We get a lot of questions in regards to what should my file spec be, what should I do with X and Y, how should I do my black etc. etc. and a large majority of the time we suggest to ask the printer which is an accurate assumption. Even though I think this is an accurate answer I think we should have a question that would help educate designers on what questions they should ask the printer. Knowing the right questions can help determine if the printer is professional and if you can meet the requirements. So my question is when print designing what questions should I ask to make sure my designs are compatible and high quality for print?
Answer
Ask them if they have a template?
At our print shop we offer a full template selection that allows designers to enter in their desired output and it will email them a template file. We did this because many questions and files we received proved to be an issue in regards to accurate bleed, trim, and non-print elements.
What black do you guys print?
Registration black is 100% CMYK which is an inaccurate black and should never be used as other than registration marks and our prints vary by the printer we use.
What are the desired file type?
Some shops hate .psd files because they are horrible for storage, editing, and are raster based. Even though they are the worst file types to use for print some people can only afford or have Photoshop.
What are your bleed settings?
Most shops typically have the same bleed but some shops try to cut costs and can reduce the amount of bleed to save on material waste.
What is the stock being used?
Knowing the stock that will be printed on (such as gloss or matte) can render different color outputs. If this is the case you can address this with the client and make the proper adjustments for accurate color.
Are there certain stocks for BW printing apposed to full color printing
Some print shops will limit the stock used in either black and white printing or full color printing due to costs.
Ask if a few color interior pages in a BW job would classify the job as full color
Some shops would rather run a BW job in CMYK if a few interior files are in color or insert based on the quantity.
If I send in a PDF what should the settings be?
We recommend a certain .pdf format, PDF/X-1a, to be exported from InDesign at our shop but this may not be the case for every shop.
For PDF delivery, spreads or single pages?
Single page PDFs are customarily preferred, however some shops require printer imposed spreads in order to reproduce a multi-page publication accurately.
Do you offer black and white printing and what should the specs be?
Good question for shops that will be printing black as CMYK or just K.
How should my images be for black and white printing?
We require images for black and white printing to be converted to grey-scale but this may change based on how their black and white printing is done.
What is the lightest opacity I can use if CMYK printing?
Some people would like blockquotes to be as light as possible but still visible and some use a light color with a very low opacity. We require nothing less than 20% opacity but it may change on machine.
Can I get a proof and is it free or do I have to pay?
Before a large run its better to get a sample proof then risk dropping a lot of money..
Do you accept or convert Pantone colors?
At our shop we deny any prints with Pantones but some shops can print Pantones or charge to convert to CMYK. Depending on the printer some presses are set-up to have X color runs. Knowing if they can print CMYK plus a Pantone helps if a client has a targeted color for their brand but some newer machines only offer CMYK.
Do you offer CMYK,Lc,Lm for my photographic publication?
Some machines offer LC and LM printing options when it comes to printing photography because it extends the customary four color CMYK process, by adding light cyan (lower case c) and light magenta (lower case m). The light cyan and light magenta inks are essentially a washed out version of the cyan and magenta inks. Reference to Wiki.
I have a multi-page publication, what are the requirements for gutter, creep, and spine?
For publications with multiple pages the print provider may have a minimum gutter requirement in addition to any live area requirement. Creep can be a factor if a publication has many pages. Creep measurements and the width of the spine in perfect bound publications can only be determined by using the width of the stock to be printed on. Customarily the printer provider will be able to factor these measurements quickly and provide numbers.
Will my prints be consistent or will you notify me of a printer change?
This is a good question I currently ran into. After you send a print to a printer, they send you a proof, and you approve the print but the print quality and color accuracy changes if a new printer is introduced into the equation or they outsource regularly to different vendors based on availability. However, you already approved the print but they wont tell you they are changing the printer when you place a re-order.
In regards to screen printing:
- Do you print on black and what is your print process (print-flash-print or print-print-flash)?
- If you print on black do you print white as a base first?
- What are your offered screen specs?
- Do you use wooden screens or aluminum screens?
- Are you printing manually or automatic?
- If you offer automatic printing was the minimum quantity?
- Are you printing in-house or outsourcing?
- Do you print doubled sided on card stock?
- How many colors can you print?
- Do you offer gradient to halftone conversions?
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