Prepress Guidelines

To ensure the smooth processing of your files for print, please follow these simple prepress guidelines:

Files

Your files will be preflighted to ensure that they are suitable for printing and match the specifications of your specific project. A typical preflight checks that the files are the correct size, the fonts are embedded in the pdf or supplied to be used with application files, the art is the proper resolution, the colors are set to print as expected, and there is the enough bleed where applicable. The prepress operator will either make the necessary corrections or alert your customer service representative if a change needs to be made on your end. It is best to provide the portable document file (pdf) type. We would prefer to receive one pdf for your cover or jacket and one pdf of the interior. We are happy to provide you with instructions for pdf creation. If you are unable to provide a pdf, then text should be provided as InDesign or Quark Express application files. Covers can be in one of those programs or Illustrator or FreeHand.  When absolutely necessary, we will also attempt to support older native program files such as PageMaker.  Total Printing Systems uses both Macintosh and Windows based operating systems. We do not officially accept Microsoft Word documents for covers or text. When using application files, be sure to use the master page for placing folios or running heads and footers. This ensures that they fall in the same place on every page.  No files? We can handle that too. The prepress dept. is equipped to scan a previously printed book if no files are available and you are the licensed copyright holder.

Our prepress team has the experience and expertise to ensure your files are ready to print. They are one phone call away if you need assistance in proper file creation.

Graphics

ALL graphics must be included with the file. Halftones should be no less than 300 dpi at their placed size, and line art should be between 400-1200 dpi at their placed size. DO NOT EMBED OR STORE GRAPHICS. For halftones to print their best, they must have a highlight of no less than 3%, and a shadow of no greater than 90%. This can easily be adjusted in Photoshop under “curves”. Graphics should be supplied as Photoshop for bitmapped art and either grayscale or CMYK mode. Use Illustrator or Freehand for line art. If you are suppling art for us to shoot or scan, please give explicit instructions for placement and sizing (using low-resolution FPO’s in application files is the best).

Rules

All lines or rules in text or covers must be .25 pt or larger (no hairlines). Anything below this may not hold when on press.

Fonts

We prefer postscript fonts for Macintosh platform jobs, and either postscript or true type for Windows platforms. If using postscript fonts, you must include both printer and screen fonts. ALL fonts used in your book should be sent with the job, even if you’re sending postscript or PDF files.

What we need

Please be sure to include the following when your job is ready:

1. Fill out this form TPS_PreflightReview_01-22-13_Fillable.pdf to prepare your files correctly. This form should accompany any files you submit.
2. All electronic files including the pdfs, text, cover, fonts and graphics used to build your job. Please compress (.zip) your files before uploading. (link to upload files)
3. All non-electronic art (anything we need to scan, shoot, etc).
4. A sheet outlining the electronic information we should find on disk.
5. If you are providing file through the mail please include a complete laser copy of the LATEST version of your text and cover at 100% of the original size with the page information and crop marks printed on them. It is very important to receive the latest version because that is what we will match your electronic files to. If your lasers are not final, then we will not know if you’ve made changes and will not be able to catch mistakes. We want you to be completely satisfied and this is an important part of our quality control.