First Impression Printing

File Preparation

If you have additional questions not covered on this page please call First Impression Printing at 734.662.6541. You can also email questions to info@fipjob.com and we will forward them to the proper individual.

Our friendly staff will be very happy to help you.

FYI — BASICS

Please do not give us the only copy of your files. The disk and files could be lost or damaged. Copies of your documents should be stored on your hard disk or other storage medium for safe keeping.

Please do not copy and paste Windows Metafiles into your document. Metafiles should be properly placed or linked. "Paste is a Waste."

Please do not copy and paste PowerPoint graphics into your document. These files should be saved in tif format and placed in your document as you create it. This creates a link which we need for high resolution output.

Bleed Requirements

When the printed image runs off of the edge of the paper this is called a Bleed. A 1/8" bleed is required on files that are to bleed. Please make sure the text still maintains a minimum to trim margin of 1/8" to 1/4" even when graphics bleed. Please do not make the document page larger to accommodate the bleed, rather let it run right past the document boundary by at least 1/8".

Colors

If your project is to print 4-color process, please make sure all 4-color Photoshop graphics are saved in CMYK mode. If you supply RGB graphics, they will be automatically converted to CMYK without any control on the results of the output.

Fonts

We accept PostScript, TrueType, dFonts and OpenType fonts. When using PostScript fonts, be sure to supply us with both the screen and the printer font files for each font used. InDesign and QuarkXPress will collect the fonts when collecting your job files. Never use the stylization palette to add bold, italic, outline or drop shadow options to your type. The stylization may not apply properly at the RIP. PC TrueType fonts can be used on our Mac systems. We can convert most PC Postscript fonts successfully using TransType. In some cases font substitution is necessary. Some programs (like Illustrator and InDesign) can convert text to outlines or paths. Please remember that edits cannot be made to the type after it has been changed to outlines. If you choose to send us a file with type as outlines, we advise that you save a copy of your file as an editable version (one that has NOT been converted to outlines and flattened).

Graphics

Please include all placed and linked graphics when providing application files. Scanned files saved in the tif and eps format are usually the safest options. Most gif, pict and jpeg files saved for the web are only 72 dpi. Low resolution graphics will not print well in most cases.

Lines per inch (LPI) and Dots per inch (DPI)

You don't need to set the screen line in your files. We choose the line screen according to what paper your project will print on. Of course if you desire a special effect let us know and we will not override the line screen you have specified. Documents saved in (black and white) bitmap mode should be scanned at 100% with a setting of 800 to 1200 dpi for optimum quality. Documents saved in grayscale or CMYK mode should be scanned at 100% with a setting of 300 to 350 dpi. The general rule is to multiply the screen line times 2 to find the dpi. A job being printed with 150 line screens should be scanned at 300 dpi. Any dpi higher than this is just extra information that the RIP does not need. Remember, if you increase the physical size of the scan after placing it in your page layout program, you are reducing the dpi (resolution). We use 150 lpi for spot colors on uncoated paper and coated paper. Spot colors as an example would be black and one PMS or two PMS. On four color jobs we use 150 lpi.

Rules or Underscores

Do not specify a rule as a "hairline rule." Our RIP will not see this as a rule and it may not print.

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PROVIDING FILES

Uploading files made easy: click this button

OR, cut and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://98.209.16.233/

When uploading several files, it is best to place all files into a single folder, and then STUFF or ZIP the folder. When finished with this process then select the file that was created and upload that file. When the file/files have finished uploading, please call First Impression at 734-662-6541 or email us at info@fipjob.com so that we can confirm receipt of the files. Once we have confirmed receipt of the file/files we will remove it/them from the server.

Step-by-step

Click the ""Upload NOW" button above. Then, click on the "Browse" button, follow the dialog prompts for choosing your file to be uploaded, and click the "Upload File" button. Please let us know when your file is ready.

Alternate Option

Zip or Stuff your files into a single archive then use a web site that specializes in sending large files, such as www.mailbigfile.com. Then, let us know how to access that file.

Media Accepted

We can accept almost any type of media for file transfer. The best and easiest methods are sending the files via our FTP site, email or the web. Personal delivery can be accomplished by CD/DVD or flash drives. Your sales contact carries a flash drive and can download your job very efficiently on to the drive for transport. If you need more personal service call 734-662-6541 and ask to have a sales representative stop by to download your job. It is most often best to place all your files in one folder in preparation for downloading, so that the folder can be dragged to the flash drive when the representative stops by.

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FILE FORMATS — PDFs

We prefer to receive PDF files. Please review the information below to set up your PDF document for printing.

PDF file Basics:

• Start with Press Quality settings
• Don't downsample
• Compress text and line art
• Embed all fonts
• Don't subset fonts
• No crop or registration marks
• Save with 1/8" bleeds if job bleeds (the actual image goes off the edge of the page)
• High resolution (2540 if possible)
• Leave color unchanged

PDF files out of InDesign:

It is best to make a postscript file then distill the postscript file using Adobe Acrobat Distiller. You must have a full version of Adobe Acrobat in order to accomplish this.

Go to File>Export and select for format Adobe PDF. From the pull-down menu use the "Press Quality" preset option then make changes as needed.

PDF files out of Quark:

It is best to make a postscript file then distill the postscript file using Adobe Acrobat Distiller. You must have a full version of Adobe Acrobat to accomplish this. If your project is using spot Pantone colors you should choose "DeviceN" for your print colors in the print dialog box.

PDF files out of Pagemaker:

It is best to make a postscript file, then distill the postscript file using Adobe Acrobat Distiller. You must have a full version of Adobe Acrobat in order to accomplish this.

PDF files out of Other Programs:

If time and money is a factor it is best to send a test file to check for printability prior to sending the file that is to be printed. We will check the PDF for you and suggest changes if they are needed. This saves you time and money and the service is free.

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FILE FORMATS — APPLICATION FILES

Applications Accepted

We accept both MAC and IBM-PC files from the following applications:

• Creative Suite 5 or earlier
• QuarkXPress 7.0 or earlier
• Microsoft Publisher 2010
• Microsoft Office 2010 or earlier
• Or just send a PDF file (see section above)

InDesign

We recommend that you preflight your document before collecting files. Go to the pull-down menu File and select Package. InDesign will scan your document to check the status on all of the graphics and fonts that are used in the document. If a problem is detected a caution sign will appear next to the font or graphic. After assuring that there are no preflight problems, select Package. The options that you need to pick are Copy fonts, Copy Linked Graphics, Update Graphic Links In Package. The Package option will create a new folder containing a copy of the InDesign document, your printing instructions file plus fonts, links and hyphenation folders as used in your document. These folders will contain all the information and files we will need to create the plates that will be used to print your job.

QuarkXPress

Quark does not have a separate preflight option, but it will warn you if graphics are missing when you collect the files. Go to the pull-down menu File and select Collect for Output. If there are problems with graphic links, you will receive a warning that pictures are missing or modified. Select "List Pictures" to locate or relink the graphics. After the graphic problems are resolved, select OK to continue the collect process. You will need to make a new folder when using the Collect for Output option. The check-box options that you need to select are Layout, Linked Pictures, Embedded Pictures, Screen Fonts and Printer Fonts.

Publisher

The file color model must be set at the start of new projects. After you've opened a new document, set the color model in the Tools menu under Commercial Printing Tools>Color Printing. This dialog box is where you will choose the colors for your document. For example, if you have chosen Spot Color(s) for your document you will select the "add" button then change the "color model" to Pantone. Using the Pantone Solid tab, select the proper paper type and the color(s) for your document. When you are ready to send us the files, go to the File menu and select Pack and Go>Take to a Commercial Printing Service. This will bring up a wizard that will collect the files into a set of self-extracting archives. The check-box options that you need to select are Embed True Type Fonts, Include Linked Graphics and Create Links for Embedded Graphics. Send us all of the files that the wizard makes.

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OUR JOB IS SERVICE