File Preparation Tips

At National Printing we strive to make the process of receiving files from our customers as painless as possible. Therefore we recommend the following software when creating your print project.

Image Manipulation:

Adobe Photoshop
CMYK files, 300 dpi,
Tiff or Eps for best results

Page Layout:
Quark Express
Please use the collect for output function in Quark Xpress to collect all your images and fonts before handing your file over to us.

Adobe Indesign
Please use the package function in Adobe Indesign to package all your images and fonts before handing your file over to us.

Please create your document to the trim size of your project with bleeds 1/8th of an inch beyond your final trim size. Also size your artwork imported into these page layout programs to approx 100% of the size to maintain image quality and reduce errors.

Avoid for best results:
Type in Photosohop
Page Layout in Illustrator or Freehand
Image manipulation in Quark
RGB files
It is best to communicate with us your intentions on how set up your files, especially for large projects. We will be glad to give you a free consultation on how to best set up your project.

Vector Art or Illustrations:

Adobe Illustrator or Freehand

CMYK Files or properly identified pantone colors.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

The most printer-friendly format we would like to receive is a pdf. However, a printer-friendly pdf starts out with a properly-created file in your original program of choice. When converting to a pdf always use the "press quality" job option. If you are not sure whether your pdf is up to snuff, you can upload it to us for a free evaluation. Keep mind also, that a pdf is more difficult to edit than the native file and if you anticipate us making some changes in your file it might be better to include your original application file along with your pdf