Don'ts:
Don't forget, borders count too. Crop the photo in your retouching program. Also, if you wish to rotate a photo, do it in your retouching program, not your layout program. This will make it easier for the printer to process.
Don't cover up a mess with a white rectangle. Delete it or start a new file.
Don't nest files. An example of nesting: You scan and alter a photo in Photoshop. Then you place this file into FreeHand to add some text and a logo. Then you export this completed image and place it into PageMaker for printing. This is called nesting and is asking for trouble.
Don't scale down photos or illustrations by large amounts. This packs an enormous amount of data into a small area, slowing or stopping the printer. Use graphics at the size you need and include only the details you need.
Don't make a habit of cropping down big files. Make it the size you need before placing into your final document.
Don't place a file of many images just to crop it down for one image. Copy the single graphic into its own file and then import only it.
Don't use many tiny images on a page that are just scaled-down copies of a large file.
Don't use a high-res scan scaled down to a tiny size. Sample it down to the size and resolution you need first.
Don't forget, you will need to include fonts even for nested files. If you designed a logo in Illustrator and then placed it into Quark, the printer will still look for the fonts used in the original Illustrator document.
Reminders:
Include your name and phone number. Include a proof of your file for reference. Include the fonts you used. Include your graphics files. Include the exact name of the file you want printed and any special instructions for printing. To avoid confusion, only include the files you want printed and their related files. Your files need to be saved in the version (or earlier version) of the software that we support. Many software applications allow you to save alternate versions of the same file. For example we cannot accept a Illustrator CC file. It would need to be saved in version CS6 or earlier. For more information on how to do this for your specific application please contact us.