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DIGITAL FILES—HOW TO PREPARE AND TRANSMIT
You can transmit your files to us for printing in several ways. The most
popular is simply to save the file on a floppy disk (we also accept CD’s as well as 100mb and
250mb zip disks) and mail it or bring it in with your order. The most efficient way, however, is to
use our SendThisFile area to transmit digital files or “attach” your
files to an E-Mail message sent directly to us. Be aware, however, that some internet service providers
set a limit on the size of file attachments and your files may be too large to send in that manner.
You may want to make your files smaller before transmission by using one of the popular compression
utilities such as PKZip, WINZip or StuffIT to reduce the amount of time you tie up your computer and
log on to your internet service.
Whenever you transmit digital files through E-Mail or when you come in to drop off a disk, be sure
to include the following items of information for us to process your files without problems:
- PLATFORM used to run the application: PC or MAC
- APPLICATION used to create the electronic files: Adobe Pagemaker, Quark
XPress, Microsoft Publisher, WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign,
Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, MacroMedia Freehand,
Adobe Acrobat, etc.
Also be sure to indicate the release or version such as 5.1 or 6.0, etc.
- FONTS used in the file: We accept Postscript (also known as Type 1 fonts), Truetype or the new
OpenType font formats. It is best to always include the font files in your transmission or on your disk
if you want the output to exactly match your printed piece.
When sending Postscript fonts we need both the .pfb and .pfm files.
For Truetype or OpenType fonts include only the .TTF file, not the .FOT files
which Windows creates.
- GRAPHIC FILES placed in the document: Whether the graphics are embedded
in the file or not, it’s always best to include the graphic files
separately. Also, if you created the graphics, indicate what application and
version was used to develop it (i.e. Photoshop 6.1, CorelDraw 8.0, Illustrator
8.0, etc.) so we can use the proper filter to include it in the output. If your
graphic includes type or text, either send the fonts along with the file or
convert the type to curves or outlines in the application which you used to
create the graphic.
Make sure that grayscale or halftone graphics are saved at at least 300 dpi.
Line art and vector drawings should be saved at 1200 dpi for best reproduction.
The best formats to use are TIFF (tagged image format) or EPS (encapsulated
postscript), however a BMP (bitmap) file, if saved at the proper resolution,
can be used for single color graphics. For reproducing full color elements,
use only TIFF or EPS files saved in CMYK (4-color cyan/magenta/yellow/black)
not the standard RGB (3-color red/green/blue) that is used for computer displays
and monitors. Elements designed to print with spot colors should be saved in
an EPS or DCS format only.
Stay away from items that are saved in WMF (Windows Metafile), CGM (Computer
Graphics Metafile), GIF (Compuserve Bitmap) or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts
Group) formats as these are generally saved at 72 or 96 dpi resolution to be
displayed on a computer screen. This will cause the elements to appear jagged,
rough and generally unacceptable when reproduced for high resolution printing.
Unfortunately, there is not an easy (or cheap) way to “res up” a
graphic from low resolution to high resolution so be sure to save your scans
or create your drawings in the appropriate resolution (300 dpi for grayscale
and color photos, 1200 dpi for line art) outlined above.
If you need help saving, compressing or transmitting your digital files to us,
call CHAMELEON PRINTING & COPYING at 847-998-8998—we’ll be glad to help.
TRANSMITTING FILES
Before you save and transmit your files, be sure that you have proofread and
checked your output carefully. You’ll find some helpful hints on our page
about Preparing Camera Ready Copy for Printing
on this web site. Part of your checking should include “preflighting”
your work to make sure it will process on our end without errors. Even though
you may not have the same sophisticated software as we do to perform this checking
on your own, here are a few simple steps you can take to avoid common problems
that cause delays in completing your work on our end:
- ALWAYS INCLUDE A PRINTED SAMPLE OF YOUR OUTPUT. This allows us to check our
output with what you intended. Often the same file run on different computers will
output and “word wrap” differently causing lines of text to end improperly
or paragraphs and pages to print wrong. This is especially true when different
fonts are used on each machine—even when they have the same name! Depending
on who created the font, although it may look the same, it may have different values
for spacing and kerning between letters. This is why we recommend submitting your
fonts, too.
If you are mailing or dropping off a disk, include a hard copy printout.
If you are e-mailing or sending your files via FTP, you can also fax a printout
or transmit an Acrobat PDF file for us to compare.
- BE SURE TO PRINT OUT COLOR SEPARATIONS, TOO. If you are submitting a multi
color job, use the feature on your application to produce color-separated prints.
If your software doesn’t have that feature then you are probably using
the wrong software to produce files for quality print production. As an
example, if you are producing a two-color piece and you get three or more pages
of separations, then you have a problem which needs to be corrected. Be careful
when creating a piece that you always specify the same colors using the same
color model each time or you’ll wind up with additional, unwanted color
separations. Also, be aware of colors in imported graphics which sometimes
need to be edited before placing them in your document.
HERE’S HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FILES TO OUR SITE:
The SendThisFile box below will allow you to send your files directly to us from this web page
without making an attachment or using a cumbersome FTP application. You can only tag one file for
transmission using this web site feature so you will need to collect all the related source files along
with graphic images and fonts into one compressed file using a zip utility or Stuffit. This will also
compress your files so that the upload is much faster.
- Create your file(s) to transmit.
- Compress all source files, graphics and fonts into one file to speed transmission.
- Using the box below to send your files, enter your email address.
- Include a message telling us what you’re sending to us and also give us your name, firm name and
phone number so we can reach you if we have any questions.
- Click the BROWSE button to locate and tag your file for uploading.
- Click the send button when you’ve completed the form and transmission will begin.
To ensure that your files are sent properly, we suggest that you wait until the transmission has finished
before surfing to another page or web site. You will receive a prompt in the message area that tells you
your file was sent successfully.
There’s no need to notify us by phone or email in order for us to receive your files for processing.
We’ll get a message telling us your file has been sent. If you are faxing printed output to us for
comparison, simply note that your files have been sent to us via our web site.
 RETURN TO INDEX OF TIPS
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1717 CHESTNUT AVENUE
