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Below are some Frequently Asked Questions to assist you in preparing for your next printed job with Bedwick and Jones.
DO YOU HAVE MINIMUM QUANTITIES? A typical off-set printing job consists of quantities of at least 500. Every job has set up costs regardless of quantities, so the larger the quantity, the lower the price per piece. If you have concerns that your quantity may be too low, please give us a call and we can discuss the best options to meet your requirements and budget.
WHAT KIND OF FILES DO YOU ACCEPT? We accept many file types, both Mac and PC format, including: QuarkXPress, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, PageMaker as well as PDF documents. We do accept Microsoft Word files, but recommend that they are converted to a high-resolution .pfd to ensure that all items print accurately. HOW DO I MAKE A PDF FILE BEDWICK AND JONES CAN USE? PDF files are a very convenient and accurate option for printing your job. Please follow these tips to ensure that your PDF file will work without errors. To create a PDF file, first create a postscript file in your layout program. Be sure all settings are chosen for Press Quality. Then, in Adobe Acrobat Distiller, distill the post script file using Press Quality settings. Don't forget to:
If you have questions about creating the perfect PDF, please don't hesitate to call us. We will be happy to help you through the process.
WHAT SHOULD MY IMAGE RESOLUTION BE? All images should be set at AT LEAST 300 DPI. For even better quality, set your images to 400 DPI. We print all jobs at 200 line screen, and as a general rule, image resolution should be twice the line screen. Please be aware that images below 300 DPI may print at poor quality. If you are using images from the Internet, please be sure to check that they will be large enough at 300 DPI for accurate printing.
Always make your page size the size that you would like your finished flat document to be. For example, if you are designing an 8.5 x 11 two-sided flyer, make your page size 8.5 x 11 and pull the bleeds out over the edges of the page. If you are ganging up several versions of something, such as business cards, please check with us for the best way to send files before you start your project. Typically, the best method for both designer and printer is to have each card in its own separate page. We'll take care of laying it out for press.
If your printed piece has images or other items that go to the edge of the page, you must provide enough image or color that will bleed off the page so that no white paper is revealed when we cut the job to its finished size. This is simple to do by making sure that your images and areas of colors expand at least 1/8 inch over the document size.
I AM CREATING A MULTI–PAGE PIECE, HOW SHOULD I SET UP THE FILE? If you are creating anything more then a single-sided brochure or sheet, such as a booklet, catalog, magazine, or multi-page brochure, the best way to provide the file is in finished page size in the order that you would read the book. For example: If you are designing a 24-page magazine in QuarkXPress that folds to 8.5"x11", your document size should be 8.5"x11" and the first page in the page layout should be your cover, then inside front cover, page 1, page 2, etc. We also ask that all pages including the cover are included in the same document. This helps avoid confusion and possible errors when printing your job.
I'M READY TO PRINT MY JOB, HOW SHOULD I GIVE YOU THE FILES AND OTHER MATERIALS? If your file is only a few megabytes in size, we are happy to accept files via email or ftp. Any files above 70 MB should be burned to a CD or DVD and arranged to be picked up or delivered to us. A detailed list to help ensure your job will print accurately can be find in our Pre-Press checklist section. Below are a few basics to remember. Don't forget to:
DO YOU HANDLE THE MAILING OF MY DIRECT-MAIL PIECE? We are happy to handle the complete production of your job from printing to delivery. Typically, all we require for a direct-mail campaign is an excel spreadsheet of the recipients. Please contact us before starting your project so we can discuss options that will best meet your needs.
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