Technical Information

On this page you will find important information on various technical aspects of supplying files to us for print:

• Important notes for supplying PDFs.
• Unsupported formats and features.
• Technical issues.
• Documentation and checklists.
• Adobe Acrobat Distiller settings.
• Adobe InDesign settings.

Important notes for supplying PDFs

Unsupported Formats and Features

Adobe Illustrator

• We will not be able to print from PDFs created by Illustrator which contain linear blends of spot colours.
• A file using linear blends of spot colours converts to CMYK when saved as a PDF. The workaround is to save as EPS and place this in Quark or inDesign and create a PDF from there.

Microsoft Word/Excel/Powerpoint/Publisher

• All images and colours (no matter what their source) output as RGB. We will charge to convert them to CMYK. These have many limitations as page-layout programmes and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. See Important Notes for Supplying PDFs.

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Technical Issues

Fonts

• It is illegal to distribute fonts, therefore we cannot accept any fonts with jobs. If you have created a page layout yourself, then PDF is the preferred way of supplying finished files. If we are to create the page layout, or if we will need to edit your layout, we will use our in-house fonts and attempt to match any specific fonts you may require.

Images

• All images must be CMYK (see 'Important notes for supplying PDFs' above)
• All images must be at least 200dpi at the final printed size, ideally 300dpi. For example, a 300dpi image placed in a document at 200% size will print as only 150dpi – resulting in visible pixelation. If enlarging the image is unavoidable, using Photoshop to resize the image will smooth out the pixelation.
• If saving an image as a JPEG, avoid high compression – this creates visible artifacts in the image.
• GIF format is unacceptable for printed image files.

QuarkXPress

• Check that all white text on a dark background is set to knockout.
• All image boxes over coloured backgrounds must be filled with white if they are not to overprint.
• When supplying files, use 'Collect for output...' from the 'File' menu to ensure all images are supplied.

Adobe InDesign

• When supplying files, use 'Package...' from the 'File' menu to ensure all images are supplied.

Microsoft Word

• All documents should be supplied in their finished state. Accept or reject all tracked changes.

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Documentation and Checklists

CDR01
Design: How to achieve the best results
A summary of what you need to contribute to the design process and what to expect from a good designer.

Download [52k]

CDR02
Design: Information to bring to a briefing
Before coming to a briefing meeting, this leaflet will give you some of the ideas you might consider.
This form has editable fields that can be filled in, the PDF printed and supplied with your brief.

Download [161k]

CDR03
Creative web design
A full explanation of the service the Cambridge Design Room offers, to help you through the process of specifying for the web.

Download [52k]

CDR04
Supplying text and images
Information on what forms of data are acceptable, and a guide to help us to help you.
This form has editable fields that can be filled in, the PDF printed and returned to us with your files.

Download [184k]

CDR05
Supplying electronic files for pre-press
Aimed at customers supplying print-ready files, to ensure every aspect of file construction is covered.
This form has editable fields that can be filled in, the PDF printed and returned to us with your files.

Download [234k]

CDR06
How to Create PDFs
Aimed at customers supplying print-ready files, to ensure every aspect of file construction is covered.
This form has editable fields that can be filled in, the PDF printed and returned to us with your files.

Download [80k]

CDR07
Creating print quality PDFs from QuarkXPress
Detailed instructions for creating print-ready files using QuarkXPress.

Download [265k]

CDR08
Creating print quality PDFs from InDesign
Detailed instructions for creating print-ready files using Adobe InDesign.

Download [235k]

CDR09
Printing PDFs from Windows Applications
Instructions for printing PDFs on the Microsoft Windows platform.

Download [152k]

Proof Marks
A summary of the symbols used to mark corrections on your proofs.

Download [36k]

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Adobe Acrobat Distiller settings

Adobe InDesign PDF presets