When it comes to getting jobs printed, it's important to keep in touch with employees of the printing company to ensure both parties are happy in the end. When you're initially talking with the printer, you'll likely be talking to a saleperson. In the best cases, they'll be sure to ask plenty of questions about the job at hand, let you know ahead of time how you can resolve any potential problems before they happen, and give you an idea of what to expect once it is finished. Additionally, the salesperson will be the one responsible for obtaining all of your information and the specifications for the job in order to give you a quote for the cost and an estimated production timeline. After that, you'll begin speaking to a CSR (customer service representative). This person will be more experienced as a professional printer, and they'll be the one giving you specific information about the job. It can be very beneficial to you to have a working relationship with as many people as necessary within a printing company so that you know as much as possible about the process. The more you know, the more smoothly everything will go.
When planning for printing, you should make sure that you've established all of the most vital parameters including external document size, adequate bleeds, internal panel sizes (if any), images, graphics, or text that may interact with folds, perforations, die cuts, or trimming, the correct number of pages, and the correct number and type of inks for the job. You should also make sure to check your raster and vector images to make sure they are appropriate for the job and meet any requirements established by the printer. For rasters, keep an eye on: the resolution (the general minimum is 300 ppi), the color space for the image (RGB, CMYK, grayscale, monochrome, and duotone are the major ones), any necessary retouching to be done either by yourself or the printer, that any scans or digital images are rotated or scaled properly so that detail is not compromised, and that you have followed proper file naming techniques for your own system and the printer's system(s). For vector graphics, make sure you are using the correct colors and color naming, avoid embedding images if possible as it will be the safest route, embed fonts or outline text (keeping the EULAs in mind), check text for proper spelling and grammar, eliminate any remnants of of empty text, and include an adequate amount of bleed.
The final step before production is to get proofs made. The types of proofs are image proofs and page proofs. Image proofs are made for each of the individual images on the layout to show you how they will look on the final print. This is very helpful for both scans and digital images because it can help you to be sure of the sizing, cropping, orientations, color, and detail. Page proofs can be offered as individual pages or as an imposed proof, which shows multiple pages on one sheet (how they will be printed). These proofs are extremely important, as they provide an opportunity to check for size, bleeds, image and text areas, correct fonts and images, any special effects, crossover art, etc. Getting a printed proof of the job before printing can save you a lot of time and stress, and likely a lot of money.
Chapter 9 -- Photoshop CS4 Production Tips
One of the biggest issues in working with images in Photoshop deals with scaling and rotating. If you're scanning the image, try to scan it in at the appropriate size, rather than scaling it within Photoshop or other software. Also, if the image is to appear multiple times at different sizes, take that into account as well. If the two images are relatively close in size, it is generally safe to simply use the scale tool to reduce the larger image down to the size of the smaller one. However, if the images are considerably different in size, it is best to make two separate scans. If scaling is necessary, doing so in Photoshop will give you more control with resampling and sizing. Whenever possible, it is always best to scan images at the correct angle. This isn't always possible if you are taking the photograph yourself. So, if you must rotate the image, again, do so in Photoshop. Since rotating the image multiple times will lessen the detail of the image, try to determine the total angle of rotation first, and do it all at once.
Resolution is another big thing to keep in mind when working with images in Photoshop. Similar to working with image size, start off with as much information (higher resolution) as possible, because you can delete it, but you can't necessarily create it. 300 ppi is generally what is used, however, certain situations could call for a higher or lower resolution.
The two basic color spaces you'll deal with are RGB and CMYK. RGB is the same color space as what we see with our eyes and what is displayed on monitors and screens. It is also the color space used by scanners and cameras. It can be quite advantageous to keep images in RGB while you are working with them and to refrain from converting them to CMYK until you are ready to print. CMYK, or process color, is using in printing. Generally, you'll be converting your images to this color space to have them printed, unless you are having them printed as a grayscale or a duotone.
With advancements in software in the Adobe Creative Suite, Illustrator and InDesign can handle unflattened layered PSD files, so compatibility is not an issue. However, flattening a Photoshop document with a large file size can be more efficient if they are to be placed into a layout. Also, flattening can prevent others from editing your image, but if you chose to do so, be sure to keep an unflattened version available to you just in case. Similarly, transparencies in Photoshop files work with both Illustrator and InDesign, but these programs do not handle the blending modes used by Photoshop. This issue can also be solved by flattening the image before placing it into another program. Again, be sure to keep the original files as well as the flattened ones, in case further adjustments or changes need to be made.
When creating a path in Photoshop, there are a few tricks to making it smooth and appealing. Using a 10-pixel (approximately) tolerance can make a smoother line, but the path is loosely fitted to the object and some areas may be cut off. Though it can be painstaking, using the Pen tool will produce a better outline for the image. Also, it's best to leave the "Flatness" value (in the Clipping Path options) blank, so that whatever RIP that will be processing the file can use the appropriate value for itself. Finally, be sure that all clipping paths are designated as such within the Paths panel, otherwise, they will not really be a clipping path.
Duotones are images that consist of only two colors, one of which is almost always black while the other is generally a specific spot color. This option can make your job a great deal more appealing without having as much of an affect on your budget as a full process job would. When creating a duotone, you must first convert the image to a grayscale, if it isn't one already. Then, select your colors. If you plan on using black, simply select the "Black" ink listing (Note: This is not a spot color. The printer will use their plain black ink for this.). Don't attempt to change the name of the black ink, as this will cause the printer to use a spot color, which is what you're trying to avoid in the first place.
Chapter 10 -- Illustrator CS4 Production Tips
Illustrator uses a page-like feature called artboards. These artboards don't correlate to actual page sizes of documents created in the program. When you create a new file, it defaults to include one artboard with the dimensions set when you select New Document. Also, in this dialog box, you can change not only the size of the artboard, but the number of them to be created. Additionally, new artboards can be created and edited at any time within an existing document through the use of the Artboard tool. You simply drag your cursor to create an artboard of that size. Pressing Enter after you have created an artboard orgoing to the Artboard Options icon will open a dialog where you can adjust the dimensions of the selected artboard. There is also a list of preset sizes to choose from that includes most of the common print sizes. Finally, all artboards can be modified and moved using the Artboard tool into any size and position you want; you can even overlap them if you choose. Any artwork placed outside of artboards will not be printed or exported, unless you choose the Ignore Artboards option when outputting.
Bleed settings can be specified when creating a new document or when editing an existing document in the "Document Setup" dialog. These bleeds can be asymmetrical (different on each side), and they can be set to any measurement up to one inch. The bleed value will be used on all artboards, meaning no artboard can have a unique bleed.
Even though today's RIPs can handle a great deal more than ones in the past, it is still a good idea to simplify complex art. Though using numerous points when drawing with the Pen tool might seem like it would make for a better drawing, images can often come out just the opposite. A function called Simplify will modify objects and reduce the total number of points used within them. In the Simplify dialog, you can use the Curve Precision slider to control the amount of points retained in a selection. Checking the Preview box when making alterations in this dialog allows you to see the changes real time to determine if you are happy with the results before committing to them. It's important to note that reducing the Curve Precision to anything much less than 95% will start to erode the detail in the image and delete many needed points. Also, extra or empty points somewhere in the artboard can cause the bounding box for the file to be far larger than necessary. Illustrator offers a Clean Up function, that, when used, deletes any stray points, objects without fills or stroke, and all empty text paths. Fortunately, Clean Up is smart enough to know not to delete masks, which don't have a fill or stroke.
Illustrator also includes some live effects to be used on objects, meaning that the changes you make to them can be edited, hidden, or deleted after applying them. The filters of former versions of Illustrator have been removed, because not only were they redundant to the Effects, but also they made permanent changes and altered the actual object. The Effects panel includes both Illustrator and Photoshop effects. Illustrator Effects are used on interiors and edges of vectors and Clipping Masks. Photoshop Effects affect only the interior of vectors and Clipping Paths.
There are many options in Illustrator to make use of it's transparency capabilities. Blending modes like Difference and Exclusion cause areas to be converted to CMYK (or RGB depending on the specified color mode of the document). Also, applying blending modes to spot colors in Illustrator and placing them into InDesign for output to CMYK could be problematic. Making use of Overprint Preview can help you be sure that what you are seeing on the display is correct. Similar to working with transparencies in Photoshop, you may need to flatten your Illustrator images before sending them off for printing.
Upon placing an image in Illustrator, you must choose whether you want to Link or Embed the image. If you choose to Link the image, the overall size of the Illustrator file will be smaller, and you still have the ability to edit or correct those images with their native programs. Linking provides no issues, so long as you make sure to keep all links up to date and to supply them to the printer when the time comes. Embedding the image into Illustrator will result in a larger file size, just as you would expect. Even though this seems like it is an easier option for keeping things organized, it can make it very difficult to edit the image after it has been placed. If you still have the original, you can simple click Relink on your Links panel and choose the image. You would then edit that image, update the link, and embed it again. However, it happens quite often that you do not have access to the original image, and Illustrator will not let you extract it so it may be edited. But, you can select the image and copy/paste it into a Photoshop document and edit it from there. If you are planning on embedding images, it's best to make sure they require no further editing afterwards, as it is just much easier that way.
Sources:
McCue, Claudia. "Job Submission." Real World Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit, 2009. 125-142. Print.
McCue, Claudia. "Photoshop CS4 Production Tips." Real World Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit, 2009. 143-167. Print.
McCue, Claudia. "Illustrator CS4 Production Tips." Real World Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit, 2009. 169-202. Print.
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