Design and Pre-Press
Basic Facts and Features
The Department of Publications and Printing operates Macintosh computers and a variety of software packages. Most Mac and IBM word processing files can be brought into our system. If in doubt, contact Debby Holcombe to ask if your particular software program is supported. (See Tips.)
Before You Come In
The Publication and Printing staff is available to help you make your printing decisions, but it's a good idea to have several basics in mind before you bring in your print request. To place a job or to obtain an estimate, you will be asked about:
- The number of copies you want to have duplicated or printed.
- Pictures or artwork to be used.
- How the publication is to be finished and bound.
- The account number to be charged.
- The type of paper and which ink colors to be used.
- When delivery is needed.
Available Options
For those printing requests which require pagination, you have several options, listed from most to least economical. You may:
- (Best option) Provide text-only copy on a computer disk in a word processing program. This is usually your best option in terms of time and expense, especially for offset printing.
- Provide the material in camera-ready form, to be scanned with no changes or adjustments required. This is a good option for quick-copy jobs, but may not give the best results for offset printing.
- Provide your document on a computer disk using PageMaker 7.0 (or later
version). Taking advantage of this option requires a thorough knowledge
of both the computer software and print specifications. The result can
be more expensive than providing a text-only disk because of the reformatting
that is frequently necessary to correct unusual or non-standard methods
of creating the document and which must be corrected before your document
can become a print-ready file. Some examples:
- To fold correctly, your brochure should have twice the margin between columns as it measures from the copy to the edge of the page.
- The margins for the right-hand panel of a tri-fold brocure must be 0.0625" narrower than the other panels to allow for the fold-over.
- Offset printing requires a minimum 0.375" outside margin for the gripper.
These issues are addressed when jobs are designed by Publications and Printing, but may need correcting if your brochure is designed elsewhere.
Copy that is handwritten generally cannot be accepted, other than in very small quantities. We'll be happy to discuss with you the most cost effective way to accomplish your project.
Type Fonts
The Department of Publications and Printing has hundreds of styles available. If you are using a special font in the Macintosh format, you may need to include that font on your disk. If you are unsure, call Debby Holcombe to check for the availability of your typeface in our system.
Proof Reading
All jobs must be proof read by the customer at least once, and the proof must be returned with its signed and dated proof ticket before work can continue. Even those jobs you submit using your computer disk need to be read because translation to a print-ready format can create unexpected results. While we try to identify problems, the volume of pages produced daily makes it impossible for staff to thoroughly check your proof for you. This important stage marks the last chance to identify problems and fix them easily and inexpensively. (See How to Read a Proof.)
Find the Problems Before They Are Printed
Here's how our proof reading system works:
- Up to four sets of proofs will be provided to the customer at no charge. Author's alterations beyond four sets will be charged according to the cost of materials required to produce them.
- When a proof is ready, the individual listed on the printing request will be notified. The customer should pick up the proof and return it within 24 hours. Any time lost at this stage may be added to the time needed to complete the job. Proof reading times for larger jobs, such as academic journals, books, and catalogs are scheduled with the customer when the job is placed.
- Every effort will be made to contact the person whose name is on the printing request when the proof is ready. If that person is unavailable, a message will be left with the department. Contact dates and times are noted on the proof ticket, and we will try again to notify you after two or three days if the proof is not picked up.
- Proofs can be picked up from the "Proof-Out Box" located behind the front counter. Proofs should be returned to the front office and changes discussed at that time.
- Each proof should be returned on time, signed and dated, with the
appropriate box checked to indicate the status of the job:
- Okay, ready to print (no corrections)
- Print with corrections
- Revised proof required
- Once a "Final Proof" has been signed and released by the customer, Publications and Printing is responsible for corrections noted on the final proof only. The customer must check to be sure any errors noted on previous proofs have been properly corrected. Errors that appear on the finished job, but that were not noted on the final proof, are the responsibility of the customer.
- A proof reading checklist is provided on the How to Read a Proof page. It is especially important that you use this or some other checklist if you are producing a newsletter, journal, or other large printing job.