Line Drawings, Vector Art top of page

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is preferred for all non-photographic images, including logos, charts, etc, that you can not create in your page layout program. If you create your document in FreeHand, CorelDraw or Illustrator, you can of course provide these elements in the native format.

Web graphics are usually saved as GIF files. These are not suitable for commercial printing! If you need artwork for a printed job, pulling a piece of art off a web page will result in artwork that looks awful in print (not to mention the possibility of a violation of copyright). Call us if you need help with logos or artwork. We can reproduce your existing logo, or create a new one, that will look good no matter how what your final output.

Trapping top of page

Our Rampage RIP system performs automatic trapping. You do not have to build in traps; in fact, you should not even attempt to do your own traps, since these could cause problems with our system.

If you build in custom overprints, YOU MUST INDICATE these on your laser proofs. Our system may ignore ALL overprints in the original artwork unless we configure it not to.

Line Art Scans top of page

If you scan a line drawing or logo that is solid black (or another single color):

• Set the resolution of 600-1200 dots per inch before scanning
• Use the 1-bit bitmap scanning mode
• Make sure the original is straight before you scan it

Avoid the grayscale mode for solid logos. This mode may leave a soft fringe around the edges, which will appear ragged when the film is output.

Color Artwork Scans top of page

Color printed items are generally not considered camera-ready, thus they are not "scanner" ready either. If you need to reproduce a logo in two spot colors, for instance, a color scan will not work. Color bitmap images can only be separated as process color. Even if you assign a Pantone color in Photoshop, this image will not retain the color assignment except as RGB or CMYK. The best solution is to recreate the logo in a drawing program that supports Pantone spot colors. If this is not possible, consider one of these workarounds:

• Scan the logo as a 1-bit black and white image, and save a copy for each color. Make separations manually be erasing the other color areas, leaving only the portion for the current color. Combine these when you import them into your page layout program. Assign the correct color to each portion in the page layout program.
• Create a CMYK file in Photoshop (this will not work with RGB). Each channel-- cyan, magenta, yellow and black-- can be used as a substitute for a spot color. Place the portion of the logo for each color into one of the color channels. Note: you must use cyan, magenta, yellow or black to represent spot colors in the entire publication. The colors may not look correct on your monitor, but the ink colors will be correct on the press.
• Use Photoshop 5.0 to create spot color channels. You must save this as a DCS 2.0 format to import into a page layout file. TIFF files do not support spot colors.

Scanned Photographs top of page

If you choose to scan your own photos, you should be familiar with the printing process, especially if you scan color photos. Although scanning technology has evolved at the desktop user, the printing process is just as demanding as ever. Scans that are optimized for a web page will not be suitable for commercial printing.

Recommendations for halftone scans:

• 266 dpi minimum resolution at printing size for 133 to 150 lpi (lines per inch)
• 300 dpi minimum resolution at printing size for 150 to 175 lpi
• 8-bit grayscale TIFF format; EPS if clipping path is used
• Do not save as JPEG, unless you use the highest quality setting, and only as the very last step
• 3-5% highlight dot
• 90-92% shadow dot
• Unsharp masking applied carefully to avoid halos

Recommendations for color scans:

• Professional drum or high-end CCD scans preferred
• 266 dpi minimum resolution at printing size for 133 to 150 lpi
• 300 dpi minimum resolution at printing size for 150 to 175 lpi
• CMYK TIFF, EPS or DCS format
• Do not save as JPEG, unless you use the highest quality setting, and only as the very last step
• 2-3c, 1-2 m, 1-2y, 0k for highlight
• UCR (Under Color Removal), Black limit = 85%
• TIC (Total Ink Coverage) of 280%
• Unsharp masking applied carefully to avoid halo

If you produce your own scans, you assume all responsibility for color and image fidelity.

Digital Camera Images top of page

As the quality goes up and the prices go down, digital cameras are increasing in popularity. But are they a good choice for commercial printing? The answer ranges from "sort of" to "definitely not". Digital cameras are not the same as film cameras. Except for models costing several thousands of dollars, most digital cameras do not perform as well as even inexpensive point-and-shoot film cameras. Few of the consumer digital models offer SLR (single lens reflex) capabilities, meaning that the viewfinder uses different optics than the lens. The technology used by these digital cameras inherently makes some compromises in color in order to make them portable and (relatively) affordable.

If you intend to use a digital camera instead of a film camera, follow these suggestions for the best possible results:

• Use only "megapixel" or "2 megapixel" cameras—those with resolutions at least 1280 by 960 pixels
• Avoid older cameras with only 640 by 480 pixels
• Use the maximum quality and minimum compression available. JPEG compression used by these cameras deteriorates the image quality at higher compression rates. This will mean fewer images will fit in your digital camera, so you may need additional storage cards or disks.

Resolution requirements in dots per inch are the same for digital camera images as for scanned images. The chart below gives the recommended maximum reproduction size, based on the number of pixels wide.

If your project calls for images larger than these, you should shoot the photographs on film.

Most Frequent Problems with Scanned Photos top of page Resolution is too low. The rule of thumb for resolution is that the dots per inch should be double the line screen ruling, for a 2:1 ratio; i.e. 300 dpi for 150 lpi. As this ratio falls, pixelation becomes evident in the final print. Web images are not suitable for printing; they may look great on screen, but they do not have enough pixels to meet printing requirements. Image is enlarged too much. Since the number of pixels in a photo is fixed, enlarging the photo does the same as lowering the resolution. Scan photos as close to the reproduction size as possible. If you have to go enlarge the photo in your page layout by more about 120%, consider rescanning at the right size. You cannot increase the resolution in Photoshop and get good results; it has to manufacture the extra pixels, and does not render any additional detail. JPEG format. Great for web, but not for printing. The compression scheme used in JPEG is a "lossy" compression. Depending on the amount of compression, much of the detail may be forever lost. Repeated saves of the same image as JPEG will make it worse every time. If you must use JPEG, save the photo in this format only as the very last stage, and keep a copy in TIFF or Photoshop format. No highlight. Areas in a photo with a value of 0% black (grayscale) or 0% in all colors of a CMYK image will appear in print as a harsh shine. There will be a marked contrast between this area and the dots adjacent to it. This problem occurs most often because of incorrect scan settings or improper use of the color controls. Tip: Never use Brightness/Contrast to adjust a photo. Use Levels or Curves instead; these will give you more control than Brightness/Contrast and are less likely to "blow out" the highlights. Conversely... Pixels remaining in knocked-out areas. If you remove the background of an image, make sure you get all of it. Colors in the 1-2% range can be very difficult to see on the monitor, but will stick out like a sore thumb on press. Here is one way to check for loose pixels: In Photoshop, make a duplicate layer (so you don't disturb the actual image). Use the Threshold command on the duplicate layer and set the value to 255. All but absolute white areas will show as solid black. Zoom in to 100% or greater, since very small areas may not appear at views less than 100%. If you see black pixels where the background should have bee removed, go back to the original layer or background and erase these areas. Delete the duplicate layer and save your final image. No shadow detail. This is a very common problem with low-cost scanners, and is one reason why scanners are still available for tens of thousands of dollars. Although many mid-range scanners do an adequate job of bringing out detail in dark areas, entry-level scanners lack the dynamic range. Lack of contrast. Photos are said to be "flat" if there is little contrast between the highlights and shadows. Poor color quality. Uncalibrated monitors, inadequate scanning hardware, and lack of operator training and experience are frequent contributing factors to poor color quality. If the monitor is not properly calibrated, the operator cannot make accurate visual judgements of color. If the operator does not have an understanding of color systems, it is difficult to even recognize that the scanner or monitor is not calibrated correctly. For best results, the monitor should be adjusted to match the color of the printed piece, a Matchprint or other reliable off-press proof. Color calibration is too complex a subject to discuss here; if you have questions about it, drop us a line and we will refer you to some other sources.