Proper electronic file preparation is the key to a successful project. Please take a moment to review the following application specifications and tips.

Topic List

• Preferred Applications
• Preferred Files for Links
• Layout
• Fonts
• Image Files
• Color
• Supplying Files as PDF
• Final Tips

Preferred Applications

Proper electronic file preparation is the key to a successful project.  Please take a moment to review the following application specifications and tips.

• Adobe CS, CS2, CS3
• Freehand MX
• QuarkXpress 6.5, 7.0

• Adobe Illustrator 8.0, 9.0.2, 10
• Adobe Indesign 1.5, 2
• Adobe PageMaker 6.5, 7.0<
• FreeHand 8.0, 9.0, 10.0

• Adobe CS, CS2, CS3
• Draw 10, 11
• QuarkXpress 7.0

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint)
• Microsoft Publisher
• Word Perfect

Layout

• Build your file to the exact document trim size. If there are bleeds, allow 1/8" on the top, sides and bottom
  
• It is easier for us to impose as a single-page document.  Also, if your project is to perfect bind, it must be built in single pages with bleeds on all four sides
  
• Build rules .25 point or higher.  Some applications allow you to define narrower rules including
  “Hairline,” which will appear in a preview and may print on a laser printer, but will not print on press.

Fonts

• Use Type 1 fonts unless there is no alternative.  TrueType and multiple master fonts can cause difficulties with trapping software.
• Avoid using “style” menus to set fonts within a document unless there is no choice (e.g. use  “Helvetica Bold” rather than Helvetica which is “bolded” on the style menu). 

Image Files

• Do not embed images.  Save them with a link outside the document.
  
• Do not use QuarkXpress outline features. Photos must have their own clipping paths saved as EPS or TIFF files.
  
• Do not use Adobe Illustrator for lengthy multi-page documents.  It makes imposition more difficult.
  
• Save Adobe Photoshop files as CMYK or grayscale, not RGB.
• Standard resolution for photo files is 300 dpi (used as the same size in the layout) for continuous tone images, and 1200 to 2500 dpi for bitmap line art.
• Do not enlarge images more than 150 percent or reduce them lower than 50 percent in your layout.
• Delete all extra channels and paths that are not being used in TIFF files.
• In Photoshop, when you save your EPS file, there is a “choice of preview” mode.  Save your preview as a Macintosh 8-bit file, not as a JPEG file.

Color

• All colors should be converted to CMYK or “spot,” not RGB.  For even more precise color control, we have made our “FPL Profile.icc” color sync ICC profile available for download on our Website.
• Colors within all files need to have the same names as those within the final output document,  or they will come out on separate plates (e.g. Pantone 300, Pantone 300CV and Pantone 300CVU will print as three separate plates).

PDF

• PDF is the universal file format preserving all fonts, formatting and graphics from any source document.PDF’s are self contained, platform independent and can be edited or modified at Fruitridge if needed
• A correctly built, print-ready PDF prevents many of the problems encountered with native file format. These problems can range from missing fonts or graphics, incompatible software versions between Fruitridge and our customers, type reflow issues, or files too large to submit.
  
• When you are submitting print-ready PDF files, make sure you use Adobe Acrobat Distiller and our PDF joboptions file.  Please go to Downloads and click PDF job options file or we can e-mail it to you. Simply drag and drop the “FPL PDF.joboptions” file onto your Acrobat Distiller window and it automatically installs itself.  After installation, your PDF file will be created correctly and ready to print.
• If you do not own Acrobat Distiller and want to submit a PDF, then the following applies:  Fonts must be embedded, images need to be high resolution (300 dpi or higher) and either CMYK or grayscale.  Make sure to include a 1/8” bleed.

File Submission

• Be sure to provide ALL images used in your files.  Double check your Illustrator files in particular, as even when they are “collected for output” in some programs such as Quark and InDesign, they may only pick up the placed Illustrator file and not the links used within.  
• It is very important to include all fonts used in your document, including those used within placed images or links.  Both Type 1 and postscript fonts are necessary for output unless font is TrueType.
• Provide color lasers when ever possible and note if they are scaled down to fit the paper.  A “low resolution” PDF is also acceptable in place of lasers.
• Files can be submitted by CD-R, DVD-R or other removable media.  Files can also be emailed directly to: prepress@fruitridge.com, or they may be uploaded to our secure FTP server.  Call today for instructions and to have your login and password created.