File Setup FAQ's

What is the resolution (DPI) we print on all our printers?

Lightjets 430 & 500: 200dpi Continuous tone
Vutek 3360 :363dpi
Vutek 5300: 300dpi
PressVu: 300dpi
Jeti: 300dpi
Epson: 720dpi
ScotchPrint: 400dpi

What should be the resolutions of the pictures?

For large images being viewed at far distances, the resolution should not be below of 25dpi at final size or the file size should be between 50-500mb.
For Images being viewed up close, the resolution should not be below of 75dpi at final size or the file size should be between 100-500mb.

What are bleed and safety margins?

Bleed is extending any colour, photo, or design elements past the cut line. Our print shop trims printed pieces in stacks of hundreds of sheets at a time. This is much faster than trimming individual pieces, at the cost of a little accuracy. Bleed gives the print shop a margin of error when trimming, so that if the cut is a little off, the white of the paper won’t show along the edge.
We request you add 1/4" of bleed to your layouts
Safety margin is the opposite of bleed. If you put important information such as a song title or an important part of a photo right up against the crop line, some of it may get cut off. We recommend that you keep your type and other important elements 1/4" inside the crop marks

Why is there a difference between RGB and CMYK?

CMYK (also known as 4-colour process) refers to the 4 ink colours used in 4-colour process printing. C is cyan (blue), M is magenta (red), Y is yellow, and K is black, the key plate or keyline colour.
RGB is what monitors, scanners and digital cameras use for displaying colour. R is red, G is green, and B is blue. When saving graphics for a web page, saving the image in RGB is best suited but when we are talking presswork, then you want to convert the image to CMYK.
RGB images may look great on screen or printed on your inkjet printer but they usually don't print well to PostScript output devices. Convertyour images to CMYK. While RGB has its place (on the Web, for example) it isn't suitable for most PostScript colour printing.

How do I find all my fonts and send them to you?

Even when you use common, classic typefaces you'll need to send the copies of the actual font files that your document contains. Fonts can vary from vendor to vendor and there are differences between the TrueType and Type 1 versions of fonts. If you don't supply your own fonts, Graphics Plus may substitute our own version. This might work. Or it might result in subtle or obvious differences in your document including text reflow.

Send both screen and printer fonts (for Type 1 fonts).
If you have embedded EPS files that include text that is not converted to curves, be sure to send the fonts for those images as well.
Avoid mixing TrueType and Type 1 fonts in the same file.
Send the same version of the font (that is, if you used TrueType fonts but send the Type 1 version of that typeface you may see errors).

Can I submit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel files for print jobs?

Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Publisher are not recommended for any type of print production. These programs were not designed for a commercial print production workflow. The output from these types of files is unpredictable. When submitting Microsoft files, a legible accurate hard copy is a must! The unpredictable nature of these files may require additional time to produce and pre-press charges to reformat.

Do I have to send my scans in if they’re embedded?

Yes. If we need to do any editing on the scans, whether to add bleed, convert to CMYK or to adjust the resolution, we will need your scans as individual TIFF or EPS files.
We recommend against embedding your images, linked images are much more efficient than embedded ones.
If you are using Adobe InDesign as your layout application, we recommend you make use of the Package option, which will gather your fonts and images for you.

Can I supply a PostScript or PDF file for output?

Yes, but it’s not recommended. We can’t review or edit PostScript files, so any errors or minor incompatibilities with your files could cause delays or additional charges. Our abilities to analyze and edit PDF files are much more limited than working with native Quark or Illustrator files.