FAQ

How it works:

1. Tips for getting started
   
   There are 3 elements to any successful printed piece: Photos of your product or service; Text about your product or service; and your company Logo. Remember, the more care you take in selecting and preparing these elements, the better the results will be.
   
   
2. Proofs
   
   After a design has been created, we’ll provide you with a pdf proof for text, layout, and design approval. A hard copy color proof can be made available if you choose.
   
   You will be asked to review the proof(s) carefully and return to us the signed artwork approval form. Your full color piece will be printed shortly thereafter.
   
   
3. Electronic File Checklist
   
   Everyone wants their job to run smoothly! For your convenience we've put together a checklist to ensure that your job will be finished promptly and correctly. (p.s. it's a good idea to give to one your designer too!)
   
   



Setup:

Color

4. What color mode should my files be?
   
   We print 4 process (CMYK) colors. Scanners and digital cameras create images using combinations of just three colors: Red, Green and Blue (called “RGB”). These are the colors that computers use to display images on your screen. But printing presses print full color pictures using a different set of colors: Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Black (called “CMYK”). So at some stage your RGB file must be translated to CMYK in order to print it on a printing press. This is easily done using an image editing program like PhotoShop or Corel PhotoPaint.
   
   Caution: It’s Best If You do the RGB-to-CMYK Conversion of Your Images!
   
   You will have more control over the appearance of your printed piece if you convert all of the images from RGB to CMYK before sending them to us. When we receive RGB images, we do a standard-value conversion to CMYK, which may not be perfectly to your liking. We want you to be happy, so please, take the time to prepare your file properly. We cannot be responsible for sub-par results if you furnish low-res images or RGB images.
   
   Be aware that it is possible to make colors in RGB that you can’t make with CMYK. They are said to be “out of the CMYK color gamut”. What happens is that the translator just gets as close as possible to the appearance of the original and that’s as good as it can be. It’s something that everyone in the industry puts up with. So it’s best to select any colors you use for fonts or other design elements in your layout using CMYK definitions instead of RGB. Color photos don’t suffer much from CMYK translation.
   
   Do not use default red, green or blue colors available on your color palette as these do not accurately convert to CMYK. Any heavy black ink coverage must be set up as a rich black (C75 M50 Y50 K100). Be sure all colors used in your document and your graphic files are set to CMYK values for proper separation. Be sure to remove any unused colors.
   
   
5. How can I make sure my blues do not come out purple?
   
   Color shifting during printing process can quite often lead to this problem because blue and purple both use similar concentrations of cyan and magenta in the CMYK color model. We recommend keeping blue and purple values 30% away from each other. For blue try C100, M70 and for purple M100, C70 depending on your need.
   
   
6. How do I get a grayscale image in a CMYK document?
   
   When a grayscale image is converted to CMYK, quite often the color will shift when printed. In order to ensure that this does not happen, examine your the channels of your image in a program like Photoshop. The black channel should have data, while the other ink channels should not. If you need to eliminate colors that shouldn't be present, try applying the Channel Mixer adjustment layer (Photoshop) set to monochrome.
   
   
7. What is rich black and how can I get it?
   
   Black is a standard ink color used in CMYK printing. Rich black, however, is a combination of different inks that when blended together appear black. As the name suggests, rich black will have a darker, richer appearance than standard black ink. If you would like to use rich black in your files, start by setting K100 and then add percentages of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow ink as well. (ie. C75, M50, Y50, K100) If you are having trouble outputting a file with rich black, double check your saving options. Some programs will convert rich black to K100.
   
   



Resolution

8. What resolution should my files be?
   
   All included materials need a minumum resolution of 300dpi and any bitmap images should have a resolution between 600dpi-1200dpi.
   
   
9. I found some of my pictures on the web, is that ok?
   
   Unless you bought the image from a stock agency online, the answer is probably no. Putting aside the issue of copyright, the vast majority of images posted online only have a resolution of 72 dpi. In order to print a job, a resolution of 300dpi is needed. What that means is the 1" x 1" image you took from the web, will become 1/4" x 1/4" when printed. A general rule of thumb is that any images from the web need to be 4x larger than the physical printed size in order to use them.
   
   
10. What is a bitmap image and are they setup differently?
    
    Bitmap images are purely black and white images that have been saved as bitmaps from a graphics software. We recommend that bitmap images be saved with resolution between 600dpi-1200dpi.
    
    



Transparency

11. How can I avoid transparency issues?
    
    Sometimes when using transparency an object will appear fine on screen but print incorrectly. The best method to combat this problem is to avoid the use of shadows, glows or transparency (image or otherwise) on top of spot colors. If you have any of these effects in your document, convert all your spot colors to CMYK and flatten the document before sending.
    
    



Borders, Bleed & Crop Marks

12. How much bleed should I include?
    
    A minimum of 1/8" or .125" bleed should be added to all files that will have ink coverage from edge of page to edge of page. For non-bleed jobs, make sure there is .125" clear space from the edge on all sides.
    
    
13. How should I setup my crop marks?
    
    If you sending in camera ready art, your document should reflect the finished printed size + a .125" bleed as well as crop marks. Crop marks should start at least .125" outside of the print area to ensure they are not visible on the finished product. If you need an example, please take a look at the template files we offer for download here.
    
    
14. Does Village Printing accept borders on jobs?
    
    Yes, we can print borders on your project but there are some precautions you should take to avoid them being off center. First, make sure that the border on your document extends at least 1/8" inside the cut line (finished print size). Also make sure to include bleed and extend your border to the full width of the bleed zone.
    
    



Exporting PDFs

15. How do I export a .pdf correctly?
    
    When exporting or saving a .pdf file from Adobe software: select Press Quality from the Adobe PDF Preset menu. Compatibilty should be set to Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) and the compress text and line art feature should be turned off.
    
    



Layout

16. How should I setup my file for proper rotation?
    
    The lead edge or head of a job is always the top edge of the page. Jobs will print head to head based on the files you submit.
    
    
17. Can I submit a front and back in the same file?
    
    Yes, multi-page files can be submitted.
    
    
18. How do I use Village Printing templates?
    
    These templates are provided as a guide for size, trim and bleed and can help ensure that there are no suprises in the print process. We offer various formats of templates to be used in different ways depending on your needs. InDesign files may be opened directly and allow you to add your content directly into them. Other versions which include .pdf and .eps files may be placed into your own page layout program.
    
    A word of caution: each template contains notes within it to explain what various guides mean. After you are finished designing your job, make sure you delete these notes to ensure they are not printed. If any notes, stray marks or guides are visible when you use 'print preview' chances are they will be printed. Always remember, what you see is what you get - if it looks bad in your preview, it won't look any better in print!
    
    



Sending Files:

19. What types of files do you accept?
    
    We recommend and prefer sending files in .PDF format with fonts that have been either converted to outlines or embedded. However, we do accept files from all the following programs:
    
    Microsoft - Publisher, Word, Excel and Powerpoint
    Quark Xpress
    Adobe - Pagemaker, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat
    Corel - Draw, Photo-Paint
    Macromedia - Freehand
    ClarisWorks
    AppleWorks
    
    If your program isn't listed please contact us, we may be able to accept it too!
    
    
20. How do I send files to Village Printing?
    
    Files may be sent by email, through our website form or by mail to:
    Village Printing, 349 McCormick Drive, Lapeer, MI 48755.
    
    
21. Should I send a proof or sample file?
    
    A printed sample isn't required, but we do recommend that you send one. In the event that a digital file is corrupt or there are missing pieces, a printed sample will allow us to know something is wrong.
    
    



Terminology

22. What is banding?
    
    Banding is when visible striations occur in fields of color that are smooth or have been gradated. Banding can be caused by software or by using gradients with a large number of gradient steps. This can be particularly apparent when a light color is gradated to a dark color in a very small area.
    
    
23. What is overprint?
    
    Overprint is a setting which prints and mixes ink on top of one other. When printed the effect is similar to using the multiply command in Photoshop. We recommed turning off all overprint options before submitting your files.
    
    
24. What is RGB and CMYK?
    
    RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue and is the color model used for monitors, online content and other electronic devices. The RGB model is based on the principal that visible light is composed of various mixes of Red, Green and Blue.
    
    CMYK represents the standard color model used for printed material. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (K) are ink colors that are combined in a process that is also known as 4 color process printing.
    
    
25. What is spot color?
    
    When a job is printed in 4 color process, it uses 4 plates (1 for each color) in the printing press. Spot colors are specially formulated inks (PMS colors) that can be printed in addition to or in the place of typical 4 color plates. If you only require 1 or 2 colors in your job, specifying spot color/s would likely make it more cost effective.
    
    
26. What is bleed?
    
    Quite often jobs are designed to be printed from edge to edge and unfortunately, most print presses require margins on the paper that runs through them. To combat that problem, jobs are printed on paper that is slightly larger than required and then trimmed down to the finished size. Bleed is the name of the margin of space outside of the physical size of the print job. The design of the job (color, graphics) is extended to fill the bleed. This ensures that if any shifting occurs when the job is trimmed, the design still covers the job from edge to edge. Village Printing, Inc. requires a bleed of 1/8" or .125" around each job requiring edge to edge printing.
    
    




After Printing

27. Why does my business card crack around the edges?
    
    Dark and rich colors typically require heavy layers of ink. If those layers extend to the border, it is possible that they will flake or chip along the edge. To avoid this issue, use light colors or as little ink as possible around edges.
    
    
28. Why is there cracking on my scoring job?
    
    When a job is printed, applied ink sits on the surface of the paper and forms it's own layer. Scoring and folding means that this new ink layer must bend as well. Since ink is not as flexbile as paper, quite often it will crack or chip along a folded edge.