File Preparation Tips

For All Submissions

  • The ad in your document is the exact size of the ad you ordered
  • The ad has been proofread for typographical and grammatical errors
  • The ad has a logo or business name prominently displayed
  • The ad contains an address, phone number and store hours. If the store is difficult to locate, include a map
  • All rules are at least .25 points thick
  • All shapes were created using the geometrical tools within the application (rules were not used)
  • All required files have been included in a single compressed archive file

If The Ad Is Black & White

  • All artwork is line art or grayscale

If The Ad Is Color

  • All elements are CMYK (check the mode in Photoshop).
  • All graphics are properly separated for color
  • Color used in the ad is the color ordered with the account executive

If You Are Sending A PDF File

  • Acrobat Distiller was set up properly
  • The ad was distilled with fonts embedded
  • All images are CMYK, not RGB

If You Are Sending An EPS File

  • Your compressed file includes the EPS file and the original document
  • Your compressed file includes the fonts used in the document AND the fonts used in the graphics in the EPS file

If You Are Sending A Native Application File

  • The compressed file contains the document
  • The compressed file contains all graphics used in the ad
  • The compressed file contains all fonts used in the ad, as well as the fonts used in the logo and any graphics
  • Macintosh users should include both the screen font and the printer font
  • Windows users should include the .pfm file and .pfb file
  • The fonts are PostScript Type 1
  • All embedded graphics are properly linked to the main document

Ready to get started?

Get in touch

 

Graphics

Follow these tips to ensure that your text reproduces properly for display advertising.

  • Graphics must be a minimum of 200 dpi (dots per inch) at 100 percent of its final print size.
  • Create all EPS & PDF files with a TIFF preview.
  • Any file type can be uploaded, but we prefer PDF, TIFF and EPS files. If/when you upload gifs, jpegs, bmps, wmfs or picts image quality may be lost during conversion.
  • All colors must be in CMYK format. Ensure all colors are prepared for process-color (CMYK) separations. Newspaper color separations are always combinations of CMYK inks.
  • Images in the newspaper will appear 20 percent to 30 percent darker than a laser proof or the image on your screen, so consider dot gain when preparing your ad.
  • The fonts are PostScript Type 1 Surprints often “plug” or fill in when printed. Better results are achieved by going from 10 percent to 75 percent instead of 0 percent to 100 percent.
  • When using gradients and tints, a good rule of thumb is to avoid surprints.
  • Avoid hairline rules, as they may not reproduce on an imagesetter. For thin lines, use a .25-point rule instead.
  • Word processing software doesn’t effectively facilitate laying out pages and changing fonts and often has trouble printing consistently to PostScript printers. Avoid doing page layout in word processing or presentation programs, such as Microsoft Word, WordPerfect or PowerPoint.
  • Avoid selecting “none” as a background color in picture boxes in QuarkXPress documents with TIFF files. Doing so will cause jagged edges on the picture in the final print.
  • Avoid creating complex clipping paths in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator because they may be impossible to image. A complex path is one that has many control points.
  • Clear the pasteboard surrounding your document of any unnecessary items, and make sure that there are no non-printable items in the document.
  • Double check your ad for correct dimensions and zero margins.
  • Print your final ad document to check its printability. Chances are, if you can’t print it, we won’t be able to either.

Text

Follow these tips to ensure that your text reproduces properly for display advertising.

  • The compressed file contains the document.
  • Use PostScript Type 1 fonts only. Do not use TrueType or bitmap fonts.
  • Avoid type sizes below 8 points.
  • Don’t set white type to “overprint”.
  • Avoid reverse type smaller than 12 points and serif and non-bold type smaller than 10 points.
  • Delete all unused style sheets and colors prior to transmission of your document.
  • Avoid using more than two font families on a single ad.
  • Supply the fonts you’ve used in your document, even if they are included in the EPS file.

Follow these additional tips if you are supplying text for an advertisement, special section or vendor tab

  • Double-check all names, dates, times and locations for accuracy.
  • Send document in Rich Text Format (RTF).

PDFs

Portable Document Format (PDF)

PDF is the standard for electronic distribution of documents and is also our preferred file format. PDF files are created when a file is saved as a PostScript file then “distilled” or converted to a PDF file using Adobe’s Acrobat Distiller. Many software packages allow you to create a PDF file from within the application.

A PDF document contains the following components:

  • A view file that displays the page or ad as you created it.
  • Embedded Type 1 PostScript fonts.
  • Graphic objects, such as logos or artwork.

You can create a PDF file when it is not a built-in option by utilizing CutePDF.

STEP ONE: Create a PostScript file on Windows with CutePDF:

  • Start your application and open the document.
  • Choose File > Print.
  • Select CutePDF from the printer list and click PRINT.

STEP TWO: Save the file

Enter a pathname and filename for the PostScript file, selecting PDF files in the SAVE AS TYPE field on the SAVE AS menu and click OK.

STEP THREE: Your PDF is ready to be uploaded.

CutePDF is freeware and is available for download at CutePDF.com