Scanning and preparation of graphics is one of the most important things to understand before commencing work. You can avoid a lot of extra work and unneccessary expense if you check out the information here.
Resolutions and specifications for imagesResolution
All greyscale or colour illustrations should be a minimum of 300dpi (preferred 350dpi) resolution (dpi means dots per inch and is basically the same as pixels per inch).
Pixelation may occur if the images are supplied at low resolution as seen here.
Line illustrations should be a minimum of 800dpi (or 1000dpi preferred).There is no benefit in using higher resolutions than the above, even though most scanners can, as the only difference you will see using higher settings will be in the file size. Plate output quality is optimum at the above resolutions.
Things to note...
All colours used in images for printing must be CMYK - see COLOUR info here.
We cannot be responsible for below par results if you supply low-resolution or RGB images.As most computer monitors are backlit images may appear brigther on your screen than they will actually print. It may be worth adjusting the brightness of your image to compensate. Request a hardcopy proof if you are unsure how your pictures will reproduce when printed.
If your images are black and white, they should be supplied in greyscale, as this removes all colour information and ensures that your image is only printed using black.
• Minimum resolution of graphic files needs to be at least 300dpi at size printed.
• As a rough guide the file sizes of JPEGs need to be something like 1mb-plus (1000kb+).
• If you have some at 200kb they may do for small thumbnails.
• JPEG Quality setting should always be set to Maximum when saving.
Links
All graphic files should be supplied as separate files from the DTP or Word documents. We may need to convert or adjust the graphics and cannot easily do so with embedded graphics. If you are supplying complete artwork, such as PDF, make sure all graphics and fonts are embedded.
Most professional DTP software has an option to "Package for Print" or "Collect for Output"
QuarkXpress 'Collect for Output': Step-by-Step can be viewed hereWe can accept PSD, TIF, EPS, JPG, PDF, BMP, PCX, and PICT files. GIF and PNG are usually for use on websites and are highly compressed formats so aren't recommended for use with print. If in doubt contact Pagefast.
Bleed
Bleed is the term used for printing images that go right to the edge of the paper.
Position the illustration you want to bleed outside the page perimeter guide lines by a minimum of 3mm. The page sheet size is shown as heavy black box in example illustration.
Top image bleeds off only at the top
Left image bleeds off at left and bottom
Right image bleeds off at right onlyAfter printing, we will trim off the extra 3mm bleed and your illustration will go right up to the edge of the paper rather than leave an unsightly edge to the trim.
If your software does not allow for bleed, just make the final page size 3mm bigger on all sides, so an A4 leaflet would go from 297x210mm to 303x216mm.
You can bleed all round the page or just on one, two or three sides - just remember to add 3mm to the bleed edges.
Also be sure to keep all text at least 5mm away from page edges to avoid being inadvertently trimmed off.
Photography
Digital cameras
Many customers now use digital cameras to create photos for their print jobs.
Successful printing of digital photos requires a far greater resolution than viewing them on screen. Just because they look OK on your PC does not mean that we can use them for print. So when taking digital photos, always use the highest resolution that your camera can give.
To check whether the photo is useable for print, open the image in Photoshop and select 'Image Size'. Set resolution to 300 pixels/inch and switch off 'resample image'. The dimensions then shown are the size that that image can be reproduced on the page without loss of quality. If we print it significantly bigger, it will start to pixellate (ie smooth edges will go jagged, see above).
Don’t save photos using GIF or PNG format or TIF with LZW – these use file compression, so quality can be lost. Raw TIF or PSD (Photoshop) files are fine if at the correct resolution. These can be quite large in file size though so stick to JPG where possible and make sure you save the JPEG at 'maximum quality'. Anything less and we won't get back all the detail of your original when we open the file at our end.
If following the above guidelines results in file sizes too big for your email arrangements, attach only one photo per email. (Many servers have a 'gateway', a maximum permissible file size, anything bigger than allowed gets thrown back.) If you still have problems, try www.mailbigfile.com.
Never try printing digital photos and mailing us paper prints. Quality will be lost. We prefer to work with the source material - and you will much prefer the final outcome.
Write captions into the 'file info' window (if using Photoshop). This option also has many other useful options. Don't type captions etc into the file name. If necessary create a text file listing file names of graphics followed by caption or other relevant information and email with your graphics.
Conventional photography and scanning
We can handle slides, prints or (if necessary) negatives. If sending prints, hold onto the negatives, then if the post goes astray all is not lost.
Scanning existing photos: Work to at least 300dpi resolution at the size at which you propose for its use. Black and white line art, such as a logo, should be scanned to 1200dpi. If the file has layers please ensure these are flattened before saving the image.
Scanning printed material: Anything printed ‘in dots’, eg a photo in a magazine, must be descreened during scanning, to avoid moiré patterns (scanner software varies, so check with your manual to see how to achieve the best results). Descreening is not necessary with text or line art.
