There is something about a strong finish that is very satisfying. Have you ever read a good book that kept you engaged the entire time? As you start to near the end of the story you may feel a sense of sadness that it’s almost over or maybe excitement to see how it will end.
What if when you got to the final chapter you found that it has been removed. All of the investment in following the character arcs and plot twists would feel incomplete. You may even get angry feeling like you have been duped.
A similar dynamic can happen when you get to the end of a project and have an incomplete or possibly totally lacking file prep. To have spent time working with a client to understand their goals for a project and to have crafted a brochure that satisfies those goals and looks amazing, but then to take short cuts and neglect this final step does not do justice to the process and can ultimately tarnish your reputation.
There is no one way to prep a file, each designer creates their own process. However, over the years there are a few steps I have found that make for a stress-free finish.
Streamline Your Images
Most files will have some type of graphic or image. Any file that is created in Photoshop or is an actual photograph will be pixel-based. Those types of images need to be high-resolution in order to print well. That means that any photo image would be 300 dpi (dots per inch) at 100% size in the document.
One of the mistakes that I see designers make is placing an image in their layout, and at some point while they are working with the image they have increased it’s dimensions with no consideration of the resolution.
Remember that when you increase the dimension of an image you are reducing it’s resolution.
For example, if you have an image that is 4″x6″ at 300 dpi and you enlarge it to 8″x12″ you have doubled the dimensions, which means you have reduced the resolution by half which is 150 dpi in this example.
The result is that your file quality has been compromised and the image will look soft or fuzzy when printed, instead of a sharp & crisp. When you are prepping make sure that your images are 300 dpi and are placed in the file at 100% or less.
If an image is placed in the file at a smaller percentage than 100% something that you can do that will help with the speed of processing the file is to adjust the original file so it is closer to or exactly 100%.
An example of this would be that you have an image that is 5″x8″ at 300 dpi, but you are only using it as 2″x3″. The image would be placed in the document at 40% and if you leave the art that way there are two things that will happen. First, the transferring of the files will take longer. This is the time it takes to upload the files to your vendor and when they retrieve the files. Second, processing the file will take longer. That could be when you are printing out a hard copy in your office or when the print vendor is working with the file to get it ready for press.
If only one file is placed at a smaller percentage the amount of increased time is smaller. However, think of a file where 5, 10 or even 20 files are placed at a smaller size. The impact on the file can really add up.
Here is how to resize an image. Open up the file in Photoshop, either right click the image in InDesign or click “Edit Original” in the Links palette. Once in Photoshop, go to “Image” in the menu bar and select “Image Size” then choose “Percent” in the drop down menu. Change the percent to either exactly the same size that it is placed in the file or you can round up the number to a little larger.
For example, if the file is placed at 43.4% you could either make the art exactly 43.4% or round up to 45%. When you update the file in the layout program, it will automatically adjust and either show that the file is in at 100% or just a little under.
Many designers don’t take the time to address this, but I guarantee your print vendor will appreciate it.
That kind of attention to detail is something that sets apart your file and makes it a breeze for someone to work with.
The only word of caution is if an image may need to be used at a larger size for another project, then rename the file when you resize it so that you still have the original size to work with.
Cross the T’s and Dot The I’s
After addressing the images in your file, you also want to check in with the content of the document. The first thing that I recommend is to run spellcheck.
It can seem like an unnecessary step, especially if the document has been approved by the client or possibly there was a proofreader on the project. However, do not under-estimate the potential for words to get missed.
Of course since you have sign-off from the client approving the file going to production you are technically covered if something was missed.
But the “not my problem” position doesn’t help build strong client relations or reflect quality service.
Another check to do regarding type is to make sure there are no double spaces between sentences. This may be news to some people and quite possibly controversial to others, but it is an antiquated practice that needs to be put to rest.
This first started when typewriters were all the rage. Believe it or not, there was a time when typewriters were cutting-edge technology. Every character on the keyboard was given the same amount of space, which is called monospaced typesetting. As a result an extra space was needed at the beginning of new sentences.
This practice carried on even though computers have addressed this issue because it uses proportional spaced fonts (meaning an “l” doesn’t take up the same amount of space as a “w”) However, some traditions don’t go down easy. I remember when I had to write a paper in school it was expected that all sentences would have two spaces between and that was well beyond the “age of the typewriter.”
All of that to say that printed pieces today should NOT use double spaces. So in case your client sent you copy created by a writer who is still following the rules their high school English teacher drilled into them, you want to check for double spaces.
Do a search for double spaces by pulling up the find and replace window. (Command-F) Put two spaces in the field and replace with one space. I wouldn’t recommend doing a global change, in case there are places where spaces may have been used for other purposes (you may not remember that you had done it, so confirm each change). Just check each one and remove the spaces between sentences. It’s a simple catch, but makes a difference in the end product.
Communicate Early and Often
In all cases I would recommend talking to your printer before sending files. Until you have established a relationship with them where you know exactly how they want to receive files it is always best to take the time to talk with them on the phone or possibly meet with them to go over any specifics for the job.
The only time I would think you wouldn’t need to talk with them prior to sending the files is once you have established a pattern of how they like to receive files and if the job you are doing is a recurring one (like a newsletter) where the specs are not changing from the last time it was printed.
Otherwise, it’s good to talk with your printer early in the process because they may have recommendations of how to best accomplish the look you are going for.
The closer you get to finishing the job and prepping it to hand-off to your vendor you want to talk with them in order to get your job on their schedule.
If you wait to the last minute to let them know that files are coming you may end up slowing down the progress of the job because the print vendor didn’t hold a spot on the press for your job.
If you implement these steps into your process, you will be well on your way to having problem-free files that sail through production and are breeze for any print vendor to work with.
What are some of your “must do’s” when it comes to getting your files ready? Drop us a line, we love to geek out with talking about process and sharing tips with fellow designers.
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