SUPPLY PRINTOUTS
It is very important to provide a complete set of full-size laser proofs that match the final version of the electronic files you're submitting. You can go one step further and print out separations to your laser printer; you might just catch some errors before the job is supplied. With something to go by we can ensure the accuracy of our output.

CONVERT RGB TO CMYK
When working with four-colour images, convert all graphics to CMYK.

PDF FILES
Unless you save your PDF file as a printable PDF file following very specific parameters, it is best to submit your job saved in its native application with all supporting elements.

ACTUAL SIZE
Format your document to a page size that is the same as the final trim size of your job. For instance, if you are doing a business card, make it 3-1/2" x 2". In other words, don't float it in the middle of a 8-1/2" x 11" document and draw your own marks (after all, page layout programs create accurate marks automatically.)

COLLECT FOR OUTPUT
Quark Xpress has a built-in feature which will collect all of the files associated with your job. A preflight program like FlightCheck also does a nice job of collecting images and fonts; it'll even collect fonts used in EPS files. All of this ensures that we have eveything we need to output your job without delay!

LESS IS MORE
When sending files, copy only the version of what is needed for output onto the media you are supplying. Do not include previous versions of the document or any files that do not pertain to the job we are producing.

USE EPS OR TIFF FILES
Quark Xpress will allow you to place all manner of images in your document, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will print. EPS files and TIFF files are highly recommended -- importing jpegs and PDF files is strongly discouraged.

INCLUDE THE FONTS
Make sure you include all printer and screen fonts used in your job. Use only Postscript fonts. Never use TrueType fonts or fonts with city names.

USE THE ACTUAL FONT
Avoid locally "stylizing" fonts using the style buttons within an application. This can cause substitution at the printer and/or imagesetter. Choose the typestyle from the font list and make certain to include the fonts for each typestyle (bold, italic, etc..) you have used when gathering the files to be sent for printing.

PICK A COLOUR
If you are using spot colours, be sure to select a PMS (Pantone Matching System) colour and not a process colour or anything vague like Red, Green or Blue. Also, make sure that the same colour is consistent in all files. (ie. make sure the PMS colour used in Photoshop is not different than the one you selected in Quark so that your file does not contain two versions of the same colour)

USE A PAGE LAYOUT PROGRAM
Word processing applications like Microsoft Word were not meant to be page layout programs. They do not allow printing separations or marks and are not well suited for producing printed materials.

IMAGES
Halftones, duotones and colour images should be submitted at 300 dpi.

LOGOS SPECIFICATIONS
EPS files are highly preferable, but a file saved in its native application format (examples are Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw and Freehand) is also acceptable. All fonts used in the applications should be converted to outlines. If this is not possible then the fonts (both screen and printer fonts) should also be provided along with a colour print out. If there is no vectored lineart version of a logo available, and if the available logo file is a bitmapped image, then the logo should be 1200 dpi. David Thomas Printing can not guarantee the quality of the output of any 72 dpi jpeg, gif or bmp files supplied to us.

CHANGES COST MONEY
The majority of client changes we see could have been caught before we made a proof. Changes to jobs not only cost time and money, they also waste expensive materials. We humbly suggest you scrutinize your lasers as hard -- or harder -- than you would a final proof. It might just save you money and speed up the production of your job!

RICH BLACK
To create a nice deep black, duplicate your 100% black swatch and add a bump of 40% cyan, or else 30% cyan, 30% magenta, and 30% yellow. You can even run your ink limit as high as 340% in Photoshop (we prefer 320%) without causing problems like non-drying sheets, or offsetting. You could also bump the black in your 2- or 3-color job with a tint of one of your spot colors, but don't be shocked when you end up with a tinted black result rather than a deep rich black.

HAIRLINES
The definition of a hairline is the thinnest possible line which the output device can create. That's fine with a laser printer, even at 1270 dpi, but with our 2540 dpi platesetter, you'll end up with a line so thin, it won't be visible, or it will break up. You have a dedicated small army of prepress operators here looking out for hairlines and the other issues listed here, but we won't mistakenly overlook a hairline if you'll be kind enough to set your thinnest line to .35 pt for coated paper, or .4 pt for uncoated paper.

ADD BLEED
Elements of your layout that run off of the edge of the page are called bleed. Without bleed you run the risk of having a white edges on your document. The minimum amount of bleed recommended is 1⁄8th (.125"), but you can never have too much.

DIELINES
If your job is being die cut create a dieline in a separate spot colour (not white) preferably in a separate layer so that it can be easily deleted when necessary.