Quick Checklist:
- PDF files are the best file
format for our purposes
- Please outline all fonts
(turn fonts into vector art)
- Do not put crop marks, trim
marks, or other file information outside of the
advertisement
- Full page ads with bleed
should have all text and other important information at
least 1/4 inside the trim area (trim is 8.375 x 10.875
inches)
- All images in the ad should
be at least 300 dpi and in CMYK format
- Include your company name
in the filename
Please read the following
guidelines before sending us your advertisements.
What programs and platforms
do you use?
Peterson Publications, Inc., is PC-based, using Adobe InDesign CS and Photoshop CS.
NOTE: We do not use
QuarkXPress or Microsoft Publisher. Please do not send those
type of files.
Do you need crop marks or
registration marks on the file?
We request that all electronic
files NOT have crop marks or registration marks included
in the file, even for full page ads. We ask that all
ads match the measurements listed below:
| Full Page (no
bleed) |
7 1/2 wide x 10 1/2 high |
| 1/2 Page Horizontal |
7 1/2 wide x 4 7/8 high |
| 1/2 Page Vertical |
3 3/4 wide x 10 1/2 high |
| 1/4 Page Horizontal |
7 1/2 wide x 2 1/2 high |
| 1/4 Page Vertical |
3 3/4 wide x 4 7/8 high |
| Full Page Bleed |
8 5/8 wide x 11 1/8 high (includes
bleed)
Trim size is 8 3/8 wide x 10 7/8 high
Live area 7 1/2 wide x 10 1/2 high |
What file formats can I
send?
We request that you send Adobe's Portable Document Format (.pdf)
files and Tiff
(.tif) files.
NOTE: We do not use
QuarkXPress or Microsoft Publisher. Please do not send those
type of files.
If you need any assistance in
creating a .pdf file, check out Adobe's site, specifically
http://www.adobe.com/print/prodzone/pdfs/PDFforPrint.pdf. We request that your pdf file be accompanied by a flattened
.tif file as well, saved at 300 dpi minimum (higher if there
is small text in the ad and 600 dpi minimum if the ad is
black-and-white or
grayscale.) Occasionally a pdf file
will cause problems for the printer and we would like to be
able to immediately substitute a .tif file.
What about .jpgs?
Files saved as .jpgs can work
as long as they are saved at the highest possible quality. Keep in mind that .jpgs are a lossy compression format, which
means that image detail is removed to make the file smaller. Before saving a file as a .jpg to make the file smaller, try
saving the .tif with lzw compression and see what effect that
has.
How should I name my file?
Ideally, your
filename should
include the name of your company or establishment. In
the past, many advertisers have sent us ads named Plastics-ad.tif
or InsideFinishing-ad.tif. As you can imagine,
once there are two or three files named this way things can
get confusing. We suggest naming your file along the
following conventions:
CompanyName_Publication_date.tif
For example, if Nike wanted to
place an ad in our Winter 2006 Topeka Visitors Guide, they
could name their ad Nike_TVG_Winter06.tif. This
will avoid all confusion and ensure that the ad finds
its way to the proper publication.
Remember to make sure the
correct
extension (.tif for TIFF files and .pdf for Adobe Acrobat
files) is included in the filename. Mac computers
don't automatically add this extension to their filenames. PC's only know a file's type by checking the extension.
What media should be used?
CDs. Do not send film, floppy
disks or zip disks. Can I e-mail my materials?
Usually, yes. Our e-mail
system can accept large attachments, but some e-mail programs and some servers that transmit e-mail limit
the size of attached files that you can send. For most
that limit is 2 MB while others limit it to an even smaller
size. A good rule of thumb is to keep the file size
below 1.5 MB. (This problem is happening less frequently
as ISPs continuously upgrade their systems.)
How can I reduce the file
size?
Black-and-white .tif files are the
smallest of the three different color modes. A
quarter-page black-and-white ad will probably be under 1.5 MB.
Larger ads and those in grayscale or CMYK formats will
naturally be larger. If your file is larger than 1.5 MB try
saving the file with LZW compression to
dramatically reduce the file size.
My file is too large to
e-mail. Can I upload the file to an
FTP site?
We've found that using an FTP
server does not work for many people due to firewall issues.
We've started recommending the site
www.mailbigfile.com.
It's a free service that allows you to send us a file up to
100 MB in size. Any file that's larger than 10 MB should be
sent to us by
www.mailbigfile.com since our e-mail system cannot
accommodate anything larger than that.
How can I create a .tif file
with my software?
With most desktop publishing
programs, such as Pagemaker and QuarkXPress, it's possible to
either print your file into an .eps file or to export it as a
.pdf or other file that Photoshop can read. Once in
Photoshop you can save it as a .tif file. Most versions
of Illustrator and Freehand have the ability to export it
directly as a .tif file. Once you've brought the file into
Photoshop check it over carefully to make sure the file is how
you intend it to be printed. If you have questions
about how to do any of this, please e-mail our Art Director at
the following address -
eric@petersonpublications.com |
