• Getting your artwork Repro-ready
   
• File Requirements
   
• Helpful hints
   
• Tips on how to save time and money

GETTING YOUR ARTWORK REPRO READY

It is advisable that when you design or layout your artwork, you work repro-ready from start. You can save yourself a lot of time and frustration when preparing your artwork for reproduction. Working repro-ready means gathering all important information about the kind of artwork you are required to produce, e.g. the finished size of your artwork, colours: is your artwork going to be full colour (CMYK / continuous tone) or a spot colour job. Is it folded (where, how), is it printed one side or both sides, is it a bound document or loose (how much binding margin / spine must you allow if it’s bound) etc.

If continuous halftone images (pictures/photos) are going to be used in your document/artwork, make sure that they are at least 300dpi (dots per inch) in resolution, and MUST be saved as tiff (Tagged Image File Format) or PDF (Portable Document Format) if they are supplied. And MUST NOT be embedded in a Microsoft Word Document! Also avoid working with jpegs and gifs (these are low resolution bitmaps usually downloaded from the Internet), they are meant for on-monitor image viewing.

NB: Do not layout an entire document / booklet in Freehand, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Publisher, Microsoft Word, Excel, Corel Photopaint, Acrobat Reader, Powerpoint, Illustrator, Xara etc. These are not layout programs! Instead, use Adobe InDesign, or any other stable layout software. As for the Windows based programs (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, etc.), most Bureaus / reprohouses won’t image from them. And before you send your finished artwork to the bureau printing shop, check your documents specs, e.g. that all full colour pictures are CMYK, black text is overprinting, white text is knocking out etc.
 

FILE REQUIREMENTS

• Files should be supplied in page for page format. Do not supply pre-imposed or facing pages spreads.
• Files should be supplied at the correct printing size.
• Bleed must be set to at least 3mm all around.
• Colour images should be at a resolution of at least 300dpi.
• A CMYK colour space is essential. (Please not to use RGB, Indexed, calibrated, LAB or images / files with colour
  profiles (ICC / Colorsync, etc) embedded).
• Spot colours must all have the same colour definitions (e.g. Pantone 151CV and Pantone 151 CVC are NOT the same colour).
• Large solid black areas must have 50% cyan (or similar) printing under the black. The ink used for CMYK printing
  is not opaque and a value of 100% black alone will produce a dull looking black. Adding 50% cyan to the black
  ensures a quality looking rich black.
• Ensure that black type or solid black elements are not in registration colour or RGB or a spot black. Avoid having
  black elements that contain 100% cyan + 100% magenta + 100% yellow + 100% black.
• Try to keep the total ink limit in any one area below 340%. Too much ink will give the job a murky look.
• Overprints, knockouts, and trapping amounts must be set correctly and consistently.
• The programme’s default settings are normally accurate but some special cases may need adjustment.
• If you have placed a PDF or an EPS (exported from another programme) in your document please ensure that all the
  fonts have been converted to curves / paths / outlines (or are supplied) and that no unwanted colours are present.
• Make sure your PDF is centred on its page with even amounts of bleed all around.
• A mock-up or dummy of your job should always be supplied with your files.
• Use the correct programme for the correct application. Drawing, layout, photo editing, presentation and office
  programmes all do a good job of what they are designed to do. You will save huge amounts of time, money and
  headaches if you use them for their specific tasks only.
• Cadar will be happy to offer advice at any stage of your job. Please call us if you are unsure about anything.
   

HELPFUL HINTS

• Set any die-traces, foil and/or embossing blocks to print in a bright, noticeable spot colour and set them to overprint.
• Do not use artificial text styles. Bold, italic and outline fonts must be available from the font menu and not be
  created using the B (Bold), I (Italic) and O (Outline) icons. Fonts created artificially will NOT print.
• Embed all fonts wherever possible.
• For absolute peace of mind convert your fonts to curves / paths (remember to keep a copy of your edited file).
• Do not use black text smaller than 4pt and coloured text (requiring registration) smaller than 6pt.
• Place all text on the top most layer. This prevents transparency effects used on graphics to interact with the text in
  unexpected ways.
• Overprint all solid black text.
• Knockout all rich black (50% cyan + 100% black) elements.
• Keep a line width of at least 0.25mm for black and 0.5mm for colours (requiring registration).
• Convert strange fonts and symbols to curves to avoid unexpected results.
• Keep important items like page numbers, heading and text well inside the page area. This ensures that they will not
  be cut off when the job is trimmed to the final size.

TIPS ON HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY

• Make sure the PDFs (or any files) you supply are correct and have been fully approved before sending them to Cadar
  for plate making. Sending correct files the first time ensures that your job will not suffer any delays or additional costs.
• Any and all corrections (no matter how small) after proof stage require that the entire process is repeated and will
  result in additional charges and a possible delay in the delivery of your job.
• Cadar will only print from a signed off proof with no alterations marked.
• Supply PDF, or packaged open files from a recognised graphics / publication application – Adobe InDesign.
• Programmes like MS Publisher delay the process and could possibly increase the job cost.
• Make sure all files are CMYK only and not any other colour space.
• Always provide a dummy / mock-up with your file as this allows us to see if what we are producing matches what
  you have supplied.
• Make sure the dimensions are correct and allowances have been made for folding and/or binding. E.g. on jobs that
  roll-fold, the panel that folds in is 3mm shorter to avoid it curling.
• If you are supplying open files make sure all the fonts and graphics used are supplied, including those used in
  PDFs or EPS’s that may be placed in your document. In InDesign, packaging the document will create a Links folder
  containing all elements placed into the document and also a Fonts folder. Please note that not all fonts are always
  included in the Fonts folder due to licence restrictions some fonts have. Convert fonts to curves / paths / outlines
  wherever possible.
• Allow at least 3mm bleed all around your page.
• If you are in any doubt as to how to supply your file please ask Cadar for advice and / or mock-ups before beginning
  with the job.
  
  Starting off with the correct information can save you money and a lot of frustration further down the line.