Client Portal

Layout & Software

• For most projects, it’s best to start with a quality page layout program.
  Adobe InDesign is preferred. QuarkXpress is also acceptable.
  Use the “Package” option in InDesign, or the “Collect for Output” option in Quark, to gather all of the working material. It does a great job of making sure all links and fonts are included, and gathers everything into one folder, ready to zip.
• Photoshop and Illustrator are fine for single page projects, but multi-page documents should be built in a page layout program. A page layout program has the tools to handle a multi-page document efficiently.
• Build the document to the correct size, and specify the required bleed (usually 0.125”).
• If you need to submit material created in any other programs, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, CorelDRAW, etc, please save a high quality PDF of the document. This will ensure that the fonts and formatting are preserved.

File Compression & Data Errors

• Make sure to compress (zip) your folder before sending it. Not only does this reduce file transfer time, it also ensures all of the files transfer appropriately.
  Fonts, in particular, are likely to be damaged if the folder containing the project is not compressed.
• Supply all fonts used in the document, including any used in vector files. Remember that PS fonts need both screen and printer parts. Check the InDesign report to be sure all of the required fonts have been included.
• Supply all graphics and/or images used in the document. Check the InDesign package report or PreFlight panel to be sure all of the required fonts have been included.
• Please make a high quality PDF from the InDesign document, and include it in the folder with the working files. A careful viewing of this PDF may reveal problems that can be caught and corrected at this stage. It is also useful to us for reference.
• Please supply a printed physical copy. A hard copy proof helps us make sure everything is where you expect it to be.

Colors, Varnishes, & Dies

• Black type needs to be black only (0c 0m 0y 100k), set to overprint.
• Large black areas (greater than half an inch square) should be rich black (60c 50m 50y 100k).
• All colors in the document should be set to cmyk, except for printing spot color. RGB elements will have to be converted to cmyk, and the result might not be what you expect.  Please check your color setting before submitting artwork.
• Make sure any dielines, varnish, foil, and the like are called out as spot colors, and set to overprint.
• If spot colors are used, each should be defined with just one name. They should be properly labeled, and consistent with those same colors defined within any included graphics.
• Please remove all unused colors from the document.

Graphics, Images & Resolution

• Raster graphics should be cmyk at 300-400 dpi effective resolution. For example, if a graphic is 300 dpi, and is placed into the document at 200%, the real, or effective resolution is only 150 dpi. Low resolution files may result in unacceptable quality. Files with too high a resolution waste time in processing and file transfer.
• Avoid small type built from screened cmyk. Small screened type will often look jagged.

Trims & Bleed

• Please offset the trim marks so that they do not print inside the bleed; if the bleed is 0.125”, the marks offset should be 0.125”
• Critical items should not be within the safety area. Nothing that must show should be closer than 0.25” from the trim.

Binding

• If the project is to be bound (saddle stitched, perfect bound), be aware of crossover areas. You may need to adjust some of the page elements to make sure that critical elements line up properly, and do not disappear into the binding.
• When using a page layout program, create the pages as single pages; for example, don’t put two 8.5 x 11 pages on a single 11 x 17 page.