PREPRESS AND GRAPHIC SERVICES

In most cases we require final print-ready PDF files. If you need assistance with design and generating print-ready files, it's helpful to discuss this with your sales rep before we start working on your job. Design is separate from prepress.

It's important that you proofread your art before sending it in for production! Your files must adhere to industry-standard specifications for resolution and bleed.

Prepress includes all the needed steps to make your final design ready to print. Your documents will have been prepared by your designer in specific computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Corel Draw. Once we get the files we do the following:

verify if all files are present and meet the technical specs
advise you of obvious problems we see, but we do not proofread your content.
adjusting the trapping of colors (automated)
generating proofs for client approval
making final files to make plates or films

We also have an online design tool that can generate final PDF files. You will see this tool enabled for some items in the online shop, as well as this page.

Allow 1 to 3 days for prepress. Your manufacturing turntime starts after final proofs are approved.

Send us your art, photos, words

If you want to get your project finished but aren't a trained graphic artist, then send us your photos and credits and we'll put it together quickly and professionally. If you know what you want, just make a sketch and we'll follow your instructions. The cost in this case is usually between $125 and $500, depending on how much work it is.

Send us your files

Accepted documents for short run digital printing:

RGB images are fine for laser printing but not all RGB colors can be printed with CMYK colors. An extra fee may apply for setup if you haven't used our templates and haven't incorporated bleeds and a 1/8" safety margin for cutting. Our Canon and Xerox Digital Presses offers a very high quality print.

Document requirements for offset CD/DVD cover printing :

Final press-ready format: PDF/X 1A files

CMYK TIFs at 300 dpi are also acceptable but usually result in lower quality for text.

Any professional graphic artist can prepare these files, but pros often prefer that the client pays the printer to inspect and trap the files.

If we have to adjust your files we usually need the native files from Adobe Creative Suite on a Macintosh. Other file formats may be be acceptable (possibly with a small extra cost). All required fonts must be supplied.

Warning: transparency effects can cause unpredictable results. Check your proofs carefully or flatten your artwork before making final PDFs.

Our CD and DVD packages do include a preflight of your PDF or native files. Print-only orders do not include a preflight - you must supply final files or pay for processing your native files.

In detail, here are the specs for our offset printing:

PDF/X-1A PDF files (or CMYK TIF files) are required
All fonts must be embedded
Trapping must be set to false if we are to apply automated trapping
A trapped PDF will be returned to you for inspection - you should inspect this in Adobe Acrobat with Overprint Preview ON and also check each printing plate in Output Preview. The free version of Adobe Reader and web browsers are not suitable for acccurate checking of proofs.
Photoshop PDFs can be problematic. The preferred program for generating press-ready PDFs is Adobe InDesign. The normal workflow for generating print-ready PDFs is: You import your Photoshop file into InDesign, align it with the supplied PDF template, and then create the PDF from InDesign.
Color profile suggested: US Web Coated (SWOP) V2
Files are imaged direct to plate so films are not required
Maximum recommended ink density: 280% to 300%
You will not get a rich one color black. For a rich black use something like 100K 60C 50Y 50M.
4-color CMYK process printing with aqueous gloss coating is standard. PMS colors are printed as a 5th color at additional cost
Posters, postcards, promo items, etc may be printed on other presses.

Accepted documents for silkscreen printing on CD and DVD:

Final press-ready PDF using our templates
Vector files are preferred
We support most Pantone Solid Coated colors
Matte coating needs it's own spot color layer, a film and a screeen
The standard white flood is 22 to 116mm. Other sizes will require an additional film and screen.
No bleed is required for silkscreen disc labels.
The reproducible tonal range for images is 15% to 85%.

Accepted documents for inkjet on-disc printing:

We need RGB or greyscale TIF or JPEG images at 300 dpi. You can make the image 120mm and just put a center mark. The print quality may be slightly better if the original is 450 dpi. Illustrator, InDesign, and Quark files may be subject to a prepress fee.

falcon inkjet options

Disc printing surface diameter varies between 118 to 119mm. The inner circle is between 21 to 23 mm for most Falcon discs.

Inkjet-printable discs are available with a white or silver matte surface. The silver surface can give a glowing effect to brightly colored text and logos.

Accepted documents for 1-color thermal on-disc printing:

thermal print 1 colour on shiny disc

This technology is low resolution intended for a few lines of text. The only print color is black. We need RGB or greyscale TIF or JPEG images at 300 dpi. You can make the image 114mm and just put a center mark. No cropping is needed since we will crop the art to fit the discs used.

The reliable disc printing diameter is about 114mm. The inner diameter is 38mm.

The standard thermal-printable discs we use are Falcon and Verbatim shiny silver. Other options are available.

Do-it-yourself

If you want to do the design and layout yourself, or you have a graphic artist, you have to find some way to get us your files. Most jobs are sent to us either on a disposable CD-R or over the internet. We have an upload page.

Design Proofs

We need some kind of proof copy to verify what we are working on. We are not responsible for errors or ommissions that could have been prevented if you had supplied a hardcopy proof.

CD Silkscreen Label Films and Screen

Film positive output (onetime fee):

Screens (on every order)

$14 each color

Specs

Notes: Consult a new Pantone color-swatch book. Consider the mirror band and the clear plastic areas! (18 to 46 mm). The color will change at the clear area. Do not print knockout text inside 46mm diameter. Avoid small type of less than 6 points and typefaces that have very thin strokes. Sans-serif typefaces (helvetica etc) work better. Especially avoid the combination of small point size, serif typeface, and being knocked-out. Recommended trapping: 1/2 point. Insufficient trapping may allow the silver of the disc to show through between areas of different colors. Minimum screen density before starting to lose dot: approx. 15% dot size. Maximum screen density before plugging: approx. 85% to 90%. Picture discs will have more contrast it does on paper or screen. Silkscreen printing is great for printing large areas of solid color.

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