Monitors

Monitors are generally the least stable in the print workflow, they need to be calibrated and adjusted to the current light conditions to show an interpretation of the colors used. Currently, all monitor profiles are RGB profiles. Most graphic designers tend to think that what you see is what you get, this is possible if the monitor is calibrated and adjusted accordingly. Most home computers lack the calibration and will show a different color once the file is printed. It is encouraged to have a ?hard proof? done prior to start a color job.

Output

The type of paper on which color is printed has a huge affect on the way the color appears. The same color will appear to be quite different when printed on coated and uncoated papers. The ink absorption rate, along with the brightness and the color of different papers can result in significant changes in the way color appears on different papers.

Lighting conditions affect the appearance of the ink color. Differences in daylight during different times of the day and differences in artificial illumination, such as fluorescent and incandescent, can cause a wide shift in the appearance of a color.

Resolution Selection

With higher resolutions, an image will have much sharper definition to the edge of all subjects in the image. It can be enlarged in size and/or output to print and still retain the sharpness of detail. Images with lower resolution cannot be effectively enlarged without losing quality. The pixels become "blocky" and very visible with rough or jagged edges around the subject matter. Selection of resolution for the stored or output images will depend on the end use of the images. A resolution calculation would be as follows: 640 x 480 = 307,200 total pixels or 640 distinct dots on each of 480 horizontal lines.

Low resolution: 640 x 480

• Use: Web sites and multimedia presentations
• Average JPG camera file size: under 500 KB

• Use: Proofs, inspection work, mock-ups, and general purpose
• Average JPG camera file size: 1,000 KB

• Use: Higher quality print output for brochures, presentations, or promotional materials
• Average JPG camera file size: over 1.8 MB

Bleeds

Bleeds are printed colors that extend past the edge of the final print.
To accommodate a bleed, the printer must print 1/8? larger than the final trim size. The page is then trimmed through to bleed area.
Bleeds require more paper and production time, which will incur an extra charge for the service.
Example: You need an 8.5x11 full bleed brochure, it will need to be printed on 11x17 and then trimmed down to 8.5x11 full bleed

PDF files

This is the best way to send your files to a print place, if done right a pdf file will have the same quality as the native application that the piece was created on. When creating pdf files, make sure to select from the print properties ?Print Quality? or ?Press Quality? to get the highest resolution on the pdf file. It is located on the top part of the print screen next to the printer name (in this case adobe pdf or distiller)

Layout Programs

Quark, InDesign, PageMaker, Illustrator or any other layout programs, make sure to include all of the artwork linked to this programs, an easy way is, to collect for output all of the images used in the illustration and fonts. Or simply make a high-resolution PDF file from these programs.

Word files

Many people design and create documents in word, which is fine if all the fonts and images are properly embedded in the document, if not, the text will move, charts will get cut off, text will get substituted if fonts are not embedded within the document, this can be done like this: go to Tools tab and select Options then select the Save tab and select ?Embed TrueType fonts?.

Publisher files

Another common program for home flyers, cards and invitations that is used widely by households, the main problem is always fonts that are only on the computer of the person creating the file, as in word the fonts need to be embedded so the person or printer opening the file will have the same results as the person sending the file, another way is to create a high resolution PDF file.

PowerPoint files

This program is widely used for presentations in any office environment, big or small. The biggest mistake made is to assume that the slides are the size of an 8.5x11 page, they are not, and the default size of a slide is 7.5x10 that leaves ? inch blank around the page. Like any other program, fonts are very important, if you have downloaded fonts from a website, please include them in your e-mail or disk, more than likely the printing place will not have them.