Getting the print job you expect
By Cheryl McKeary

So you have all this great equipment at home or in your office, a new computer with all the bells and whistles, a scanner, a color printer and new software. But what happens when you need a large quantity of your brochure printed, a size your home printer cannot accommodate, or better quality than will print on your own printer? Your best solution is to find a local print shop that can assist you in your printing needs. (I’ll refer to this printer as a “print shop” so as not to confuse your own in-house printer).

Before you even start your project you’ll need to contact the print shop to discuss the parameters of your job and what the print shop’s capabilities are. Some print shops will accept files on disk while others cannot. Here are some suggestions on what to discuss with your print shop and how to set up your file to get the best quality with the least problems.

• Can your print shop work with the computer platform you have (Macintosh or PC)? If you spend hours preparing your file and the print shop only has Mac equipment while you have a PC you would want to know that before you submit your disk.
• What computer programs does your print shop use? Many print shops will not work with Publisher or Word or may not have the version of software you use.
• What quantity are you printing? What is the size of your document? Does it have any bleeds? What type of stock do you want? Ask for some paper samples from your print shop to be sure it is what you’re looking for.
• How many colors do you want on the brochure? Black and one color, black and two colors, four color (known as CMYK)? Your files will need to be set up to accommodate these print specifications.
• Are you including pictures in your project? If you have scanned these pictures, do you have a high enough resolution for the type of paper and press that is being used? Your print shop should tell you how many dots per inch (dpi) you should scan your images at to get the best resolution. As a general rule, set the scanning resolution at double the output line screen. For example, if your print shop prints at an 85 line screen output, scan your images at 170 dpi. Scanning at too high a dpi gives much larger files and takes up more disk space than is necessary, while scanning at too low a resolution gives a picture that is not sharp or clear. Don’t enlarge photos in your page layout program because this will in effect “dilute” the dpi of the photo potentially making it fuzzy or grainy.
• Discuss your budget with the print shop. If you want a 4-color job but the quantity is low, you may want to consider color laser printing vs. offset printing.
• Get quotes from different print shops if you have time. Find out cost for an all black brochure vs. two color vs. 4-color. Depending on your budget, you may need to revise how you get the job printed.
• Are you going to need the project folded or trimmed? All these factors will figure into your final cost.
• How long will it take to receive your finished project? Does this fit into your timeframe?
• Ask if you will see a proof prior to the finished job.

Once you have determined your print shop’s requirements and completed your project, here is what you’ll need to provide to your print shop:

1. Print out a sample of your document so the print shop will have an idea of what you expect the printed version to look like. If you don’t have a color printer, indicate where any color should be. Fold it to look like the final version.
2. If you are giving your print shop the original file you created on disk, they will also need any fonts you used, as well as all images you placed in the document. If you used Postscript fonts (typically used on the Mac), you’ll need to include both the printer and screen font. TrueType fonts will have only one file and will have an extension .ttf or .fot after the name (for PC fonts). If you send files often to an outside print shop, there are programs you can get that will collect all your fonts and images in a folder for you.
3. Any color images you used should be converted from RGB or Indexed Color to CMYK. Your images may print incorrectly if you do not convert them to CMYK. It is also important to realize that colors from your equipment will not print the same at the print shop as you see on your screen or from your printer.
4. You can avoid font conflicts or missing images by giving the print shop a Portable Document File (PDF) made with Acrobat. Ask them for some guidelines on preparing the PDF file if you have not done this before.
5. Check the resolution of your images to make sure the dpi is correct as explained above. Don’t use images copied from the Internet. These files are only 72 dpi and may not reproduce well, especially if you try to enlarge them.
6. Copy your prepared files to the correct disk (floppy, CD ROM or Zip) depending on your print shop’s capabilities. Make sure all disks are labeled with your name, address and phone number. If you email the files, put them all in one folder and compress them (using WinZip for PC or Stuffit for Mac). This will allow for faster transmission. Your print shop may also ask you to fax a sample of your document as well.
   If you find creating material for print too overwhelming, you may want to spend the extra money and have the print shop or a graphic designer/desktop publisher assist you in getting the finished piece you will be proud of.
   
   Cheryl McKeary owns and operates a desktop publishing business and uses both MAC and PC computers. She can be reached at cheryl@mckearydesigns.com.