Margie Dana

Preparing Files that Print

Just about everyone sends digital files to printers these days, and most of the files have problems that need correcting. Printers may or may not tell you about the problems. Either way, the more you know about preparing good files, the better your chances of getting the results you expect.

Daniel Dejan is a well-known graphic arts educator and creative specialist for Sappi Fine Paper. I first heard one of Daniel's presentations about three years ago, and it knocked me out. His was one of the best I'd heard, because he has a killer combo: great content, plus a fantastic stage presence. Last year, Daniel gave two presentations at our print buyers conference. He was so popular, he's coming back in November for our 2nd conference.

On Wednesday, November 7th, Daniel's covering "Preparing Files that Print," encompassing the three stages in the life of a file: planning, preparing and releasing. I interviewed him about what his audience can expect.

MD: Without giving away the "whole shebang," Daniel, can you tell us what is encompassed by each of the three stages in the life of a file that's going to a printer? Let's start with the planning stage.

DD: I think we have to remind ourselves that graphic design is a reverse engineering process: we have to be clear what we are designing, how it will be implemented and produced, and then design to those processes.

Too often, content creators design to the monitor and don't think about designing to the printing process or the web - or however the project will be produced. Repurposing a design usually throws more variables into the process and, if repurposing, numerous factors, each specific for each medium, must be taken into account as different versions of the design may have to be created to accommodate each media.

MD: Tell us about the preparing stage.

DD: This is probably the most complicated stage, as we want to believe that the software will take care of all of the details - and it does not. Software has immense resources programmed within if we know the right questions to ask and also know how we need to have the answers applied. Unfortunately, we have been led to believe that we are designing digitally, when in fact we are producing complex programs with numerous strings of programming commands and macros that relate to the visuals we perceive in our point-and-click environment.

Certain things are really important, like using the right software for the project, being aware that RGB is not CMYK, and knowing what the conversion process will do to our design. Also, designers should be aware of mechanical factors like bleed, use of imagery and where it originated, fonts, etc. All of these factors may look great on the monitor but may not necessarily translate to what we expect to print.

MD: The final stage is the releasing stage. How do you define it?

DD: We have to conduct a due diligence prior to sending a file to the printer. Whether the file is sent on a disk or as a PDF, we must build pre-flighting into out workflows. It is singularly the most important quality assurance tool we have to ensure that the programming we've done as seen as a design will not be problematic when the file is RIP'ed by the printer's pre-media department.

Pre-flight software is a diagnostic that helps us visualize what potential challenges we've designed into our project. It allows us to correct them at the point of origin rather than at the printer’s so that the file will flow smoothly with the printer's processes. Proper PDF preparation, profiling, and the correct PDF format are probably the greater issues to keep in mind so that the file will convert properly.

MD: The majority of customer files have problems when they are released to printers. Can you give us some sense of the most common problems?

DD: There are mechanical challenges as well as color expectations that lead to disappointment in the final piece. Here are some examples: improper fonts; poor layout builds, like no bleed, transparencies and sophisticated layering; use of low-res images and the scaling or enlargement of those images; gradients spread out over too large of an area; plus many more. All of these issues present challenges once the file is converted for print (but less so for jobs being used on the web).

From an aesthetic perspective, color management is without a doubt the larger issue. Color management, and all of its components, like calibration, profiling, and deliverable color choices, is about articulating and conveying aesthetic intent, such as critical colors and imagery color, through several workflows and processes. What we see on our computers will not be what we get if we do not have properly calibrated devices from scanners, monitors, in-house printers and proofers.

MD: In your opinion, who bears the responsibility of teaching/guiding customers how to create perfect files? Where do they learn this now?

DD: I would like to believe that color theory, production workflows and process, and implementation would be taught as a part of a design and communications curriculum at the university and/or college level, but unfortunately, it is not. Given that, I truly wish that the software developer and hardware manufacturers, who profit from the content creation process, would take mentoring as a responsibility. A few more pages in the users’ manual regarding color theory, caveats as to what to expect when a file is converted, etc., would not cost that much more, but would at least give the content creators a "heads up" that what they see on their monitors may not be what they get unless they take some precautionary steps and understand the limitations of the processes.

The bulk of the responsibility for education has fallen onto the shoulders of the supplier community. There are some very good seminars traveling the country on color theory, PDF preparation, using imagery properly and the instruments available for us, but they can be expensive, and it seems most content creators are not given the time out of the office for continuing education. Most printers, paper merchants, paper mills, and pre-media houses offer "lunch and learns" or private seminars to bridge the gap.

MD: If a printer goes back and tells a customer what's wrong with a file, it could have negative consequences - so I imagine that most printers just fix the files and move on. Is this common?

DD: Keep in mind that five years ago, 47% of files received by printers had to be corrected, edited, or rebuilt in order for the file to RIP. Last year that figure was updated to 59%. Most printers have a really hard time being able to go back to their customers to inform them that their files are being improperly prepared. The customer usually believes it is that particular printer’s problem and will seek another printer who will not have the same problem. Of course, a poorly prepared file will cause headaches for any printer, as they all have basically the same equipment. Printers know that, so they rarely have that discussion with a client. Instead, they take a proactive approach by hosting lunch and learns for their clients on file preparation, proper PDF formatting and profiling, color management, etc., in hopes of educating their customers and thereby protecting their margins by not having to fix the files for which they cannot charge the time to correct the file so it will run which ends up coming put of their pocket.

MD: In your conference session called "Preparing Files that Print," what will attendees learn? Can we expect you to begin this session with a song - as you did last year?

DD: No promise of a song - that was impromptu! We will review, at a quick pace, some of the most common, and easily prevented, challenges that content creators build into their projects. We will discuss the due diligence that can be built into our day-to-day workflows to ensure we have the information needed so we can get closer to deliverable expectations. We will also have a few laughs along the way.

Thanks, Daniel! Conference attendees who want to hear Daniel speak on this subject can register for his presentation (4:30 - 6 pm on November 7th) at www.bostonprintbuyers.com/pbiconference.

©2007 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues: please do! However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.

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