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"Getting the Look"... 
PREPARING FOR YOUR GRAPHIC PRODUCTION

You've worked hard to create your book, now it's important to make sure that the graphics and "look" of your book meets your desires.  STEELEY PRINTING will gladly work with you to create a beautiful product by printing exactly as you intended, but the limitations of digital imaging and offset printing must be kept in mind.
Here are a few suggestions:

Contact us early.

Give us a call early in the design process-- this could save you time and money!  Perhaps you could fax us a draft of your project. A hard copy of your project, even a faxed draft, helps us schedule your job for the appropriate press. In addition let us know what kind of transportable media you will be supplying.

PRODUCTION CONSIDERATIONS:
1. Limit text and thin lines to one or two process colors
You can drastically reduce
potential problems by limiting small type and thin lines to one or two process colors,
depending on closeness and alignment.

2. Watch your fonts
   There are a couple of issues to keep in mind when using true type fonts.
   First, avoid mixing postscript and true type fonts. Mixing fonts can confuse an image setter. Second, some inexpensive true type fonts can't be downloaded or postscripted in the
sizes you wish. And while you're at it, avoid true type fonts of 7 points or less.
   Don't send us your entire font library.  It takes time to load and remove fonts.
It's your nickel.

3. For Camera Ready Images (those not output on a
computer), KEEP IT BLACK!
   If you created your project on paste-ups (i.e., hard copy boards, etc.), it is important
that all images have a solid density of black.  Photos and half-tones can be stripped into
the project after the boards are photographed.  Consult us on your work in progress,
to insure that you are maintaining the density and consistency in your images.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS PREPARATION
FOR FILM/IMAGE PRINTER
1. Convert Text to Curves.
Nothing chokes an image setter faster than a graphic with embedded fonts.
Inevitably, after placing the graphic in your document, you forget to include the
font. Or your page layout system may not recognize the font. All draw programs
have the ability to convert text to curves. Use it.

2. Convert your TIFFs to CYMK
This is the most common error our customers make. When you scan an image, or
pull a photo off a CD, the image is still in RGB (red, green, and blue). Remember to
convert the image to CYMK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) before sending it to us.

3.  Use C, Y, M, or K for spot colors
While your graphic may transfer easily from your illustration or paint program into your page layout program, your Panatone spot colors may not. SO, for spot color and duotones in particular, stick to cyan, magenta, yellow, or black. Go ahead and use rubine red or metallic silver for your monitor or color proofs. But when
you send us a document with spot colors, convert your Panatone 212 to something simple like cyan.
Then just let us know that you want the cyan separation to print PMS 212 (or whatever).

4. Delete unused spot colors
You may have used several spot colors before selecting on one or two for your
final design. Be sure to remove all unused colors.

5.  Use EPS format when . . .
Photoshop images require the EPS format under two conditions: (1) when saving a
file as a duotone, and (2) when clipping paths have been used to knock out a
background. In addition, export (or save) as an EPS single color logos and line art.
You can then colorize them in your page layout application.
Don't send JPEG images
While JPEG compressed images transfer quickly over the internet, they don't print
to an image setter.
When your work is done, your can load your large files on our FTP Site.
Just Call Betty and she will assign you a user name and a password.

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