Before sending your art to us, please make sure that you read through the following instructions.

NOTE: For quality assurance, we reserve the right to decline any artwork that we feel will not reproduce properly (example: screen tints, fine lines, clippings, raised print).

Supported Media

• Flash (Thumb) Drives
• CDs
• DVDs
• Email (under 4MB)

Never send original disks. Always keep a copy, as disks can be damaged or lost in transit.

Supported Applications
For all applications mentioned here, please be sure to click on the application name to get a list of specific instructions.

• Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Pagemaker
• Adobe Photoshop
• Corel Draw
• Microsoft Publisher
• Microsoft Word
• Quark XPress

 

Adobe Acrobat PDF
We prefer this file format.

• Color Images must be at least 300 dpi
• Line art images must be Vector or 600-1200 dpi bitmap
• Fonts must be outlined or embedded (some fonts may not embed due to copyright restrictions).
• PDF must be saved for commercial print output, not for the web.

 

Adobe Illustrator

• Save file as EPS (.eps)
• Please convert all text to outlines
• Include all art support files (.tif, .eps, etc.)* with an image resolution of at least 300 dpi - even if the art is embedded

 

Adobe InDesign

• Please use the “Package” option to collect all needed files:
• Save your document
• Select File > Package
• In the “Printing Instructions” window, insert the information requested (optional)
• In the “Package Publication” window, make sure that you put a checkmark on “Copy Fonts”, “Copy Linked Graphics”, “Update Graphic Links in Package” and “Include Fonts and Links from Hidden Layers” - Then name and save the folder on your desktop
• Use WinZip or WinRar to compress this folder into a .zip or .rar file and submit this file to us
• Alternately, you may select File > Export and save your document as a PDF (.pdf) file

 

Adobe Pagemaker
Not recommended! We do not work with Pagemaker, but these files will open with InDesign. Although we can open these files with InDesign, there may be several conversion issues that may change the layout of your document.

• Please save (or export) your file as a PDF (.pdf)

 

Adobe Photoshop
Not recommended for art with small text.
NOTE: Web art resolution (72 dpi) is too low to print a quality product.

• Scan original for output size:
• 300 dpi for color or grayscale
• 1200 dpi for black & white bitmap
• Convert RGB colors to CMYK
• Save as EPS (.eps) or TIFF (.tif)

 

Corel Draw

• Include all page layout files
• Include all art support files (.tif, .eps, etc.)* even if they are embedded
• Instead of sending us the fonts you have used, please convert all text to curves and turn on “Simulate Complex Filled Curves”

 

Microsoft Publisher
Not recommended. - We may be required to contact you for further instructions because of common problems.

• Do NOT use Publisher Clipart and/or Photos!
• Imported images must be at least 300 dpi
• Use “Pack and Go for a commercial printer”
• If Word Art is used, fonts must be sent. Embedding does not help.

 

Microsoft Word
Not recommended. - We may be required to contact you for further instructions because of common problems.

• Embed your fonts
• If Word Art is used, fonts must be sent. Embedding does not help.
• Imported images must be at least 300 dpi
• Not recommended for complex forms

 

Quark XPress

• Select File > Collect for Output
  If a picture file is missing or has been modified, an alert is displayed. Click List Pictures to display the dialog box. Select each modified or missing picture. Click Update to automatically update or locate the picture file. Click Collect or OK after all pictures have been located and updated. NOTE: If you click Collect, and continue with Collect for Output without updating missing or modified pictures, all the image files needed to output your document correctly may not be collected.
  If the document has not been saved during this session, or if any pictures have been updated, an alert is displayed asking “OK to save document before continuing with Collect for Output?” Click Save to continue. If the document has never been saved, the Save as dialog box displays. Enter a name in the Save current document as field; then, click Save to continue.
  Enter a name in the Report Name field of the Collect for Output dialog box. On the Mac the default name is the name of the document with the word “report” added. In Windows the default name is the name of the document with the extension .XTG.
  Select the drive and folder to which you want to save your files. Or, click New Folder (the New Folder icon in Windows) to create a new folder for the document and picture files to be placed in. Enter a name for the folder in the Create a Folder field and click Create.
  Click Collect in the Collect for Output dialog box. NOTE: Collect for Output does not copy the fonts for you. You must give us a copy of each font you use in your document Using the Collect For Output Report File
• Collect for Output generates a report of useful information about the document. The report is a text file, formatted with XPress Tags, that is placed in the same folder as the collected document and picture files. The report file includes:
• The document’s original location and the location to which it is copied
• Document name, date, total pages, width, and height Version of Quark XPress, file size of Quark XPress document, required XTensions(TM) software, and active XTensions
• If using Quark XPress 3.3x and EfiColor is active, a list of any necessary EfiColor Profiles
• Names of the fonts used
• Pictures used (size, box/picture angle, skew, path name, type, fonts used in EPS files, and location in the document)
• Resolution of pictures
• The names of style sheets and H&Js (the settings that Quark uses to control Hyphenation and Justification of paragraphs) used in the document
• Each color created and the information needed to reproduce custom colors
• Trapping information
• Color plates required for each page.
  
  You can import the report file into the Output Request Template located in the Document folder in your Quark XPress folder (or on the Quark XPress CD). The template includes space for adding information that we commonly need such as your name, your dept. name, phone number, etc.
  You can customize the template to suit your specific needs.
  To import the file, first open the template (File > Open) and customize it as needed. Then click the text box on the lower half of the template and choose File > Get Text (Command-E 4. Select the report file and check Include Style Sheets. Then, click Open. TIP: Include Style Sheets is available if the XPress Tags filter is installed in your XTension folder or XTension Disabled folder and enabled through XTensions Manager (Utilities > XTensions Manager) Choose File > Save and save the report as a Quark XPress document. When you send us your file, include this Quark XPress report document so we have the information about your document for quick reference. You can delete the XPress Tags version of the report since it is now included in the Quark XPress report document.