Offset Printing Guidelines

The following guidelines should be followed when preparing jobs for offset printing. Typically, offset printing is used for projects requiring more than 500 copies per master and/or special stocks of paper such as letterhead or envelopes.

Individuals not familiar with pre-press layout or who have questions concerning these instructions should contact Reprographics prior to job submission. Reprographics does not provide graphic art services; however, we may be able to help with file setup. Jobs requiring extensive design assistance should be referred to the university’s Communications office.

It is important to note that one and two-color jobs generally require a three-day (72 hours) turnaround exclusive of weekends and holidays. Four-color jobs generally require a five-day turnaround (120 hours) exclusive of weekends and holidays. Special processing such as right angle folding, binding, scoring, numbering and foil stamping may require additional time. Files not prepared as noted below may also require additional processing time.

Job Submission

Press-ready art should be submitted along with a completed Print Request Form and a laser or inkjet printout of the project. For multi-color jobs, separate proofs for each color as well as a composite printout should be included with the submittal. If the project is being folded, include a folded sample.

Jobs may be submitted as black and white separations, as print negatives or as electronic files. Reprographics, however, can accept only electronic files submitted on the following media using the software noted here:

• Accepted Macintosh Media Supported Macintosh Software
• Floppy Disks Adobe Illustrator PhotoShop
• Zip 100 or 250 disks FreeHand QuarkXpress
• CD PageMaker Stuff-It (.SIT) or .ZIP
• Accepted IBM Media Supported IBM Software
• Floppy Disks Adobe PDF
• Zip 100 or 250 disks
• CD
• IBM PC files constructed in Microsoft Office products should first be converted to PDF using Adobe Acrobat (not Acrobat Reader) or Adobe Acrobat Distiller. Proper output of the file should be confirmed prior to submission. Acrobat is available upon request from ITS.

Due to potential file corruption, it is not recommended that electronic files be sent by e-mail.

File Preparation Guidelines

No matter what application is used to create a layout, the following guidelines should be followed:

• Printing Press Specifications
• Maximum paper size: 13.39" x 17.72"
• Minimum paper size: 3.54" x 3.94"
• Paper Thickness: 0.0016" - 0.012" (13lb -140lb)
• Maximum Image size 12.99" x 17.24"
• Page Setup
• Layout documents to the exact size of the finished page taking into account the page specifications noted above.
• Do not create documents on an oversized page.
• Do not add manual crop marks.
• Bleeds
• The overall image area including bleed should not exceed the print area noted above.
• The image and/or color should extend at least 1/8 inch beyond the edge of the page. A 1/8" bleed will allow plenty of room for trimming and eliminate any of the paper showing at the edge.
• After the piece is printed, it will be cut to the correct size.
• 4. Colors
• If printing one, two or three-color, it is preferred that you use pre-defined Pantone or spot colors.
• If printing one, two or three-color, avoid using color pallets to select colors since similar shades of any color will output differently. For example, the color “Registration” is often mistaken for black.
• If printing one, two or three-color and the color pallet is used, name and save colors on their initial use. On subsequent uses, select the colors by name. Improper naming of the same color will result in improper color output. For example, Pantone 343, Pantone 343CVC, Pantone 343CVU and Pantone 343CV are all the same color, however, because of the different names, separate plates would be generated for each.
• If printing one, two or three-color, make sure that the number of colors in the layout do not exceed the number of colors to be printed. The easiest way to do this is to print out color separations. If the number of pages printed exceeds the number of colors to be printed, something is wrong and must be corrected.
• If printing four-color, make sure that all elements can print to CMYK when doing separations. Elements designed in RGB cannot output to CMYK and must first be converted.
• Fonts
• Use postscript fonts only. Postscript fonts are necessary because the machine that makes the press plates is built on Adobe Postscript technology. The use of TrueType fonts can result in misshapen characters and text overflow.
• Include both screen and printer fonts for the files you send, including any fonts used in linked graphics.
• Refrain from using font style options in your application by selecting all fonts from the font menu. For example, when using Optima, select Optima Bold from the font menu rather than selecting Command (or Control)-B while typing.
• Text Boxes
• Verify that all text is contained within each text box and that no overflow conditions exist.
• Be cautious when using auto-formatting such as bullets, outline numbering and footnotes when setting up files (especially if converting from Microsoft Office to PDF). Such automatic features can cause problems when outputting to press plates.
• Lines
• Select lines from the graphics tool bar.
• Make sure all lines have a designated point size such as .25 pt. Do not use the hairline or other named settings since they can produce unexpected results.
• Use the frame option to place borders around text elements, however, do not use filled text boxes as individual lines. Doing so may cause an overflowed text indicator to be triggered.
• Graphics
• Use TIFF or EPS file formats to achieve the best color quality and sharpness of image. Other file formats remove or compress some of the original image.
• Images taken from digital cameras usually appear in JPEG format and need to be converted to TIFF or EPS. If the image is a photograph, EPS is recommended.
• Do not use images from the Internet. These usually appear in GIF, JPEG or PNG file formats. Color and resolution are removed from these images to allow for rapid transfer. These images will appear fuzzy and dull if used for print.
• Make sure all photos are set in the proper color mode per section 4 above. Do not use RGB color mode for offset printing.
• Make sure graphics files are linked, not embedded, and include all linked files with your submission. Failure to do so will result in improper output.
• Scanned images
• Use high quality scans. A poor scan will look good on your monitor but will produce poor color separations.
• Use the same scanner for all images. Differences in optics and file output can result in inconsistent print output not visible during preview.
• Final file setup
• Images should be 300 dpi (dots per inch) at the final size in the layout.
• Line Screens should not exceed 150.
• Text and line art (bitmap files) should be 1,000 dpi at the final size in the layout.

Color Copier Output

Individuals preparing jobs for color copier output should note that, by following these guidelines, they will typically receive the best possible color copies. The only difference to note is that the university’s color copiers can handle only standard sized paper (8.5 X 11, 8.5 X 14; 11X17 and 12X18) and that files should be setup with no less than a 3/8th inch margin on each side.