A GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL PRINTING

Transcription

1 A GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL PRINTING

2 IMAGING CENTER table of contents General Information Page 3 File Preparation Information Page 4 Color Management - Assigning a Color Profile Page 6 Color Management - Converting a Color Profile Page 7 Digital Output Services - Canon C6010 Laser Printer Page 8 Digital Output Services - Student Supplied Media Page 11 Digital Output Services - Copier/Scanner Functions Page 12 Digital Output Services - Epson Inkjet Printers Page 13 Digital Output Services - Inkjet Printing Page 14 Digital Output Services - Test Strips Page 15 Finishing Services - Spiral Binding Page 16 Finishing Services - Stack Cutting Page 17 Digital Output Services - Self-Serve Printing Page 18 Printing Advice - Printing Tips Page 19 Printing Advice - Common Mistakes Page 20 PDF Preparation - Adobe Acrobat Page 21 Staff and Faculty - Policies and Procedures Page 26 2

3 IMAGING CENTER Location: Taubman Center - T631 [next to the 24 hour lab] general information Phone: Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday: 8:00am - 10:00pm Friday: 8:00am - 3:00pm Saturday-Sunday: Closed Extended Hours: The IC is open for extended weekend hours during midterms and finals. See our Facebook/Twitter pages for more information Methods of Payment: Cash CCS SmART Card The Imaging Center does not accept personal check, student charge, credit, or debit cards. Price Quotes: Imaging Center Technicians will give you an estimated price quote when a print job is dropped off. Please note that the actual price of the print job will be calculated upon completion. If you do not receive a quote, make sure to ask for one. It is highly recommended that you calculate your own job cost prior to coming into the Imaging Center. Special Projects: We will work to the best of our ability in the Imaging Center to meet your special request. Please see IC management if you have a question regarding a special project. Turnaround Times: Standard turnaround times are listed below. Please be aware that during high volume times throughout the semester, turnaround can increase up to 24+ hours. Your job will be processed in the order that it was received. 2-4 hours laser 2-4 hours BYOP 4-6 hours inkjet 1-2 hours binding 6-8 hours cutting The IC is not responsible for delays that are a result of user error [incorrect page order, typos, transparency, etc.]. There may be occasions a printer is down or is undergoing maintenance. Plan ahead when submitting print jobs. The IC can only print as fast as the data is processed. Order Changes: If an order is cancelled or changed while the print job is being processed or after the job has already finished, you will be charged for the completed print output. Completed Print Jobs: All print and copy jobs must be picked up and paid for within three weeks of the drop-off date. If completed work is not picked up, a hold will be placed on your account for the cost of the print job. The Imaging Center is not responsible for the loss or damage of prints or USB storage devices left longer than three weeks. 3

4 IMAGING CENTER file preparation information Recommended File Types: In order to guarantee that you have the best print quality possible, we ask that you save your file in one of the following file formats: Storage Device Information: The IC will only accept files on a USB drive. The Imaging Center does not accept external hard drives, ipods, micro SD cards, cell phones, etc. The IC will also not retrieve files from home drives or accept files through . The IC is not responsible for the loss or damage of storage devices after leaving the premises. The Imaging Center recommends using a flash drive dedicated primarily for IC printing. USB drives are not the most reliable devices and may become corrupt. The IC is not responsible for any lost or corrupt files on your USB. All files to be printed must be located in a Print Me folder on your USB drive. If using an IC Fish Drive, put files in a Print Me folder labeled with your name. If files are not located in a Print Me folder, the Imaging Center will not process your print job. 4 Photoshop Files: high resolution.jpg or flattened.psd PDF:.pdf (X1a or X3 formats) - Combine multiple like-sized PDF files into a single PDF. Note: The Imaging Center does not accept Illustrator, InDesign, or Microsoft Office files. Print Ready: The Imaging Center does not alter your file in any way. All files must come in ready for print. Digital Output Services: Make sure that the all forms are filled out completely and legibly. It is required that students leave a current phone number for possible questions about their print job. Each file to be printed must be individually listed with the correct file name on the form; the IC will not print entire folders worth of files. Monitor Calibration: The monitors in the IC are calibrated on a biweekly basis. We use X- Rite i1profiler software and hardware to calibrate our monitors. To simulate daylight and the IC paper selection, the color temperature of our monitors are calibrated to 6500 degrees Kelvin. Remember the range of reproducible colors available for a printed out photographic image will always be smaller than the range that can be displayed on a monitor. Color Space: The IC works in both an Adobe RGB 1998 and U.S. Web Coated CMYK (SWOP) v2 color space. We do not work in any other color profile and will convert your file if necessary. The IC will not color correct your file. If color accuracy is important, we highly recommend that you first print a test strip or sample page.

5 IMAGING CENTER file preparation information Resolution: The IC can print files of any resolution, however, you will get the best results if your resolution is 300 ppi. Soft Proofing: Soft proofing is a representation or simulation on a computer monitor of what an image is going to look like on an output device, such as a printer. Soft proofing only simulates the appearance of an ink-on-paper proof, also known as a hard proof. The reliability of the soft proof depends upon the quality of the monitor, the profiles of the output devices, and the ambient lighting conditions of the working environment. There is a soft proofing station set up in the Taubman 24-hour lab. Please see our separate Soft Proofing Guide or an IC Technician for information on how to properly soft proof your file. Test Strips: The Imaging Center offers a test strip package for the Epson inkjet printers. A test strip (or a hard proof) is the most accurate kind of proof, since it is an actual print made using the same materials that will be used to make the final print. Test strips should be checked for color accuracy, contrast, and resolution. Once a test strip has been approved, the file can be submitted for processing. Complaints regarding color management and PDF transparency issues will only be considered if a test strip was printed and approved by the customer. Please see page 15 for further test strip details. Reprints: Print jobs must be paid for in entirety upon pickup. Students must accept all liability with the set-up of their file prior to submitting the print job. This includes all spelling and layout issues. Occasionally reprints may be warranted due to printer malfunction or an IC technician s error. Reprints must be requested before leaving the Imaging Center. The student will be asked to fill out a Reprint Request Form so that the print job can be reviewed by management. If the issue can be immediately resolved, the IC will take the bad print and reprint the file in question without delay. If the issue requires printer maintenance or service, the student will be asked to leave the bad print with their completed form, and the IC will reprint the file once service is complete, which may take several days. The IC does understand that a student may need to take a bad print to show an instructor that the work was completed for class or critique. In such cases, the bad print must be returned to the Imaging Center within 2 business days of the form being completed so that the printing issue can be addressed. Students are required to return the bad print in order to obtain a reprint or, if appropriate, another form of resolution. Students will be contacted in regards to a resolution via CCS . In the case of reprints, no changes to the original file will be allowed. The reprint will follow the original print specifications. Once the print leaves the Imaging Center, complaints regarding fingerprint marks, scratches, or paper dents will not be considered. 5

6 COLOR MANAGEMENT assigning a color profile Color Space: The IC works in both an Adobe RGB 1998 and U.S. Web Coated CMYK (SWOP) v2 color space. We do not work in any other color profile and will convert your file if necessary. How to Change Your Color Settings in Photoshop: The print process starts as soon as you create a file. It is a good idea to set your color preferences before starting to work. Edit menu > Color Settings. Settings > North America Prepress 2. Now your working spaces to Adobe RGB 1998 and U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2. How to Assign a Color Profile in Photoshop: Assign Profile lets you tag an image with a specified profile or untag an image by removing its profile. No conversions are made; it simply applies an interpretation to the numbers in the image. 6 Edit menu > Assign Profile. Toggle on the Preview option. Select an option (see below), and click OK. Don t Color Manage This Document Removes the existing profile from the document. After you remove the profile from a document, the appearance of colors is defined by the application s working space profiles. Working [color model: working space] Assigns the working space profile to the document. Profile Lets you select a different profile. The application assigns the new profile to the document without converting colors to the profile space. This may dramatically change the appearance of the colors as displayed on your monitor.

7 COLOR MANAGEMENT converting a color profile How to Convert a Color Profile in Photoshop: By converting a color profile, the color numeric numbers change. Edit menu > Convert to Profile. Under Destination Space, choose the color profile to which you want to convert the document s colors. Under Conversion Options, specify a color management engine and a rendering intent. Toggle on the Preview option. Click OK. A Brief Introduction to Rendering Intents: A rendering intent is a method for translating from one color space into another. Rendering intents are necessary because of the different gamuts of devices and medias. Absolute Colorimetric: Leaves colors that fall inside the destination gamut unchanged. Out-of-gamut colors are clipped. This intent aims to maintain color accuracy at the expense of preserving relationships between colors and is suitable for proofing to simulate the output of a particular device. Relative Colorimetric: Compares the extreme highlight of the source color space to that of the destination color space and shifts all colors accordingly. Out-of-gamut colors are shifted to the closest reproducible color in the desination color space. Relative Colorimetric preserves more of the oringal colors in an image than Perceptual. This is the standard rendering intent for printing in North America and Europe. The Imaging Center s RIP is also set to use this rendering intent. Perceptual: This method may shift all colors slightly in order to retain the tonal and color relationships throughout the image. It may sacrifice absolute color accuracy, but it is good for preserving tonality and natural hues in an image. Good for photographs. This is the standard rendering intent for the Japanese printing industry. Saturation: This method maps saturated colors in the source space to fully saturated colors in the destination space at the expense of tonality and color accuracy. This is only good for business presentation type applications where bright saturated colors are more important than the exact relationship between colors. information on rendering intents gathered from 7

8 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES canon C6010 laser printer The imagepress C6010 laser printer consistently reproduces clear, sharp images with lifelike skin tones, smooth gradients, and color accuracy. Paper samples are available that showcase different types of media, and paper sizes. The Imaging Center also promotes a different type of laser paper each month. Please see an IC tech for pricing details and more information. Paper Type Paper Size First Side Duplex 8.5 x11 Hammermill Color Copy 28lb. Bond 11 x17 $1.00/sheet $1.50/sheet 12 x x11 Hammermill Color Copy Cover 100lb. Cover 11 x17 $1.00/sheet $1.50/sheet 12 x x11 Mohawk Premium Gloss 100lb. Cover 11 x17 $1.00/sheet $1.50/sheet 12 x18 Student Supplied Paper N/A $.50/sheet $1.00/sheet Paper of the Month *price may vary Varies $1.00/sheet $1.50/sheet Ink Type Toner based Ink Colors 4-cartridge (C, M, Y, K) Resolution 1200 x 1200 dpi Minimum/Maximum Paper Width Minimum/Maximum Image Width 7.2 x7.2 / 13 x x7.02 / x

9 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES canon C6010 laser printer Tiling: Tiled print requests must be saved in a PDF format. Large file sizes may not process correctly. Remember to flatten your file before exporting. The IC will not scale down the image so that it will print on fewer sheets of paper unless otherwise specified by the student. To specify, make sure to include the approximate number of sheets to be printed in the Tiling section on the form. If a specific number of pages is requested, the IC Tech will then scale the image down to reach the request. By default, the IC will print on 12 x18 paper. Adding cut marks will increase the page count. To avoid potential cropping of your tiled file, The IC will increase the overlap to Imposition: The Imaging Center can impose certain files via our Canon s Fiery Imposition software. The IC will impose business cards, take-aways/postcards, resumes, etc. The IC will not impose booklets or use the software to put pages in order for double-sided printing. For best results, please submit your business card with a 1/8 (0.125 ) bleed. If you are submitting an irregular file size, please write the actual file size (include bleed) on the special instructions section on the DIGITAL OUTPUT - C6010 form. The Canon C6010 has an overlap of up to.5mm. This means that all double-sided prints may not line up perfectly; they will be off-center by up to.5mm. Students can also access our Business Card Template via the IC s Blackboard tab. Thumbnails (Multiple Per Page): Thumbnail requests must be saved as a single, multiple page PDF. Thumbnail requests are submitted to the printer via Acrobat. The IC can only choose how many pages per sheet and does not have the option to fit to page, actual size or add crop marks. Please be aware that the Canon C6010 will resize your images to fit on the single sheet. For example, if a student requests two 7.5 x 10 images on one single 11 x 17 sheet, the printer will resize the images. The Imaging Center recommends requesting thumbnails only if you are interested in receiving a contact sheet. Make sure to include how many pages to a sheet via the special instructions space provided to you on the form. 9

10 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES canon C6010 laser printer Test Strip/Proof Page Package: For print jobs or booklets exceeding 20 pages, the IC will print a single page from the document, free of cost for the student to approve. A sample page or proof page is highly recommended because it allows you to see exactly what the final print will look like. Students will still be responsible for the price of any additional sample pages once changes are made. Double-Sided Printing: Files must be submitted as a single PDF in order for the Canon C6010 to print double-sided correctly. Separate files will not be accepted for double-sided printing. Do not save your InDesign file with spreads, unless you have properly put your pages in the correct order. See below for more details. All Imaging Center supplied laser papers are available for duplex (double-sided) printing. The Imaging Center is not responsible for pages that are out of order or misaligned. The student is responsible for creating a document with pages in the correct order. The IC regularly maintains the shift on our regularly stocked papers. Unfortunately, the laser printer is not able to provide 100%, accurate double-sided printing. The Canon C6010 has an overlap of up to.5mm. This means that all double-sided prints may not line up perfectly; they will be off-center by up to.5mm. See IC Management about creating a preset on our Canon for your supplied print media. Arranging Pages for a Booklet If saving your InDesign file with spreads, make sure that you have properly put the pages in the correct order. Blank pages must be inserted by the student prior to submitting the print job. 1 (8) (1) From the Pages panel, select all document pages, and right-click to uncheck Allow Selected Spread to Shuffle. 2 3 (2) (7) The Imaging Center does not provide saddle-stitching booklet printing at this time. 4 5 (6) (3) (4) (5)

11 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES student supplied media General Information: The Imaging Center accepts student supplied paper to be printed on our Canon C6010 laser printer. All paper must be for LASER printers and not inkjet printers. All paper must be brought into the Imaging Center in its original packaging with the weight and g/m 2 clearly marked. If the original packaging is not supplied, the IC will not print using the supplied media. The original packaging or a spec sheet must be brought in every time that a print job is submitted. Paper must be cut to a specific standard size (8.5x11, 11x17, 12x18, 13x19, etc.). When submitting a print job, please supply between 5-15 sheets of the same paper type for testing purposes. Turnaround Times and Proofing: Standard turnaround time for bringing in your own media to use on the Canon C6010 is between 2 and 4 hours. During midterms and finals, turnaround times will increase. It is highly recommended that you submit a proof prior to submitting the final print job. The IC will print a single page from the document, free of cost for the student to approve. A sample page or proof page is highly recommended because it allows you to see exactly what the final print will look like. Complaints will only be considered if a proof was printed and approved by the customer. Accepted Paper Types: The Canon C6010 can handle a variety of media weights and types up to 13 x 19.2 in size and 16lb. bond (60gsm) to 120lb. cover (325gsm) in weight. Some 120lb. cover papers with a texture may not process through the printer. The IC recommends the majority of digital printer paper from Neenah and French Paper. Unaccepted Paper Types: The Imaging Center will not accept the following media at this time: vellum, newsprint, canson, metallic, transparency or water color papers, in addition to adhesive labels or stickers. The Imaging Center does reserve the right to deny submitted paper types at any time. 11

12 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES copier/scanner functions General Information: All copy and scan requests must be submitted in hard copy form. The Imaging Center will not copy from books, magazines, or other published materials due to copyright reasons. Original copies should neatly be assembled in the correct order with no tears or damaged pages. Staples or tape should be removed prior to submitting copy/scan requests. The IC can make high-quality scans up to 11 x17 from an original document and send them directly to your CCS . Scanning Request forms can be requested from an IC Tech. The Canon C6010 can attach your document as a PDF, JPG, or TIFF. If your scan is larger than 10mb, it will automatically break up the file into several attachments. The IC will scan your document at the highest possible resolution (600x600). Standard turnaround time for the scanning process is between 1-2 hours. Please be aware during midterms and finals, turnaround times will increase up to 24 hours. The Canon C6010 has the ability to corner staple and double staple. Black & White Copy Pricing Paper Type Paper Size Single-Sided Double-Sided Hammermill Copy Paper 20lb. Bond 8.5 x11 11 x17 $0.10/sheet $0.20/sheet 8.5 x11 Hammermill Color Copy Paper 28lb. Bond 11 x17 $0.25/sheet $0.50/sheet 12 x18 Student Supplied Paper N/A $0.05/sheet $0.10/sheet Color Copy Pricing Paper Type Paper Size Single-Sided Double-Sided Hammermill Copy Paper 20lb. Bond 8.5 x11 11 x17 $0.50/sheet $1.00/sheet 8.5 x11 Hammermill Color Copy Paper 28lb. Bond 11 x17 $1.00/sheet $1.50/sheet 12 x18 Student Supplied Paper N/A $0.25/sheet $0.50/sheet Scan-to- Pricing The cost to scan documents to is $0.05/sheet. Make sure that you know the actual page count prior to submitting the scan job. 12

13 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES epson inkjet printers The Imaging Center has two Epson 9900 printers, which can print up to 44 wide on various medias. In addition, the IC has two Epson 4880 printers, which can print on provided 13 x19 sheets or on a small roll (16 luster roll and a 17 matte roll). Paper Type Paper Size Price Enhanced Matte Doubleweight Matte Premium Luster Premium Gloss max. 44 wide max. 24 wide max. 44 wide max. 36 wide $6.00/sq. ft. Cold Press Bright max. 24 wide $9.00/sq. ft. Ink Type Epson UltraChrome K3 HDR Ink Colors 10/11-cartridge (O, G, C, Lc, VM, VLm, Y, Lk, LLk + PK/MK) Resolution 2880 x 1440 dpi Maximum Paper Width 44 Maximum Image Width 43.5 Ink Lightfastness Up to 200 years depending on paper and storage Paper Type Paper Size Price Enhanced Matte 13 x 19 $4.00/sheet Enhanced Matte [roll] max. 16 wide $4.00/sq. ft. Premium Luster 13 x 19 $6.00/sheet Premium Luster [roll] max. 16 wide $4.00/sq. ft. Watercolor 13 x 19 $4.00/sheet Ink Type Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta ink technology Ink Colors 9-cartridge (C, Lc, VM, VLm, Y, Lk, LLk PK or MK) Resolution 2880 x 1440 dpi Maximum Paper Width 16 Maximum Image Width 15.5 Ink Lightfastness Up to 200 years depending on paper and storage 13

14 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES inkjet printing General Information: All four printers process through the same RIP, Onyx Postershop v Each of our print medias are color profiled with an i1pro 2 Spectrophotometer utilizing the i1profiler software. Our color profiles are available for soft proofing in the 24-hour lab. See our Soft Proofing Guide for more information. Print jobs should be exported/saved with crop marks (see page 22 and pages for more information). By default, the Imaging Center will print your image in the center of the paper roll. We can not determine the white border on your image. If you need a 1 white margin on each side of your image, save that within your file in addition to crop marks. If submitting a PDF with multiple pages, make sure to note the different image sizes on the DIGITAL OUTPUT - Epson 4880/9900 form to ensure an accurate price quote. The Imaging Center may gang files up in order to provide quicker turnaround times and to save media. This will not affect your price quote as the IC bills by the square foot of the image. Remember to outline all of your fonts prior to saving/exporting your file as a PDF. To help avoid fingerprints, white cotton inspection gloves will be available to students for a cost of $0.50, including tax. 14

15 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES inkjet pricing and test strips Test Strip Package: The Imaging Center offers a test strip package for our inkjet printers. Test strips are highly recommended because they allow you to see exactly what the final print will look like. Test strips should be checked for color accuracy, contrast, and resolution. Once a test strip has been approved, the file can be submitted for processing. Complaints regarding color management will only be considered if a test strip was printed and approved by the customer. Test strips are free! (within reason). Students can print the same test strip for free on two different types of media. Any additional test strips will cost $2.50, including tax. Test strips should be no larger than 2 tall by the width of the document and contain areas of the file that offer the best representation of color and contrast. Please label the file teststrip so it will be easy to find in your Print Me folder. Take note of which printer the test strip comes out of. Ask an IC Tech to write the printer name on the strip. Even though the printers are the same model and type, they were purchased at different times and are profiled separately. There may be small differences or variances between the two printers. Remember to create your test strip in the same exact way that you saved your final image. If you submit a test strip that is a.jpg file, it may print out differently than the.pdf file that you submit as your final file. Complaints will be disregarded if test strips were created incorrectly. Pricing: Both the Epson 4880s and Epson 9900s are billed by the square foot [when printing on the roll paper]. This formula shows how to calculate the final price of your print job. All measurements must be in inches. Length x Width = Square Inches Square Inches / 144 = Square Feet Square Feet x Paper Cost = Cost of Print For example, if you wanted to print an 27 x 38 image on the Epson 9900 on Enhanced Matte. Step 1: 27 x 38 = 1026 Step 2: 1026 / 144 = sq. ft. Step 3: sq. ft. x $6.00 = $42.75 The total cost for this print job would be $42.75 before tax and $45.32 after tax. To figure out the price of your poster with tax, multiple the before taxed amount by $

16 FINISHING SERVICES spiral binding Binding Type Plastic Coil Binding [colors: black or clear ] Plastic Comb Binding [color: black] Wire 3:1 Binding [color: black] Wire 2:1 Binding [color: black] Spiral-0 Binding [color: black] 10mil Clear Binding Cover Letter or Tabloid 10mil Black Binding Cover Letter or Tabloid Sheets/20lb Paper approximate 220 sheets 220 sheets 125 sheets 175 sheets 125 sheets N/A N/A Binding Cost $1.00/coil $1.00/cover $1.00/cover Binding Combo N/A $2.50/booklet Rebinding N/A $.50/booklet General Information: The Imaging Center can spiral bind a booklet up to 12 in length. Your booklet must be submitted with the pages in the correct order and orientation from front cover to back cover. If you would like the IC to bind a booklet of an irregular size, please supply a mock up at the full size in order for us to create and test the correct length of punch to use. Covers must also be trimmed to size. All pages must be the same size; the Imaging Center cannot guarantee that the binding machine can evenly punch through sketchbooks and/or tracing paper. The IC does reserve the right to deny submitted collections of various papers and sizes. 16

17 FINISHING SERVICES stack cutting General Information: The Imaging Center can cut up to 700 sheets of paper (20lb copy) at one time. The IC also has the capability to cut up to 250 sheets of thicker paper (100lb cover) at one time. Your booklet must be submitted with the pages in the correct order and orientation from front cover to back cover. Make sure to save your file with crop marks and a bleed to insure that your type or image isn t trimmed off. Standard turnaround time for the cutting process is 6-8 hours. Please be aware during midterms and finals, turnaround times will increase up to 24 hours. Your job will be processed in the order that it was received. There is a minimum count of 10 sheets of paper in order to use this service. The IC will not use the stack cutter to trim tiling jobs. The Imaging Center will not stack cut books printed off-site (blurb, lulu, etc.). The IC will also not stack cut through mat board, foam core, cardboard. If off-site material is cut incorrectly by an IC Tech, the IC will reprint materials on Imaging Center stock at no cost. Pricing: To use the Dahle Premium 858 Stack Cutter, the cost to trim is $1.00/cut. If you are trimmimg and the binding a book in the Imaging Center, you can take advantage of the Complete Combo. The cost for this service includes 4 stack cuts, binding, and 2 covers for $6.00/book ($6.36 after tax). The Imaging Center may require a set-up fee of $5.00/job if complicated cuts and measuring are required. 17

18 DIGITAL OUTPUT SERVICES self-serve printing General Information: There is a color laser printer in each 24-hour lab. These printers are an inexpensive alternative for proofing layout and spelling before submitting the job to the IC. They are also great for quick prints on a small scale. CCS uses Paper Cut print management software to regulate printing in the labs. Students will need to authenticate the print jobs that they send to the Lexmark and Xerox printers. Every student begins each semester with a $20 CCS allowance ($10 for summer semester), for printing at a black & white lab printer, 24-hour lab printers, the library or Student Success Center printers. Students cannot supply their own media on the printers. The paper provided is letter and tabloid sized 20lb. Hammermill Multipurpose Paper. The pricing structure is as follows: Lexmark lab printers (black & white, 8.5 x 11 only) $.05 letter $.07 duplex (letter only) 24-hour lab Xerox laser printers (color) $.60 letter $.75 tabloid For more information on Paper Cut and self-serve printing, as well as, refund requests, please see a Paper Cut pamphlet located on Blackboard or in each 24-hour lab. Taubman Proctors: The Proctor is responsible for the daily and basic functions of the 24-hour lab in the Taubman. A Proctor is available Monday-Thursday from 8:00a-10:00p and Friday from 8:00a-3:45p. They can help with the following issues: Paper jams Printer issues Basic troubleshooting If the Proctor is unavailable and you are having a problem, you should contact the CCS HelpDesk at or by submitting a HelpDesk ticket at 18

19 PRINTING TIPS printing tips Helpful Printing Tips: 1. Set color preferences before starting to work on a file. In the Adobe Color Preferences (Edit > Color Settings) in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, set your RGB working color space to Adobe RGB 1998 and the CMYK working color space to U.S. Web Coated CMYK (SWOP) v2. To save time, you can also set this in Adobe Bridge. Select Edit > Creative Suite Color Settings and you can synchronize all your Adobe applications. 2. Work in an RGB color space as long as possible. When preparing images in Photoshop, it s always best to stay in RGB mode while color correcting the image. With a larger color gamut than CMYK, RGB offers the potential for more flexibility. In addition, many filters and functions are only available to use in the RGB color space. RGB file sizes are also about 25% smaller than CMYK files. Remember: RGB = screen/web/light CMYK = paper/printed material/ink 3. Soft Proof in CMYK before converting colors. To avoid the need to make color adjustments after the image has been converted to CMYK, first ensure your proof settings are correct (View > Proof Setup > Working CMYK). To turn this on, select View > Proof Colors to simulate the outcome of converting to CMYK. Remember to select this again to turn it off afterwards. Two useful options to your proof settings can be found under View > Proof Setup > Custom. Simulate Paper Color and Simulate Black Ink options will reduce the contrast range of your proof view to that of ink on paper. Turning this off will extend the contrast range to that of the monitor. This is helpful when working on image detail. 4. Soft Proof on Soft Proof station in the Taubman 24 hour lab. Soft proofing is a representation or simulation on a computer monitor of what an image is going to look like on an output device, such as a printer. Soft proofing in Photoshop only simulates the appearance of an ink-on-paper proof, also known as a hard proof. The actual image data is not modified by this process. The specified monitor in the 24-hour lab is calibrated bi-weekly using X-Rite i1profiler software and hardware. Check out the IC s Soft Proofing Guide for more information. 5. Hard Proof/Test Strip A hard proof or a test strip is the most accurate kind of proof, since it is an actual print made using the same materials that will be used to make the final print. Test strips are free! See page 15 for more details on how to set up your document. Remember to create your test strip in the same exact way that you saved your final image! 19

20 PRINTING TIPS common mistakes Common Printing Mistakes: 1. Inadequate bleed on artwork Bleed refers to artwork that extends beyond the document boundaries. This is necessary because the guillotines/rotary trimmers that will trim your prints aren t always accurate. A safe bet is to have 1/8 of bleed (or 3mm) for most print jobs that are hand-held, such as posters, letterheads and business cards, etc. 2. Spelling errors Remember to spell check your print job before submitting it to the IC. Do not rely on a spell checker, which may not catch common errors, such as the difference between their/there. It is not uncommon for posters to be submitted with the designer s name spelled incorrectly! IC Techs will contact the student if they catch an obvious error, but we do not proof the prints prior to submission. Make sure to check over your work thoroughly before submitting a print. 3. Image Resolution Too Low Image resolutions for print need to be between 300 pixels per inch (ppi) and 400 ppi. Setting the ppi too high can cause problems, but the major error some people make is setting the resolution too low. The common mix-up is using a 72 dpi (dots per inch) image instead of one that is 300 ppi or higher. Another common mistake is using a 72 dpi image that originated on the internet, and using it for print by enlarging it. 4. Saving Black and White images in Color - Save in grayscale If you want your Black & White images to stay that way, make sure they re setup or converted to a grey-working space or profile. Otherwise, cyan, magenta and yellow inks will be added when your image is printed as part of a document. 5. Using.gif or.png to print.gif and.png files are on-screen-only file formats. These file formats are not intended for print and will not print well. Garbage in = garbage out. 6. Not flattening layers before exporting to PDF You need to flatten layers first or your file will be huge. This is especially true when sending PDF files to tile on our Canon C Fonts not embedded in PDF file The printer may not have the same font that you have used. We ve seen posters print beautifully with the exception of a font replacement that our printer has used. Remember to outline your fonts before exporting your file as a PDF. 8. Avoid colors that are consistently hard to print Gray shows flaws more than any other color. In general, four color grays are the hardest to print because they involved all four process colors in a balance. If one color is off, the gray looks more like brown or blue. 20

21 PDF PREPARATION adobe acrobat General Information: PDF/X specifications are intended to provide a framework for creating print-ready PDFs. High Quality Print Intended for imaging on in-house proofers and desktop printers. Any RGB, Lab or spot-color content will remain in its original color space and will not convert to CMYK. PDF/X-1a: 2001 PDF/X-1a files are intended for use in workflows that do not employ color management or support live transparency. All transparency is flattened; spot colors are maintained; any RGB content is converted to CMYK during PDF generation. 21

22 PDF PREPARATION adobe acrobat PDF/X-3: 2002 PDF/X-3 files build on specifications set by PDF/X-1a and can contain CMYK, RGB, Lab, grayscale, and spot-color content. Intended for use in workflows that require flattened transparency (like the IC), but have support for color management. Transparency is flattened; no color conversion takes place. It is strongly recommended that PDF/X-3 is used when submitting jobs in the Imaging Center. Exporting Crop Marks: You can add marks and bleeds via the Export Adobe PDF dialog box when saving from Illustratior (Save As) or InDesign. From the Export Adobe PDF dialog box, you can select Trim Marks, Bleed Marks, Registration Marks, etc. Click Export in InDesign Click Save PDF in Illustrator. If trying to add crop marks to a Photoshop PDF, see page 24 for more information. 22

23 PDF PREPARATION adobe acrobat How to combine multiple PDF files into a single PDF: The IC can process files quickly when multiple like-sized PDF (or.jpg) files are combined into one single PDF file. Consider that each PDF file takes a minimum of 2-5 minutes for set-up. If you have more than 5, the total time for just your print job could take up to 30 minutes to complete. File > Create. Combine Files Into a Single PDF. Please note, the Imaging Center cannot print a PDF portfolio. Select the Add Files button in the left hand corner of the Combine Files dialog box. In this dialog box, you will be able to select additional files to be included into the combined PDF. You can drag and drop files to make sure that the files are in the correct page order. Make sure to select the largest file size via the icons within the Options menu located in the top right hand corner of the dialog box. Select Combine Files. 23

24 PDF PREPARATION adobe acrobat Adding crop marks into an existing PDF file: The Imaging Center does not add crop marks to any large format inkjet print jobs. If you don t have. your original file available, you may have to add crop marks into an already saved PDF. From the Tools Menu, make sure that the Print Production Menu is available. You may have to click the drop down menu (red box) and select Print Production. Select Set Page Boxes. From the Set Page Boxes dialog menu, you will be increasing the canvas size of your image. Change Page Size > Custom Increase the page size by an inch on both the Width and the Height. You will see the updated, expanded page size under the thumbnail of the image. If adding crop marks on multiple pages within a PDF, make sure that you are selecting All under the Page Range section. 24 Click OK.

25 PDF PREPARATION adobe acrobat Print Production > Add Printer Marks. From the Add Printer Marks dialog box, you can select Trim Marks, Bleed Marks, Registration Marks, etc. If adding crop marks on multiple pages within a PDF, make sure that you are selecting All under the Page Range section. Click OK. Acrobat will display a pop-up, warning you that the operation cannot be undone. Click Yes to Proceed. Another pop-up will appear warning you to expand the crop box. This has already been done with the previous step. Click OK. You should now see your final image with the addition of crop marks. Save As. The IC does not charge you for the crop marks; only the exact image size. For example, if your image is 18x24, we will only charge you for that size and not the 18.25x24.25, which is the image size plus the crop marks. 25

26 STAFF AND FACULTY policies and procedures General Information: The Imaging Center will accept files from staff and faculty through fillable PDF forms that can be found on the Imaging Center link under the Campus Offices tab on Blackboard. Please direct questions to Your print job will be completed in the order it was received. Standard turnaround time for the laser and inkjet printers are between 2 and 4 hours. Please be aware that during midterms and finals, turnaround times can increase up to 24 hours. The Imaging Center does reserve the right to extend the turnaround time for staff and faculty print jobs in order to complete the student workload. If an 8-digit department budget code is not provided, staff and faculty are required to pay for the print job out of pocket to be later reimbursed by their department. Staff and faculty can get their budget number from their department administrator or supervisor. If a code is not provided, staff and faculty will be unable to leave the IC with the processed print job. The Imaging Center work-study do not have access to the budget account numbers so this must be provided each time. If you are submitting material on external media, it is required that you create a Print Me folder which contains the file that to be printed. If you are submitting a.pdf, make sure to include the original file as well. Each file to be printed must be individually listed with the correct file name on the DIGITAL OUTPUT form. Class Tours: If you are interested in arranging for your class to come in to the Imaging Center for a tour, please contact Michelle Peck at x1510 or at mpeck@collegeforcreativestudies.edu Special Projects: We will work to the best of our ability in the Imaging Center to meet your special requests. Please contact Michelle Peck to talk about the logistics, such as scheduling needs or paper requests. For faculty teaching a sponsored project course, please contact the Imaging Center within the first few weeks of the semester with information on what type and how much printing is needed to complete the project and any major due dates. In order to set up a student print budget, the Imaging Center will need a current class roster. 26

27 27

28 Last Updated: January 2015 The Imaging Center College for Creative Studies 460 W. Baltimore Detroit, MI T f: The CCS Imaging Center Fall and Winter Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday: 8:00am - 10:00pm Friday: 8:00am - 3:00pm Saturday-Sunday: Closed