Prepare Perfect Files

Your print projects are the result of many hours of careful thought and painstaking planning. That's why it can be tempting to simply throw everything together and hand it to your printer. At this critical stage, however, you certainly don't want the production of your project to be needlessly delayed! Proper file preparation is essential for your project to be produced on time and within your budget. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when you're ready to send us your files:

Check Images for Proper Resolution and CMYK Conversion – Images that have insufficient resolution will not print properly, and will cause production of your project to grind to a standstill. A resolution of 350 dpi, or twice the standard line screen of 175 lpi, is appropriate for most applications. On the other end of the spectrum, overdoing image resolution won't make a difference in print quality.

Many images included in documents – such as those taken from a digital camera or a scanner – are created in RGB color for optimal monitor viewing. However, RGB images will not yield color separations at the prepress stage, and thus cannot be used for printing. That’s why all RGB images must be converted to CMYK prior to printing.

To expedite production and ensure the highest print quality, we suggest that clients send us all image files ahead of time. We will then perform any necessary conversion and color correction, and send you back a sheet of loose proofs for you to view. Once the rest of your document is complete, the corrected images can be dropped in and sent back to us, ready to go.

Preflight It! – Missing fonts represent the most common production slowdown we encounter at the prepress stage. Using the “Collect for Output” option in layout programs such as Quark allows you to see all fonts used in your file and collect the screen and printer versions for each font, which we need to properly print your project.

There are plenty of other details that must be addressed when sending us files. That’s why we recommend that customers use preflight software, which consolidates all files needed for printing in easy-to-find folders. It also “red-flags” any problems and gives you the opportunity to correct them before files are sent, avoiding time-consuming back-and-forth communication.

The Springfield Advantage
At Springfield Printing, we take the time to ensure that your project is just right before it goes on press. For example, we proofread every document as part of our prepress process. Information is always free at Springfield Printing, so let us know how we can help you plan your projects for smooth production.