Comments on: How To Set Up Files For Printing

By: julie green

julie green — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:07:53 +0000

i loved this article and the comments. i've been learning the hard way about different printers needing different stuff. one question I have regarding fonts: is embedding fonts in Illustrator enough or do you really have to convert everything to outlines? i've always been curious about this. My recent post must-see print design blog? this little old blog? well shucks!

By: Bryan Troche

Bryan Troche — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:34:55 +0000

Just a quick comment:

Now days you can print white on a Colorspam, in big format printing. You can do it in Static Clings, Styrene and PVC stocks, among others. Obviously you print white in a non-white material. In offset printing there are not as updated as in big format printing.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:35:13 +0000

These are all good tips for offset printing but large format is a different beast altogether. For most quality large format printers RGB will give much better results than CMYK files (due to the fact most printers are 6-9 color now). CMYK may still be true for some of the largest production based printers but not any of the fairly recent HP, Canon or Epson printers that are run with a quality RIP. Also the ppi needed for large format ranges between 100-150 ppi except for the most demanding photographers/artists. Anything larger is really a waste of resolution. This is all coming from a large format printer.

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:03:33 +0000

I agree, Chad. If we didn't package larger files, we'd always have to make changes and send files back to printer.

By: Kelly L

Kelly L — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:04:53 +0000

This is a great article! I'm just going to chime in with some random thoughts – I work as a project manager/production coordinator for a commercial printer so I get to deal with this stuff all the time.

- you don't always need to specify 100% black for all blacks. If you are covering a large area or have an image, rich black will look much nicer.
- that said, if you are covering an area with heavy ink, especially a black or blue (blues take forever and a half to dry), check into an aqueous coating – this helps seal the ink to keep it from rubbing off on other sheets and can help with the dry time. Aqueous is different than a varnish or a UV – not all presses can run an aqueous. Varnish acts as a spot color and takes up a "space" on the presses, whereas aqueous is a different beast and usually much cheaper if your press can accomodate it – and your final pieces look much, much nicer. We try to coat whenever possible – it helps immensely with the final print quality.
- Pantine -> CMYK = you forgot to mention the gloriousness that is the Pantone Color Bridge… it will show you how your PMS will look given a straight conversion. Reds tend to convert okay; you really gotta watch your blues. They will 90% of the time, not look right at all… generally, spot color those if you can.
- Bleeds should extend at least 1/8" off the page – ideally 1/4" off the page. Prepress departments can usually add them in if necessary but it is sooo helpful if you can take that into consideration and add those into your file up front.
- As far as packaging files – we love love love getting the native files when we can. We can print from high-res PDFs, but if ANY changes need to be made – even if it is a resize or adding a bleed – we can't do it without recreating it. And that sucks for everyone. If you can package up your working files, that is always ideal.
- Proofing: if you are printing anything other than a flat sheet, it is helpful to provide a mockup as well. Not all folds and such are immediately obvious, even if they are to you.
- Instructions: if you have special spot colors or directions – feel free to write them on the proof! Then you will know they will see them and it helps to have them reinforced. That way not only pre-press will see them, but press operators as well. It helps everyone to understand the project.

I just realized what a huge printing nerd I am turning into… haha.
My recent post bah and humbug.

By: @AndrewKelsall

@AndrewKelsall — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:56:27 +0000

No worries
My recent post 100 Fantastic Design Blogs (and their logos)

By: Chad Engle

Chad Engle — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:19:20 +0000

Thanks Andrew! You're exactly right. There is so much on that issue I could've written a post on it by itself. My recent post chadengle: @kristofcreative hack saw no.... Band saw yes

By: @yanachka

@yanachka — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:34:22 +0000

Thanks for this post. I had never considered using a larger resolution in order to scale it up later.

By: nikibrown

nikibrown — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:49:31 +0000

Hey Andrew – thanks for the link on using black – super helpful!

By: Joann Sondy

Joann Sondy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:59:27 +0000

A well written and informative article that covers the basics.

Your thesis regarding Print Black vs Rich Black is really only valid if you’re designing a 1, 2, or 3 color print job. If the job will be printed as 4 color (CMYK) then one should check with the printer about specifying Rich/Super Black — which can have its advantages.

Another BIG oversight in your article is specifying crop and bleed marks. You reference ‘bleed’ but fail to indicate the use of bleed marks in your proofs and file setup. Crop marks should be used on ALL print jobs.

I have been utilizing print-ready PDFs for years and have found this to be one of the most significant workflow improvements in our industry. However, smaller print shops are not as well-versed on these advantages even for 2C or 3C jobs, based on my experience.

White Ink — another misnomer. In a world where we typically print on white/ivory paper… yes, there is no such color. However, there are techniques when a dark color paper is specified. Explore these options on you next job.