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 Adobe Type Manager, or your font server. 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, large format printing or other high-res output, 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.

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.

PDFs

PDF is the prefered format for submitting files. The PDF format eliminates most of the common problems associated with submitting a file. Be sure to submit a high-res PDF, with sufficient bleed.

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, Pagemaker and InDesign) 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 most RIPs (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 page layout programs. 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?
With the exception of files for offset printing, which should be CMYK, recent changes in the industry have made RGB preferable. This is because the gamut of the new ink technologies is far wider than conventional CMYK. We prefer Adobe 1998 RGB as a working space, but can accomodate any space if informed.

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.

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.

All modern output devices require a RIP capable of interpreting profiles. The color gamuts of different devices, medias, inks and pigments vary widely. Because we maximize the gamut for each device, there are some color differentials. Therefore, we require that a proof be seen of any color output before final imaging. Subia routinely provides a free proof for your review, produced on the actual output device to be used. If you choose to forgo a proof, we will request a "Waiver of Proof."

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.