1. proper document setup
Using the proper document setup will take care of several of the points on this list. The document should be set at your final trim size and using guidelines to show proper margins and bleeds.

2. 1/4” (.25” / 18 pt / 1p6) margin and bleed
Any images or color should never stop at trim. They should pass the trim line by a 1/4”.
Any text that is not apart of the background art should be away from the trim by a 1/4”.
The only exception would be jobs that are for the openweb that are finished off press (not going to bindery). In thesecases, the margin should be 3/8” (.375” / 27pt / 2p3). To bleed or not to bleed, will be dictated by final trim size.

3. image resolution
For the heatset press, the recommended resolution is 300 dpi. For the openweb press, the recommended resolution is200.

4. linked images
Before creating your pdf, make sure all your links are updated and not missing.

5. ink density
To find the ink density, measure the amount of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black being laid down on any point on thepage.
With Indesign, you can use the “Separation Preview” to show if you are above the recommended dMax. If you are usingQuark or any other program, you will need to create a pdf and use the “Output Preview” to check the ink density.
For the heatset press, the recommended dMax is 280.
For the openweb press, the recommended dMax is 240.

6. color
All colors should be CMYK unless you are using spot colors. So, in that case, only use the spot colors that are requiredfor printing. All other colors should be converted to CMYK before creating your pdf.
Small black text should be 100% black only. Small “rich” black text maybe hard to register on press.

7. overprint white
When our system encounters an object colored with overprint white, it will automatically be converted to knockout.This may cause undesirable results in the final product. Before making your pdf, make sure all white objects are setfor knockout.

8. 4-color black
Any color combination used to create 4-color black (rich black) is acceptable as long as it doesn’t exceed therecommended dMax. A good color mix would be 60% cyan, 40% magenta, 40% yellow, and 100% black. This willwork for both openweb and heatset.

9. proper export setting
Using the proper settings will take care of several of the points on this list. You can contact the prepress department fora pdf that explains how to create presets with the proper settings.

10. pdf version
This can be checked in the “Document Properties” of the pdf. We do not require any version of pdf/x (1.3 - Acrobat 4).Using this version can cause other issues that will effect the look of the final product.
When selecting the pdf version, select the highest version your software will allow.

11. embedded fonts
This can be checked in the “Document Properties” of the pdf. Each listed font should have the term “embedded” or“embedded subset” by the name. If the term is missing, then there will be issues when processing the files through ourservers.