Releasing Files for Print:

The Following points are recommended guidelines that if followed will save our clients time and money for everyone involved in your project and will expedite the output process resulting in faster turnaround times for your project:

1. Missing Fonts – Make sure all fonts and their variations are included with your project. Substituting fonts can result in type reflow and may not give your project the look you desire.


2. Trapping – Our Kodak® Prinergy Evo® workflow creates traps when necessary in the refining process to our
specifications, therefore it is unnecessary to set traps for your project.

3. File House-Cleaning – Cluttered files can slow your project down and lead to errors. Unused images with no
link can lead us to think something in your project is missing. Remove unused images, colors, and fonts.
Make sure color names are consistant across all programs.

4. Missing And Unlinked Graphic Elements – With missing links, graphics in your document will output in low
resolution or not at all. Make sure all links are up to date.

5. Page Size – Make sure your document size is the final trim size.

6. Inadequate Bleeds – Images that extend off the edge of a document should bleed by at least 1/8 of an inch.

7. Hard Copy Proofs – Please send a laser output of your project with the files. Make the printout 100%
of the finished size if possible or indicate what percentage of the final size is represented. Sending a hard
proof helps us check for discrepancies and clarifies how you intend the layouts to look. For multi-page
projects, include a mock-up to show folding and binding layouts. A common error is pages backing up incorrectly
or pages bound out of sequence.

8. “Collect For Output” – If your software has a preflight feature, it is to your advantage to use it.
This feature will help gather all font and image files, search for missing items and create a report for us.
Please double check that all files are present after you collect for output because at times this feature
can mistake fonts and their variations.

 

Link for Production QC Checklist

Determining the best way to send a file to Spectrum


Spectrum provides our customers with couple options of electronic file transfer. Depending upon what you’re sending, your connection speed, and your own comfort level, we suggest following these general guidelines. General guidelines for file preparation We recommend you use your application’s collect utility whenever possible. This will guarantee all necessary support files have been included in the collection. We also suggest you create a PDF of your document from the collected file for proofing purposes. Although all files should be compressed to speed up the transfer process, email attachments must be compressed or they will often become corrupted. You may also want to check with either your company’s IT department or your service provider to determine if there are size limitations for email attachments or firewall restrictions with FTP access.

Preparing & sending a file to Spectrum via FTP
using Windows/Mac

Uploading & Downloading on Spectrum's FTP server
NOTICE: FTP client software is required to access Spectrums FTP site. Selected network firewall restrictions may prevent users from accessing anonymous file transfer protocol servers. General guidelines for accessing FTP servers
There are a number of inexpensive or free FTP clients available for both Windows & Mac users. The most common Windows application is CuteFTP and for Mac users, you may use Fetch Software. Once you’ve downloaded and installed an FTP client, follow the directions listed below. NOTICE: please be aware that some Mac customers have experienced problems using our FTP server. Please Note: When sending files please make sure the file name doesn't have any spaces or special characters like: "\ / . : ; * # &, etc.."

Connecting to Spectrum's FTP server
Launch your FTP client. Enter the following login information:
Server: ftp.spectrumftp.com
User Name: customer@spectrumftp.com
Password:
Email us for password
Path or Directory: leave blank
Select the file for transfer based upon your FTP client’s instructions. After you’ve uploaded or downloaded your file, please call Prepress Department at (630) 766-7673, ext. 215. Please Note: When sending files please make sure the file name doesn't have any spaces or special characters like: "\ / . : ; * # &, etc.."




 

 

 

To learn more about Spectrum Graphic Services contact us at 630.766.7673 or view our website at www.spectrumonline.com.

Copyright Spectrum Graphic Services 2005-2006