MASAR Printing & Publishing

www.masarprint.com

Job Preparation Guide

Printing is a process full of surprises. To turn the surprises to our favor and prediction, we suggest that the
following guidelines be followed while preparing a job for a Printhouse. Though we accecpt many file for-
mats, the most preferred one is PDF. Guidelines for PDF are given below.

Two ways to prepare your PDF

1 2

For Delivery by CD For Delivery by FTP/Mail

• Retain layers • Flattened PDF

• Bigger size • Smaller size

First - Create a PS File

Save as or Export as PDF
(with “Press Quality Settings”)

Then - Distill the PDF

Common Guidelines for both Procedures

1. Recommended minimum Resolution
• Color images – 300 dpi (200 dpi for Newspaper jobs)
• Greyscale images – 300 dpi (200 dpi for Newspaper jobs)
• Monochrome – 1200 dpi
2. RGB images – assign them to ISO39 profile.
3. CMYK images – assign them to ISO39 profile before taking them into layout.
4. Spot colors – convert them to process. Keep only those spot colors intact that you want to print separately.
5. Text on artworks made in Illustrator need to be converted to outlines before exporting for layout or final output
6. Overprint – choose overprint / knockout settings in the design as MASAR’s overprint policy is to only reproduce
what is given. Recommended overprint setting is to enable for small text and disable for solid fills.
6. Maintain 3 to 5mm of bleed if the job requires.
7. You have to send single page PDFs for Newspapers. Multiple page PDFs are ok for commercial jobs.
 Adobe Indesign – Export as PDF - Select File Menu -> Export Command and choose the “save as
type” as Adobe PDF. Step 2 is needed only if you need a bleed.

1 2

Adobe Illustrator – Export as PDF - Select File Menu -> Save As Command and choose the “save
as type” as Adobe PDF. Step 2 is needed only if you need a bleed.

1 2

Quark Xpress – Export as PDF - Select File MASAR

Menu -> Export - > Layout As PDF Command. Your ultimate destination for Printing

When do you need a bleed?

You will not need to set a bleed if you are print-

ing a Tabloid or broad sheet newspaper or
similar material in our weboffset. However if
Click on Options to choose
PDF export options. you are doing a magazine or flyer or brochures
you may need a bleed. It is important if your
artwork spreads till edge on the final printed
1 2
material. An equal bleed of 3mm to 5mm on
all sides is sufficient. You don’t need ableed in
example No. 1 below. But you need a bleed in
example 2.
Send only Composite
CMYK unless you need
special inks You don’t need a You “need” a
bleed here. bleed here.

Bleed Area

Give 5mm of bleed if your

job needs it.
Red lines - Trim
Edge of Page

3 4 1 2
Creating Postscript in Adobe Indesign - In the Print Window the following steps could be used
to prepare a postscript file. At the end, the settings can be saved for reuse. Take the default print settings
and change only those marked in brown.

1 2 3
Select “Auto”

Select Crop
Mark only

Give equal bleed 5 mm

4 5 6

Save with a name

Make sure only CMYK is for future use
listed. Spot colors to be pres-
ent only if you need them.
Click when
you are done

Creating Postscript in Adobe Illustrator - In the Print Window the following steps could be used
to prepare a postscript file. At the end, the settings can be saved for reuse. Take the default print settings
and change only those marked in brown.

1 2 3

Come back to General and se-

Select custom to get Select Crop lect custom again to get correct
correct media size. Mark only media size with trim marks

Give equal bleed 5 mm

4 5 6

Click on Custom to select

Transparency Flattener Options

Make sure only CMYK is listed.

Spot colors to be present only if
printing needs them.
 Did you know?
8

7 MASAR applies color management

on your files to achieve the best col-
Always remember to Save the Preset
for future use.
ors possible (ISO39) in offset printing
convert two things be- process. We use Color Management
fore exporting a file out of Il- solution from GMG. Our mission and
lustrator. One is convert all text undertaking is to achieve true repro-
to outlines and other is to convert all
duction of the customer files.
special colors to CMYK.

Quark Xpress – Making a PS file- First you need to create a print style with steps 1 to 6 here.
Select File menu and Print Command to reach step 7. Steps 7, 8 & 9 will complete the PS file.

1 2 3
Give a name for
the Print Style

Save the Preset

for future use.

4 5 6

If you need a
2400/175 or 200 bleed, give 5 mm
for commercial and
1200/100 or 133
Convert all colors to CMYK for Newspaper. Save the Preset
unless you need spot colors. for future use.

7 8 9
Select the width of
document + 1 cm for
bleed area

This step selects

the postscript file
Click this to option for you. Click this to
goto step 8. complete.

Acrobat Distiller – Making How to manage your spot colors?

a PDF from the PS file Many designers are impressed by the spot colors and tend to use
them in their designs. But when you are sending a four color job
make sure that you convert the spot colors to process before you
export the artwork. The best possible conversion is achieved only
using the color library in the native application on which it was
used. Levae only those spot clors untouched that would need
special inks or UV.

Contact Details for MASAR’s Prepress You can obtain from us

the details of FTP access
MASAR Printing and Publishing for sending files to us and
PO Box 485100 the naming convention
Tel: 04 3694694 required for your files to be
email: [email protected] processed in our automated
workflow.