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Preparing Electronic Files
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As technology continues to change, so does our workflow. The information below and
on subsequent pages is intended for people preparing electronic files to be run
on our pre-press system. Friesens believes it is very important to maintain an
ongoing dialogue with our customers regarding our expectations. It is essential
to have a clear understanding of our expectations so that your files will be
free of problems and additional charges.
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With increasingly complex digital designs it becomes not only beneficial but very
necessary to plan ahead. Reading through this on-line documentation, discussing
the job with our customer service representative (CSR) and submitting a sample
disk for testing in our workflow are all steps to take when preparing your
electronic files for print.
New software, fonts and techniques all demand scrutiny. Electronic files that work
on your equipment may not work on ours. For this reason we suggest sending us
test files using the same layout, font and image formats that you intend to use
to create your final layouts. These files will be processed through our system
and checked for any compatibility problems at no charge to you.Contact one of our
CSRs to schedule a test.
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(Click labels for more information.)
A :
When the file is created as one page, the corner trim marks need not be put in place as the default crop marks will be adequate.
B :
Any and all items touching the edge of the panels should bleed .125", except
text. Any element (including text) that will not bleed, should remain .25"
inside of trim.
C :
When the endsheet is folded, the result is four panels. Endsheet panels are always
the same size as the pages in the book.
D :
Endsheets do not need any space between panels, they are simply folded before
being put into the book.
Keep these guidelines in mind when creating electronic files for print:
- Set your electronic document (page) size to the final trim size of your book.
- Be sure to include any and all blank pages needed to make your electronic file accurate.
- Spreads should be created by placing single pages side by side. This way a
picture that should bleed from one page to another across the gutter can be
placed as a single image, leaving no chance for misalignment.
- Master pages are an excellent way to ensure consistency throughout your file.
Page numbers, headers and footers are just some of the element types you
should put on your master pages.
- Using style sheets will save time and ensure consistency throughout the text
in your files. Style sheets allow you to adjust a text attribute to a style
that will apply throughout the layout file.
- Always keep a list of ALL fonts used in ALL files. This includes layouts and
drawing programs such as QuarkXPress and Illustrator.
- Any objects that come within .25" of the trim should extend .125"
past to allow for bleed needed for trimming of your book.
- Rotating scanned images in a layout program increases the complexity of those
files when being output. Remember to rotate scanned images in Photoshop or
Illustrator instead of a layout program.
- Avoid reversing (white) fine serif or script fonts smaller than 12 points out
of a coloured background. The font becomes hard to read in the final printed
piece and may fill in on press.
- Avoid resizing scanned images in the layout application. Resizing of images
alters the effective resolution of a scan. (See Scanning section)
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While job accuracy is foremost in our minds, we realize that we may have to alter
cover, dustjacket and endsheet files to meet our printing and binding requirements.
Our goal is to receive files that would need no alterations whatsoever. This requires
the creator of the files to be familiar with our specifications.
The following sections cover topics such as marks, bleeds, wraparounds, etc. as
they pertain to Friesens guidelines. They also contain suggestions to help make
the transition from electronic files to finished book easier. Please pay special
attention to the positioning of the panels for each of the cover, dustjacket and
endsheet setup illustrations.
To simplify this process we recommend that you contact us for a layout diagram of
the appropriate component. This can be done by:
- Going to www.friesens.com/mybooks
and using the imposition tool. If you are not a registered user of My Books
please contact your sales representative or CSR.
- Contacting your sales representative or CSR who will e-mail a PDF file of the
requested layouts.
Note: Electronic files supplied should
have a document size that matches the trimmed cover.
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An endsheet is essentially the same size as a double page spread. If the page size
is 8.5"x11" then the endsheet would be 17"x11".
(Click labels for more information.)
A :
When the file is created as one page, the corner trim marks need not be put in place as the default crop marks will be adequate.
B :
Any and all items touching the edge of the panels should bleed .125", except
text. Any element (including text) that will not bleed, should remain .25"
inside of trim.
C :
When the endsheet is folded, the result is four panels. Endsheet panels are always
the same size as the pages in the book.
D :
Endsheets do not need any space between panels, they are simply folded before
being put into the book.
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The soft cover is set up similar to the endsheet. Instead of the gutter
on the endsheet, the soft cover has a spine that needs to be defined.
Inside soft cover and outside soft cover will have the same setup.
(Click labels for more information.)
A :
The marks should be .25 pt and specified as registration.
The default corner marks of the application can be used for the trim marks of
the cover. The spine marks will have to be added. They should only start
.125" from the edge of the cover. However, since most applications do not
print an object unless it touches the page, a line extending from the top of
the cover to the bottom can be used. It will then be necessary to cover the
line with a white box so it will not appear on the page, but .125" from
the edge of the cover, outward.
B :
All elements touching the trim should bleed the full
.125" and if not, should remain .25" from the trim. Text should also
remain .25" inside of trim.
C :
The panel sizes on a soft cover are the same as the page size for the text.
D :
Text usually reads from top to bottom so if your design is
intended to be different, please make note of this so that our operators are
aware of the change. Be aware of the glue strip that is needed on the inside of
the soft cover. The book block is glued to the cover along the spine. Glue is
also applied .25" outward from the spine so any element that needs to be
seen should be further than .25" from the spine. Be sure however to bleed
any other elements to the spine (the glue strip will be handled at the
imposition stage).
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Impositions of hard covers are relative to the size of the board, instead
of to the trim size of the book. The board serves as a stiffener for the
cover. If the book has a dustjacket, the hard cover often consists only
of a foil stamp.
(Click labels for more information.)
A :
Trim marks will be put in automatically by the application.
Any other marks need to be added. These include wraparound marks, gutter marks
and spine marks. The size of the file should include the wraparound, panels,
gutter and spine.
B :
The wraparound is always .625” and is used instead of the
normal .125" bleed. It should wrap around the board and extend far enough
to cover all the inside edges, in preparation for the endsheet. The endsheet
should overlap these edges. All objects (except the text) that touch the
wraparound should bleed .625"(or if 120 point board or larger the
wraparound should bleed .6875"). Because the wraparound is there as a
bleed, it is not necessary to bleed beyond the edge of the file.
C :
The panel size is the size of the board which will stiffen
the cover. The height is always the trimmed size (page size) plus .25",
ensuring that the cover will be slightly larger than the book, top and bottom.
The panel width is the book width minus .1875". This distance, once the
gutter is figured in, will extend the
cover past the book on the opening edge. To centre elements on the panel, use
the panel size plus about half the gutter as a reference.
D :
The place where the cover bends is the gutter. It is always
.375" wide for covers with a spine smaller than 1" and .4375"
for covers with a 1" spine or larger. If the book has a board in the
spine, make the gutter .5". (Note – any text or elements that bleed into
the gutter will result in undesirable distortion.)
E :
As with the other covers, it is preferable that elements on
the spine maintain a slight space between them and the spine edge.
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The dustjacket contains extra panels which help accommodate images and/or
background colours when wrapped around the cover of a book.
(Click labels for more information.)
A :
The trim marks should be the default marks of the
application. The flap, spine and spine centre marks need to be added. The file
size should contain the flap, wraparound, panels and spine.
B :
The flap is the part of the dustjacket that gets folded into
the book. It is usually 3.5" or 4" wide. This can vary as per book
size, stock size and design preference. If you would like to have a flap that
is outside of that range, talk to your Friesens Customer Service
Representative.
C :
The wraparound on the dustjacket is a bleed area used for
objects that touch the edges of the panels on the flap side. Objects should
bleed through this area to the flap. The wraparound is usually .25" to
.5". The bleed on the panel may be required to extend just around the bend
of the board. Alternatively, it may extend all the way around and onto the flap,
far enough so that the book block overlaps the image when the book is closed.
D :
The height of the panels is the same as the board in the
hard cover (trimmed book block plus .25"). The jacket will be the same
size top to bottom as the hard cover. The width of the panel is the combined
distance of the board and the gutter for the hard cover.
E :
As with the other covers, it is preferable that elements on
the spine maintain a slight space between them and the spine edge.
F :
.125" bleed is required. Elements should extend
.125" past trim or remain .25" inside of trim.
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It is important that your files are named in an understandable
and logical manner. We prefer you use page numbers or chapter
numbers in your file names when organizing your files. The use
of acronyms is also acceptable. Some of the acronyms we use at
Friesens are:
- OFC - Outside Front Cover
- IFC - Inside Front Cover
- OBC - Outside Back Cover
- IBC - Inside Back Cover
- ES - EndSheet
- DJ - DustJacket
- HC - Hard Cover
- SC - Soft Cover
- Prelims - Preliminary pages
Some special characters that should not be used when naming
electronic files are: ? " / \ < > * | :
After proofs have been checked and you wish to supply corrected
files please label them as "REVISED".
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One of the important
considerations in printing a book is the selection of fonts. While Friesens
does have the complete Adobe Type 1 Font Library, we still require that all
fonts be supplied when submitting your job to Friesens. Fonts, like software,
come in versions; different versions of
the same font may contain different kerning/tracking information. If the
version used to output the files is different than the one used to create them,
reflow becomes a possibility.
It is highly recommended that
only PostScript Type 1 fonts are used in the creation of your job.
When a file is output to a
PostScript device, whether it be a laser printer, imagesetter or platesetter,
it is converted into PostScript. PostScript fonts are already written in the PostScript
language and are easily understood. TrueType and Multiple Master fonts however
need to be converted at the RIP and this can lead to errors and inability to
output. Errors that are encountered at this late stage will almost always delay
the delivery of the project.
It is also recommended that the style palette found in most layout
applications not be used. Select the bold or italic version of the font from
within the font list rather than applying the bold or italic style. If the style
palette is used it can cause unpredictable results, especially if the bold or
italic font is not available.
In some cases, such as when working in Windows, some font styles are not
available in the font list even though the font is installed. In these cases,
the bold or italic style can be used in order to obtain the desired effect.
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Due to the nature of a Vector graphic, illustrations can consume large amounts of RIP time.
Keep the following in mind when working on computer generated illustrations:
- Create your illustrations at final size to simplify the creation of
graduated tints and any trapping you might generate.
Remember any re-sizing of artwork in the page layout
software will re-size the graduated tint and trap.
- Avoid placing large Hi-Res scans in your illustration files;
integrate the scan and the artwork by placing them separately
in the page layout program.
- Avoid “Nesting” EPS files in illustrator programs. Copy and
paste editable files instead of importing EPS files,
using the Place Art command.
- When generating graduated tints, use the Gradient command
instead of the blend tool. (The opposite was true
with the old PostScript level 1 RIPs only).
- Strokes wider than 24 points should be converted to a
closed path to minimize output errors.
- Remember to keep a list of any and all fonts used in your
illustration, because you will be asked to supply these fonts
as well. You can use the “Convert to Paths” feature in your
software in order to outline all text and then the fonts are no longer
needed.
Check your application’s User Guide for other tips on creating
simpler documents.
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Banding refers to the problem
that can appear in gradient blends where there are visual separations between
levels or percentages of colour causing bands or stripes. There are two main
causes of banding. One is a limitation in PostScript Level 1 and 2 and the
other is design.
Versions (or Levels) 1 and 2 of
PostScript are limited to 256 levels of gray or colour between 0% and 100%. In
a gradation, these 256 levels can become distinct if spread over a large area
or if the percentage difference between the colours used is slight. This type
of banding is not as prevalent in PostScript Level 2 as it is in Level 1 where
steps were taken to adjust gradations to optimize the way it was imaged. In
PostScript Level 3, the problem has been addressed by the introduction of a
thousand levels of gray. As such, as RIPs are upgraded, this cause of banding
will be eliminated.
The other problem that can cause
banding is design technique. This in itself mostly refers to the manual
creation of blends as part of special effects in drawing programs. These
effects allow you to specify the number of steps used in creating a specialty
gradation.
Care should be taken when working on such projects to be aware of
these issues. Software manuals are a good guide when using these effects as
they will usually deal with this issue and present their explanation of
blending effects. If you have further questions on this topic you can
contact our technical support and/or arrange for a sample disk to be
checked by Friesens for these problems.
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The following options exist when printing with Friesens:
- You scan and place Lo-Res FPO (for position only) images into
your document and have Friesens perform all scanning and placing
of the Hi-Res images.
- Friesens scans all your images and provides you with Lo-Res
OPI (automatic replacing Lo-Res file) images,
which you then place into your document.
- Acquire your own Hi-Res images, and edit, manipulate, and
retouch them yourself before placing them in your layout.
If you work with your own Hi-Res images, make sure you are
ready to assume full responsibility. This includes system colour calibration,
contrast and tonal range adjustments, dot gain compensation of final output and
press, scanning resolution and clarity, sizing, and cropping.
Even though you may feel confident in these areas, we
recommend that you send at least a few samples for us to proof so that you
are able to critique them more accurately.
Following are a few suggestions on working with scanned images:
- When resizing an image in a layout program be aware that resizing
the image will affect the effective (or true) resolution. An image
scanned at 300dpi and placed at 200% has an effective resolution of
150dpi (effective resolution is equal to the scanned
resolution divided by resize percentage). When Friesens preflights your files,
we will be looking at the effective resolution and not the resolution at which
the image was scanned .
- Grayscale and colour images
200dpi minimum
300dpi recommended
- Bitmapped images
600dpi minimum
1000dpi recommended
- FPO (for position only) images
72 dpi for any line screen
- To minimize file sizes, do not scan several items as one scan
and then place and crop in the layout program. Perform all cropping
and scaling of images while they are being scanned, not later.
Make sure images are mounted straight on the scanner. If rotations
are necessary, perform this function at scanning time, not in
the page layout program.
- Save all colour scans as CMYK not RGB. Be aware at all times
that the on-screen appearance of images is not an exact
representation of the printed result. Take great care in
converting the RGB images to CMYK. (This step is called “colour
separation”.)
- Grayscale images should be adjusted for the correct highlight
and shadow values. Images that will be printed on the sheetfed
press should have highlight values of 2% and shadow values of 97%.
Images that will be printed on the web press should have highlight
values of 3% and shadow values of 90%.
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Some guidelines that should be followed when defining and/or
naming colours are:
- Remove any unused colours from drawing and/or layout applications.
- Names of colours should match exactly from layout to drawing to
image manipulation applications. For instance, having a colour
in QuarkXPress called "Pantone 186 CV" and another
colour in Illustrator called "Pantone 186 CVC" will
cause a problem. Because the names don't match exactly they are
considered different colours. Please remember that this rule is
also case sensitive.
- When preparing electronic files for a multi-language job
remember to specify any and all elements that change between
languages as a "fifth" or spot colour.
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Pantone has recently reconfigured its CMYK breakdowns for its Pantone colours
to accommodate a more accurate dot in a
Computer-To-Plate (CTP) workflow. Newer applications like InDesign 2.0,
QuarkXPress 5.0, Illustrator 10 and Pagemaker 7.0 all come with the revised
library. When Pantone revised their library many of the CMYK breakdowns changed
and this change caused some colours to shift slightly. Customers are advised to
be aware of the differences between the old Pantone library and the revised
library and to account for that when creating electronic files.
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The ability to use transparency in electronic files created for printing is
something designers can appreciate. It gives them more options and flexibility
when creating their designs. What it does to printers and pre-press houses is
another story. Friesens recommends "flattening" any and all files,
whether they are PDF 1.4, or Illustrator 10, to help ensure that there will be
no problems matching the transparency effect on press. We also ask that you
supply us another copy of the image that is not flattened in case some
adjustments or corrections need to be made to the file. If you have any
questions or concerns regarding your use of transparency please contact our
Technical Support personnel at Friesens.
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Once your job is complete and you have taken all necessary
steps to minimize future delays and extra costs, you need to send to us four
important items.
- Full-size, marked-up, laser Hard Copy output from the final files.
- Final disks with non-compressed layout, graphics and fonts.
- Print-out list of content of all disks.
- Note describing what system and software was used to generate
the project.
Note that data collection tools like that of Markzware’s
FlightCheck Collect (www.markzware.com) will collect all necessary elements
automatically for you. Quark’s “Collect for Output” feature does collect many
of the elements, however, it does not collect the necessary elements used in
nested files such as fonts used in the Illustrator files that are not used in
the layout file.
A high number of our customers supply their electronic files on a CD-ROM
or Zip Disk. If you wish to supply files to us on some other medium
please contact us to verify the availability of such a media device.
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At Friesens, we are growing to
meet your demand for digitally produced products. As the process becomes more
complex, we are noticing a corresponding increase in problems with digitally
supplied jobs. Many of our clients’ files require rework before being sent to
final output. Bottlenecks are created, raising the cost of your projects.
These problems may be summarized into five general categories:
- Failure to send elements we require
- Trim and bleed-related errors of page size
- Specification of type using tools not meant for Hi-End output
- Basic errors regarding colour definition
- Lack of understanding of the production issues related to illustrations and scans.
The following is a list of errors and omissions that contribute
to bottlenecks.
- bleeds not set to bleed 1/8 inch
- embedded images in PageMaker
- images with extra channels
- incorrect page count
- page size not set to final trim size
- RGB images
- INDEX colour images
- JPEG, GIF, PICT images
- scans generated at too low a resolution
- renaming Friesens supplied Lo-Res FPO
- layout files and/or fonts missing
- missing images
- non-printing items
- partial PDF files supplied
- readers’ spreads produced as one page
- renaming images that have already been placed
- incorrect trapping or colour setup
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All original artwork and original files submitted by the customer will
be returned to the customer upon completion of the job.
All electronic files used in the
production of your job will be archived for a period of seven years. We do not
charge for this storage, but we do charge if you ask us to supply a copy of
these files to you.
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