TIFF
and EPS are the preferred file formats for graphics. Please — no
gifs, jpegs, bmps, wmfs or picts.
* Create all EPS files with a TIFF preview.
* Four-color or two colors plus black: All colors need to be converted
to CMYK process colors including the supporting elements inside the ad.
* When using gradients and tints, a good rule of thumb is to avoid surprints.
* Surprints often "plug" or fill in when printed. You'll get
better results going from 10% to 75% instead of 0 to 100%.
* Don't use hairline rules — these may look good on your laser printer,
but may be invisible when produced on an imagesetter. If you want a thin
line, use a .25 point rule instead.
* Don't do page layout in a word processor. Word processors don't handle
page layout and font changes very well. They often have trouble printing
consistently to PostScript printers.
* Don't use the "none" background color on picture boxes in
Quark XPress that have TIFF pictures in them. Doing so will cause jagged
edges on the picture in the final printed job.
* Don't create complex clipping paths in Adobe Photoshop or complex paths
in Adobe Illustrator. Doing so will make your job hard or sometimes impossible
to image. A complex path is one that has many control points.
* Ensure that the pasteboards surrounding your document is empty and make
sure there are no non-printable items in the ad document.
* Double check your document for correct dimensions and zero margins.
* Graphics need to be 300 dpi or higher at actual print size.
* Lastly, make sure you can print your final document. Chances are, if
you can't print, we won't be able to either.
Text
* Reverse type smaller than 12 points may not reproduce well. And serif
and non-bold fonts smaller than 10 points may disappear into reverse areas.
* Most typefaces name after cities (Geneva, New York, Chicago, Monaco,
etc.) are screen fonts tht are not made for imagesetter output. Avoid
them.
* Delete all unused style sheets and colors when you're finished with
your document.
* Don't use too many fonts in a single job. Not only is it bad design,
but it will also make your job difficult or impossible to print properly.
* Convert text to outlines in eps files.
* Always supply the fonts you've used in your document, even if they are
included in the EPS file.
