Quinn Graphics
Supported Applications
| Adobe | Microsoft | Quark |
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Preferred File Format
An Adobe Acrobat distilled PDF (Portable Document Format) file is the preferred and recommended file format to present your digital project to be printed at Quinn Graphics. The easiest way to create a PDF is to have the full version fo Adobe Acrobat (not the Reader) installed on your computer.
The next best file format is a PostScript (PS). You will need to have a postscript printer driver installed on your computer.
Or, create your file using a Graphics or Page Layout program which we support from the above list. This will require some file preperation techniques on your part before you submit your job. Please see below.
Prepress File Preparation
- Fonts - can be one of the most frustrating elements of desktop publishing. They work and appear fine on your computer but when you look at a print proof they can appear different, substituted and can even change the overall layout of your project making sentences and text fall of the page. To eliminate this you will have to gather and submit the fonts that you used in your project to us.
- Photos & Graphics - should be converted to either CMYK, grayscale or bitmap color modes. TIFF files work the best and the minimal resolution should be 300 dpi for quality printing. All images should be in a seperate folder on the disk that accompanies your project
Proofing (or Print Proof)
- Why do I have to look at a proof...I already know what it looks like...spelling and grammar are fine? You do know what it looks like on your computer monitor, printed from your printer or from your hardcopy. But a multitude of issues can arise once we open your document or even put your hardcopy original on our copier glass. Fonts and images can print vastly different from one printer to the next. At this point in your project we hope that spelling and grammar have already been reviewed.
- What should I be looking at when I review a proof? You will be looking at: type of stock? the size of the stock?, orientation of the stock?, the text placement? font substitution? image quality? acceptable color reproduction? fold placement?, staple placement? accurate cut?, binding selection? etc.
Scanning Guidelines
First you should concider how you would like to use the scanned image. Is it for web display? Will it be enlarged? Do you intend to email it? Do you intend to print it?
Quinn Graphics resolution settings |
good for... | not as good for... |
200 dpi |
emailing, web viewing | photo printing |
300 dpi |
email & print | photo printing |
400 dpi |
photo printing | emailing, storing on floppy |
600 dpi |
line art & photo printing | emailing, storing on floppy |
- I have a document that I would like to scan and then change or edit some words in the docuement, is this possible? The scanners we use are not equiped with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software so our scans though quality rich are not editable.
Merging Personalized Data Into A Print Project
Quinn Graphics can assist you in your personalized data or variable data printing. Another name for this is mail merge printing and an example of this is when you may have a form letter that needs to go out to several reciepients. The body of the letter contains information that does not change (static information) but the persons name and address will change (variable information) for each printing of the letter. Other examples of this personalized printing are postcards and mailing labels. Once you have composed the letter or postcard static information file (Microsoft Word or Publisher) and have a data file (Microsoft Excel) of your intended reciepients you would merge the data file with the static information as a new file and send it to Quinn Graphics for printing, we call this merge up-stream. Or if you want you would supply Quinn Graphics with the two seperate static and data file and we would merge and print, we call this merging down stream.
Mailing Guidelines
- USPS Postcard dimensions Min: 3.5 x 5 Max: 4.25 x 6
Click HERE if you want More...File Prep & Pre-Press Inf