will automatically convert spot and PMS colors to 4-color tints, but the results are often undesirable. Avoid unexpected results by designing in CMYK only.

Trapping: Unlike conventional presses, digital presses have extremely tight registration due to the fact that the plates are imaged directly on press. In most cases, trapping is not necessary. However, if you feel trapping is required for your job, use a 0.3 trap.

Crop Marks: Use a half point line (0.5 pt) for crop marks and set the color for the marks to "rich" 4-color black.

Bleeds: Do not exceed 1/8 inch on each side for bleeds. Anything you want to print to the edge of the paper must be set up to bleed.

Considerations for scans, file size, and resolution
When preparing your scans, remember that a higher scan resolution does not always result in better print quality. Excessive scan sizes result in huge files that extend print times with little improvement in print quality. Exceeding the suggested PPI could result in a file too large to output or additional megabyte charges.

Vector-based graphics are suitable for type and logos, even when they are scaled to larger sizes. However, when you increase the size, any included raster images must have a proper resolution for the final dimensional print size. Because the number of pixels in an image is fixed, increasing the size of a raster image decreases its resolution, and decreasing its size increases its resolution.

SEND IN A TEST FILE
We offer file testing and encourage you to send a test file before or soon after beginning the project. This is especially
important if you are using a word processor and/or TrueType fonts.