Layout programs
The top 2 layout programs used today are Indesign and Quark Xpress. Given a choice, these programs are preferred for their ease and abundance of use. We are, however, fully capable of processing files from Pagemaker, Freehand, and Publisher. We, of course, can work with files from Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Draw, and Word, but these are not intrinsically layout programs, and the content they are used to create is intended to be placed in layouts created by true layout programs. As an example, if we receive a layout in AI format, we will need to place it inside an Indesign layout. This is to make sure that, when it is processed, it backs up properly with the reverse side, it's page size is correct, that it has enough bleed, and that crop marks will be included.

Spreads
Please send your layouts in single pages or printer spreads only. Please do not convert them to reader spreads. We will need to convert them back to printer spreads or single pages anyway.

Bleed
Make sure that if your printed pieces need bleed that they have it, especially when it comes to photos that bleed off the edge. It is much harder to add bleed to a photo than a simple BG color.

Color
Always convert RGB Images to CMYK. RGB images produce undesirable results when processed. It is also best to create layouts/graphics/images in CMYK color mode when creating print work. It should be noted that the colors in your layout are likely to look different on a computer screen than they do on the final printed piece. Mostly this is because the color on the paper comes from physically mixing Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black ink, whereas on a screen they are luminant, and come from mixing Red, Green, and Blue light. The RGB spectrum has a wider range of colors than CMYK, too. And some colors, especially greens, convert from RGB to a slightly different color in CMYK. This is true for all printing throughout the world. However, through monitor calibration, and experience, the final colors can be predictable and can be changed through color-correction to come as close as possible to the colors desired.

Spot Colors
If your print piece will be printed with spot colors, make absolutely certain that all the elements of your layout that will print with spot color inks are colored using those spot colors in your layout program. In cases where objects are difficult to color with spot colors (spot colors in raster images), simply use one color from the CMYK spectrum for each of your spot colors. We will make plates from the CMYK color(s) you chose and use the spot color ink you chose instead of the process ink.

Images (Raster)
The best image format is TIFF. TIFF images can be used in virtually any layout program, and can retain layers to be used in photoshop. PSD file formats work well, too, but Quark Xpress does not work well with them and we have to convert them to TIFF files. Please refrain from using any JPG files for print work. The JPG format uses image compression and degrades the quality of the image, and it does this every time it is saved. Please convert images you download from JPG to TIFF format in your image editing software.

Graphics (Vector)
The best formats for vector graphics are EPS and PDF file formats. AI format will work as well, but not with Quark Xpress.

Transparency
Spot colors do not work with transparent elements. If there are any spot colors involved in a transparent object above another, or in an object that has a transparent object above it, or both, it cannot be Raster Image Processed, and therefore cannot be printed. This can be solved using the CMYK replacement method explained under “Spot Colors”. This can be tricky, however, as the final product may give you unexpected and undesirable color blending results if the spot color is blended with any color other than black. It is best to keep all elements in a spot color layout at 100% opacity and use only grayscale images tinted with your spot color and black or white when tinting images.

Fonts
Make sure all the fonts used in your layout are included with the other files when they are submitted. This goes for PDF files as well.

Links
Make sure all the linked files used in your layout are included when submitting print work. We sometimes receive layout files by themselves and when we try to process them, the program asks us for files we dont have. This can cause delays since we have to get a hold of customers to send the missing file. Making sure everything is included can help to prevent that.

PDF files
Projects submitted as only PDF layout files work exeptionally well if there are no changes needed. If there is even one element that needs to be changed to the PDF file, it can become exeedingly difficult and time-consuming. If text needs to be edited in a PDF file, and all the text has not been converted to outlines, and we haven't been given the font files from the original layout program, we will be unable to edit the text without substituting fonts, which can prduce undesirable results. Many images and graphics cannot be edited within a PDF file due to the many nuances of the image/transparency flattening process a PDF can go through when it is produced. It is often quicker, easier, and safer to generate new and corrected PDF layout files from the original layout program than to edit the PDF files themselves.