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February 2010
Resources
Integrate Updated SWOP Specifications Into Your Workflow As reported in our last issue, we have upgraded our proofing systems at Lane Press to meet SWOP 11 specifications. If you have not yet integrated the updated SWOP specifications into your workflow, here is the information and resources you need. InSite Enhances Preflighting Function We highly recommend that you pre-check digital files, especially for complex print projects, so you can catch potential problems as early as possible in your workflow. This is especially true for content supplied by outside sources (ads, illustrations, inserts) because the quality of the embedded graphics and software/settings used to create the file are generally beyond a publisher's control. InSite, our browser-based digital workflow tool, is making this task easier with a newly enhanced version of its "preflight manager." Workflow Tips Demystifying Image Resolution Lane Press’s technical documentation specifies that “CMYK and grayscale images should have an effective resolution of 300dpi.” Although we refer to this industry-wide benchmark as a standard for successful image reproduction, achieving it is not always possible. For example: You have a supplied image to work with and a designated space in your layout to place it. If you are required to resize the image to make it fit this space, achieving 300dpi may not be possible. Here is a primer on image resolution, including some general guidance for working with images in less-than-ideal situations. Optimize Your Processing Power It’s hard to take the time out of your busy days to perform the regular care and feeding routines that ensure your computer and applications run at full velocity. You get immersed in your work and unless a message pops up that says, “Make This Update NOW”, you may tend to simply plow on. Next thing you know, your machine is running slowly, tasks are taking twice as long as they should, and seemingly innocuous activities crash entire applications. The following system maintenance tasks, performed either regularly or in a crunch, will keep you—and your machine, browser, and applications—humming right along. The Truth About Desktop Color Printers Today's print designers have their work cut out for them: They need to know their design tools and capabilities; they need to stay current with the latest design trends and techniques; and they need to have a solid grasp of the requirements and capabilities of high-end printing technologies. In addition, they must have systems they can trust for creating and proofing their work and accurately predicting the final look of a print project. Nowhere is the need more crucial (and available information more confusing) than in the area of color proofing and reproduction. Software Support Quark and the Snow Leopard We know, we know, based on the title you were expecting a children's story set in an enchanted forest, maybe involving a fire-breathing dragon or an evil witch with nose warts. As it happens, this report is quite a bit scarier—and non-fiction to boot. It involves problems with vertical type spacing (leading) when using QuarkXPress and the latest Mac Operating System: 10.6, a.k.a. Snow Leopard. |