TEMPLATES

EPS templates: 4 panel booklet, disc, traycard, Quark 3 for Mac templates: disc3, book3, tray3. Do not click on links, please hold down until "Download to Disk" appears and select it. Then open from quark instead of double clicking. Please gang up all the quark files into the smallest document you can fit them in to save money. Include: Quark files, included fonts, and all included CMYK or greyscale TIFs or EPS files. The CD imprint must include separate disc images all in greyscale for outputting each color, with the pantone # included (do not use CMYK files unless you are purchasing 5 color disc print.)

INSERTS

Standard color inserts have color on one side of the booklet and are black and white on the other. Since full color is done in 4 color process and black is done in one pass, we call them 4/1 or 4/k with k meaning black. Standard inserts have one fold. Since this creates two panels inside and two outside, we call them 4 panels. Standard tray cards which are the printing that go in the back of the CD case are color on the outside and no printing on the inside. These are called 4/0. Additional colors, custom colors, 4/4 and clear tray card options are all available for an extra charge.

NEGATIVES

Some clients are able to output their own negatives, some need us to output the negatives. Some clients can design the art on the computer and some ask us to do the designing. If the files are in Quark for Macintosh, we can probably be more helpful to you getting the negatives ready.

PROOFING GUIDELINES

Computer design has allowed customers to quickly design offset printed materials, but it is important not to skip the different types of proofs available, because "the way it looks on the screen" is not enough to indicate how a job will print.

Laser Prints (LP) can be even less color accurate than the computer screen, however laser prints provide accurate text and layout proofing. We have our laser prints output by our service bureau. While this means waiting overnight for LPs to come back and spending $20 per page, it is necessary because the LPs are printed from the same computer system from which the film will be printed. This helps us catch text reflow problems before we go to more expensive proofing. LPs are usually available overnight.

Iris Proofs (IP) offer 95% color accurate proofing to help indicate how a file will print. They are extremely useful because adjustments to color and brightness of images can be made before going to film. They are usually available overnight.

Color Match Proofs (CMP) Since, like the printing itself, CMPs are made from the film and not from the computer files, they are the only completely accurate indication of how a job will print. However, this also means, that if any changes need to be made after CMPs have been generated, new film and new CMPs have to be made, and this can be very expensive and time consuming. Therefore, we recommend only going to film and CMPs when a job has been thoroughly proofed by the cheaper, quicker proofing methods. CMPs take 48 hours.

WAIVING PROOFS

We allow our customers to go to print without proofs, or with proofs that are no longer current with the final changes made to the files. This will save the customers time and money, but please remember that without poofs there are no guarantees. For example, if we output film and there is a problem on the film due to text re-flow, bad film processing or any other reason, but the customer has chosen not to get a color match proof, we will have no way to catch the error. The film might get plated, printed, packaged into the CD jewel case and shipped to the customer before the problem is noticed. At this point, if the error was our fault, or that of the service bureau, we will gladly re-print the film, but the customer would have to pay for re-printing, re-packaging and re-shipping. There can be no guarantees for printing made from bad film unless the customer orders CMPs.

GUARANTEES

We offer two guarantees to our customers:

1) Laser Prints and Iris Proofs - If the customer approves of these proofs, and no changes are made to the files after proofing, we guarantee that film and CMPs will match the text and layout (but not the color) of the LP or IP. If it does not, we will re-run the film and the CMP.

2) Color Match Proofs - If the customer approves of CMPs, and no changes are made to the files after proofing, we guarantee that the text, color and layout of the final printed product will all match the CMPs. If it does not, we will re-run the printing so that it does.

We thank you for reading through these guidelines. Please contact us with any questions.

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