PRINTING RESOURCES

We listed the most common questions and tips for your convenience below. Click on the 6 headlines below to get to the answers. If you don't find what you are looking for, give us a call at 800-903-1673 or email us. 

1. What Is A PDF And What Can It Do For You?

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is the #1 standard for sharing electronic documents as it can be read on most machines including Macintosh and Windows PC.

Adobe PDF is a universal file format, which can preserve all of the fonts, formatting, colors, and graphics of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated, and printed by anyone with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

PDF has a unique number of advantages:

  • More and more applications, like Quark, Corel Draw or Adobe PageMaker & InDesign, have an 'export to PDF' option utilize preset Distiller settings which the staff at DFW can help you set for optimized printing of your publication.
  • PDF files are device independent and can be printed on a desktop printer as well as on a high resolution plotter such as those used at DFW Printing. However, this does not necessarily mean that the output will be optimized for each device. A lot depends on the way the document was created and which settings in Acrobat Distiller were used to create the PDF.
  • PDF supports a number of compression format structures to keep the file size down to a minimum.
Of course there are some disadvantages to PDF as well.

  • PDF is a proprietary file format and although Acrobat Reader is free the creation of PDF files require the purchase of file conversion software from Adobe or other aftermarket providers.
  • PDF is geared towards visualizing and printing documents. It will not preserve the logical structure of a document and are not meant to be edited. Small changes can be made to a PDF file but it is virtually impossible to add complete blocks of text or images to an existing PDF file.

2. How do I create PDF files?

Creating a PDF file for printing at DFW Printing

  • More and more applications, like Quark, Corel Draw or Adobe PageMaker & InDesign, have an 'export to PDF' option utilize preset Distiller settings which the staff at DFW can help you set for optimized printing of your publication.
  • For applications that do not have this option, you simply print your document to a PostScript file and then use a separate application like Adobe Acrobat Distiller to convert the PostScript file to a PDF file.
  • The success or failure of PDF files depends on the creation of the PDF file. For exact information on creating PDF files utilizing your page layout software contact DFW Printing 800-903-1673.
PDF is used more and more as a format to exchange data between applications. This is mostly due to its unique cross platform ability and its soft proofing capabilities. A single file can be created in a page layout program then emailed to an advertiser for ad proofing, printed in house to check editorial and finally uploaded electronically to DFW Printing for final output and printing. PDF files that have been properly created help to ensure that what you create is what we print allowing you to control and check your files.

This single file method means less file handling and therefore less chance for error.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is provided on most new computers and new installations of web browsers also include the free utility. Adobe provides a free Acrobat Reader that allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files across all major computing platforms. You can download the FREE reader from Adobe athttp://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html. However to create PDF files you must purchase the full version of Adobe Acrobat which includes Acrobat Distiller or a similar software from aftermarket providers.

For more information about PDFs and how they can work for you, contact DFW Printing Company, Inc., at 800-903-1673.. 

3. Tips for Preparing Your Files for Output

It is recommended that all files be saved in a PDF format. To best expedite your files through the pre-press process at DFWPC, we recommend the following steps:

  • All files to be printed in color must be converted from RGB to CMYK (remember, most scanners scan as RGB).
  • All scanned images should be scanned at 200 pixels per inch (ppi) and cropped to the final size. Higher resolutions do not mean better quality, only larger file sizes and longer output times
  • PC file names for linked images should be no more than 8 characters in length.
  • All art work should be saved as either TIF or EPS file formats. JPG and GIF internet files must be converted using a photo imaging program such as Photoshop.
  • All artwork should be converted with page layout to insure proper linkage to page.
  • All fonts used in Document and EPS files must be included with file. Note: PC fonts are not compatible with MacIntosh and should not be included with files. If work is performed on a PC, then compatibility of any font used other than Times, Helvetica, Garamond, Impact, Arial or Futura should be verified. In most cases, specialty fonts should be converted to artwork to insure proper output. When in Illustrator, convert all fonts to Outlines.

4. Can I print my Microsoft Publisher files at DFW Printing Co.?

The short answer is yes but as with any job that prints commercially there are a few design issues that must be taken into consideration. They are as follows:

  1. As with all printing, colors (other than black) must be saved or converted to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black or standard process inks). In publisher all colors and artwork default to RGB. This means that your standard color pallet and any new colors created must be converted to CMYK values. These colors can be converted using the following methods.
    • To convert color schemes or existing colors you will need to go to the tools option on the menu bar and point to commercial printing tools. Then click on color printing. In the "print all colors as" box click on process colors (CMYK).
    • To check the status of a color, create a new color or change a single color you can right click the object using the color in question, choose format object, then colors and lines, next select colors, choose desired color then select more colors. Click on the custom tab then choose color model and pick CMYK. In the same window frame you will see the mix of CMYK used to create that color. Please note that for the color black the values should read C=0, M=0, Y=0 & K=100% all other colors will have various values for each.
  2. For pictures and other types of artwork it is necessary to convert them to CMYK prior to placing them in publisher. The best program suited for this type of conversion is Photo Shop by Adobe. There are other photo editing programs which are acceptable just be sure that they can convert files to CMYK.
Once your project is complete and you are ready to save it for DFW Printing Co. you can either use the pack and go option found under the file menu or if you have Adobe distiller or any other .pdf creator you can create .pdf files using the press option of that program.

5. Quick Guide to Scanning 4/C and B&W Art

In order to get the output needed for 4/C scans, the steps need to be taken in Adobe Photoshop for images to adequately compensate for dot gain on press. The result of these steps may not be seen on your screen.

For 4/C artwork, first scan the artwork and adjust the image, using the following controls:

  • STEP 1. IMAGE/ADJUST/LEVELS and set the dark point (the number on the bottom left of the window) to no less than 10 and no more than 20.
  • STEP 2. Adjust the IMAGE/BRIGHTNESS CONTRAST. These controls should be set at between 5-10 but no more than 15.
For B&W images, follow STEP 1 and set the dark point at a minimum of 30.

6. GENERAL PRINTING GUIDELINES AND HELPFUL TIPS FOR BEST REPRODUCTION

For color and black & white printing, negatives should be right-reading, emulsion down. Screen ruling should be 85 lines per inch.

Color Materials

  • Highlight Dot 5% for the smallest highlight meant to hold detail
  • Midtone Dot should be set to compensate for approximately 30% midtone dot gain.
  • Max Density should not exceed 240% for all four films combined. Lower is better.
  • Reverse type should not be less than 14 pt. Only reverse in areas having at least 50% tone value in color. Screen type reversed in solid color should not exceed 20% tint of that color.
  • Surprint type is not recommended in areas exceeding 30% tonal value. Yellow should not be used.
Black & White Materials

  • Highlight Dot 5%-10% for the smallest highlight meant to hold detail.
  • Midtone Dot should be set to compensate for 30% midtone gain.
  • Shadow Dot should be 70%-80% in shadow areas intended to hold detail.
  • Reverse type should be no smaller than 10 pts. Sans serif.
  • Screened type reversed in solid black should not exceed tint value of 20% black.
Surprint type is not recommended in areas exceeding 30% tonal value.