General File Preparation
Tips
Fonts!
Every few months, some graphics trade magazine does a survey of
Service Bureaus nationwide, and asks a question like, "What
is the single most common problem encountered in imaging customer
files?" The answer is always unanimous . . . Fonts.
Supply all fonts used
Fonts have always been the single most common reason for problems
with a job. One major reason for this is that there can be two fonts
- even from the same manufacturer - with the same name but different
metrics (letter pair spacing and such). For example, there are seven
or eight different versions of Adobe's brand of "Garamond".
This does not mean "Adobe Garamond", "Garamond",
"Garamond 3", "Stemple Garamond", etc., etc.
Just plain old "Garamond" has been redesigned and the
metrics changed six or seven times. Multiply this problem by tens
of thousand of fonts out there, and it becomes obvious why you must
supply the fonts used in any particular job. There is unfortunately
no way for your service bureau to know which version you have. The
face may look right, but reflow will cause delays and errors.
If using a Type 1 (postscript) font be sure
to include both the screen font and the printer font for each face.
If using trutype, there is only one part to each face. In either
case, be sure to include all the various faces in the family used.
It is wise to include only those fonts necessary
to the system's operation in the system folder. All fonts should
be routinely closed, and the fonts for each job should be opened
in Suitcase or Adobe Type Manager. That way it is possible to know
exactly what fonts are actually used. There are some programs which
allow you to collect fonts as part of "Collect for Output",
"Prepare for Service Bureau" or similar functions. Use
these when possible, or do your collection from a program such as
"Flightcheck" or "Preflight". If this option
is not available to you, you'll have to do it the hard way. Some
customers choose to burn a CD of a master font set, containing all
of their fonts, which they supply with their job. This is helpful,
but you can still fall prey to the "same name" problem
if you have several versions of each font. A good weeding out of
duplicates on your own system before creating a master font set
helps.
Use the Actual Font
Many programs allow you to stylize a font from a tool bar by hitting
a bold, italic, etc. button. These buttons are BAD MEDICINE! The
reason is as follows:
Jane B. Designer sits down to layout some
copy. She strokes or imports all the text, and then goes through
and hits bold or italic buttons to make the copy read nicely and
look pretty. Then she prints it to her laser printer, and it looks
just like it should, so she sends the job off to her service bureau
for separations, and everything reflows, her bolds aren't bold,
the italics look funny, and basically the type is a mess. WHY? When
you use these buttons, the theory is that the correct printer fonts
will be called up. For instance, if you use Times, then hit the
bold and italic buttons, the imagesetter will go find "BI Times
Bold Italic" and use that. The program you are setting the
type in fakes it on the screen with the original font, so the metrics
are not the same as the real font. When you print it to a laser
writer, if those font faces actually exist, it may use them. If
they don't, it will fake them using much the same algorithm that
the layout program used on-screen. An imagesetter or other high
end output Raster Image Processor (RIP) must have the actual font
version, i.e. "BI Times Bold Italic". You can't "fake
it" at 2400dpi while running over a screen and trying to create
traps and such, so if a bold or italic font is not supplied - and
often they don't even exist - the imagesetter will default to the
base font, i.e. "Times", thereby ruining the design, causing
all the type to reflow, and generally making a mess of everything.
Even if the correct version of the font exists, the metrics of that
face will not match the "faked" screen version, and you
can get reflow.
The solution? Put a mental piece of tape (or
whiteout if you prefer) over those buttons. Pretend they're not
there. If you want "Times Bold Italic", then choose that
font rather than stylizing the base font. If that font doesn't exist
- in the case of Pagemaker or Quark on the Macintosh, that means
you can't find it in the scrolling type menu in the measurements
bar, then it will not output as expected. It may print fine to a
laserwriter, or even to a color copier, but not to film or a RIP.
Even in the case when, for instance, a bold version does exist,
unless the font manufacturer followed the linking conventions exactly
- and most do not - the imagesetter will not find it.
A Special Note to IBM and IBM Compatible
Users
On an IBM, all you see in Quark or Pagemaker is the base font. You
unfortunately have no choice but to use the style buttons. This
makes it necessary to know what faces you have in a particular font.
Where to Find the Fonts and Faces Actually
Installed on an IBM or IBM Compatible
Unless you are using a font management utility such as Adobe Type
Manager, all fonts are installed in the FONTS folder within the
WINDOWS folder. This is true for all versions of Windows; 95, 98
and NT. Access the FONTS folder through the CONTROL PANELS folder
found in the SETTINGS folder in the START menu. The FONTS window
lists all installed fonts and faces by their titles rather than
the actual 8.3 file name. Font titles will include Bold, Italic,
Black, Heavy, etc. in the name making it easy to discern if the
desired style is really available for use. Fonts may also be copied
from the Fonts window to disk when fonts need to be provided for
job output. Font utilities such as Adobe Type Manager make one variation
on this scheme by placing postscript fonts in a separate folder
on the start-up drive (or other specified drive) called PSFONTS.
Like the Windows FONTS folder, copying fonts directly from the utility
allows one to know from the titles that the desired fonts and faces
are available or are being collected.
Multiple Masters
Multiple Master fonts were a great idea that never really caught
on, and as such, are not supported by RIP manufacturers. Please
avoid using Multiple Master fonts, which can usually be identified
by the letters "MM" in the font name.
In a Nutshell
Be sure you supply all fonts used, every part of each font used,
and every face of the family used. Do not use the type stylizing
buttons, unless you are using an IBM or compatable. Get the actual
face you want. Do not use Multiple Master fonts. Doing just these
things will eliminate 50-60% of all imaging problems.
Hard Copy
Always supply a current hard copy of what your job should look like.
Be sure the Hard Copy represents the Final Version of the file.
Do not make any changes to the file without producing a fresh Hard
Copy. A black and white laser print is good; a color copy is better.
Bear in mind that color reproduction on color copiers is extremely
inaccurate. The final output from a high end, calibrated color output
device will not match the color of a color copier, but it is good
to have for reference as to layout and rough color intent.
Images
There are more possible concerns with images than could possibly
be covered here, but let's hit the highlights.
Resolution
Each device requires a certain resolution. Be sure to supply your
bitmap images (such as scans) in a resolution appropriate for the
particular output device. It is OK to scale images in page layout
programs (like Quark and Pagemaker) as long as the relationship
between scaling and effective resolution is understood. Effective
resolution is the actual resolution after scaling. The resolution
stated for any device is effective resolution. To calculate effective
resolution, just divide the actual resolution of the scan by the
scaling factor.
Examples:
1. A 300ppi file scaled to 10%
10% = scaling factor of 1/10
300ppi / 1/10 = 3000ppi effective resolution
2. A 72ppi file scaled to 1000%
1000% = scaling factor of 10
72ppi / 10 = 7.2ppi effective resolution
The first case would choke just about any
RIP (the device which processes the file before it can be printed),
and the second would produce a horribly bitmapped image. As a rule,
the effective resolution stated for each device may be varied by
15% in either direction without crashing the RIP or reducing the
output quality significantly.
Transformations
Do not skew, invert, tint, curve, adjust contrast, or otherwise
alter scans in Quark or Pagemaker. Perform all such operations to
scans in Photoshop before importing. The only allowable modifications
to scans in Quark or Pagemaker are cropping, rotation, and scaling.
CMYK or RGB?
All color output devices at Subia require CMYK scans except slides,
which require RGB.
EPS and TIFF
For a TIFF image in Quark, the picture box must never be set to
"none". EPS images must be saved with a "TIFF (8
bits per pixel)" preview, and the encoding set to "Binary",
not "JPEG" or "Macintosh". Be sure the Halftone
Screen and Transfer Function check boxes are not selected.
Compression
Though some compression methods do work to some devices, it's better
not to risk it.
Other Concerns with Images
Clipping paths should be drawn with a pen tool. The "Convert
Selection to Path" method creates clipping paths with hundreds
or even thousands of points. The number of calculations this forces
a RIP to perform is something around the fourth or fifth power of
the number of points on the path, and will result in the RIP crashing.
Clean out extra channels. If you have done work in Photoshop and
created extra channels by saving selections, alpha channels or such,
it is good practice to clean them out. Do not embed images in one
program and then place it in another. Avoid "Save Page as EPS"
in Quark.
Trapping
As a rule, trapping only relates to film separations for conventional
printing and Iris proofs. Virtually all composite color devices,
such as color copiers, digital presses, large format printers and
slide imagers ignore trapping information from page layout programs.
(Quark, Pagemaker, etc.) Quark and Pagemaker will only trap between
their own elements: type, lines, boxes, etc. The type in a Quark
document will knock out anything in a picture box, such as a scan
or line art, so if you set a trap, all you will get is fat type
with no trap.
In almost all cases you want to leave the
default traps alone. The current out-of-the-box trap settings in
page layout programs (like Quark and Pagemaker) are pretty good.
If you have a situation where a printer needs an extra heavy trap,
get the specs and tell your service bureau. Don't set a heavy trap
in your defaults, or you'll end up with bloated type when you go
to film. Special trapping needs are a perfect example of why there
are service bureaus. Let us handle it. If you want a trap in Illustrator,
Freehand or Photoshop, you have to build a trap in those programs.
Color
Here at Subia, color is everything. We go to great lengths to keep
all our output devices calibrated to International Color Consortium
(ICC) standards. Our gold standard is the Agfa PressMatch¬ System.
This was chosen because the color is extremely stable, and conforms
to international standards. All devices at Subia are tuned to this
standard as closely as possible, given the differences in the spectral
properties of toners, inks, gels, dyes, pigments and substrates.
In the designer's studio, however, often all
that is available is a computer monitor, and a color copier, dye-sub
printer, inkjet printer or photo-based printer. Please bear in mind
that while your monitor and output device may agree and be calibrated
to each other, they are in a closed-loop environment, and it is
exceedingly rare that they are in the correct calibration to standard
values. Therefore, we highly recommend that a proof be seen of any
color output before final imaging. In all cases other than film
separations and slides, Subia routinely provides a free proof for
your review, produced on the actual output device to be used. For
larger slide jobs, we will be happy to supply canon proofs. In the
case of film separations, we strongly recommend you order a PressMatch¬
proof. In many cases, if you choose to forgo a proof, we will request
a "Waiver of Proof."
Inappropriate Applications
for High-End Output
Not all programs are capable of printing to high-end output devices,
such as Film, Chromapress or Slides, due to their limited or non-existent
Postscript capabilities. These include: Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft
Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Works, ClarisWorks. If you are
uncertain as to whether a certain software/output device combination
will work, please call.
Lead Time
Subia recognizes that the demands of your clients drive your deadlines,
and we stand ready to meet virtually any turnaround time which conforms
to the laws of physics. However, whenever possible, please try to
allow a reasonable lead time. This allows for proofs of content
and color, which are essential to our ability to serve you well.
