Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why don’t web graphics work in print?
Q: Why shouldn’t I embed graphics into my layout?
Q: What is resolution?
Q: What resolution is acceptable?
Q: Why isn’t Word (Excel, Works, or any other non-professional application) good for designing my layout?
Q: What is “Registration” color and why shouldn’t I use it?
Q: Why shouldn’t I set up my document as “Reader’s” or “Printer’s” spreads?
Q: What file format should I use when sending you a mailing list?
Q: What is NCOA (National Change of Address) processing, and how much does it cost?
Q: What does CASS certified mean?
Q: How much clear space do you need for printing a bar-coded address?
Q: When do I need to have my mail piece tabbed?
Q: What is the difference between First Class Mail and Standard Mail?
Q: How many pieces do I need in order to qualify for discounted postage rates?
Q: Why doesn’t the color on a printed piece look like it does on my screen?
Q: Why don’t web graphics work in print?
A: This is a multi-faceted question that requires some knowledge of both mediums. The short answer would be that web graphics are of a lower quality than graphics intended for print. A longer, more detailed explanation would be that the file formats used in web design are made expressly for delivering smaller file sizes that can be understood by many browsers across many platforms, by reducing color gamut, utilizing compression schemes that resample an image to discard areas of the image that are “similar,” and almost always they have a lower resolution than graphics intended for commercial printing. A very good example of this is the GIF format, which reduces the color gamut of an image drastically by discarding entire ranges of colors that are not within a predefined table of colors allowed in the image. This “indexed” color range, which is limited to 256 colors max, simulates the discarded colors by combining dots of the allowed colors. Indexed color images are of very poor quality, and are not recommended for commercial print use.
By contrast print graphics are made expressly to retain quality, color, resolution, and separate properly in a RIP. Of course, this does not apply to all web graphics across the board, for instance, a number of stock photography websites use the JPEG file format (often used in web design, and sometimes in print as well) as the delivery format of their photography, however, the professional sites deliver these images at high resolution, high quality, with low or minimal compression, since excess JPEG compression applied by someone who is not an expert causes artifacts and can “pixelate” an image.
RETURN TO TOPQ: Why shouldn’t I embed graphics into my layout?
A: There are a number of reasons that one should actually include all of the graphic files used as separate files on their disk, rather than embedding them into a layout file.
One very important reason is that the layout file size can become enormous, and the file can become unwieldy to open, work with, and print. Waiting for extended periods of time for screen redraw, printing to postscript, et-cetera, will increase the length of time it takes for our prepress department to open and output files, thereby increasing the cost to you for file preparation. Keeping file sizes manageable may seem unimportant during the design phase of your project, but it can be a costly afterthought during the print phase.
Another equally important reason is that embedded graphics could become corrupt, which could in turn corrupt the layout file itself. If an embedded graphic is corrupt, there are few options for dealing with the problem, it may be impossible to determine which image is corrupt, the output could be unpredictable, the layout may not open, and it may not print at all.
Another issue is edit-ability. Supplied graphics often have issues that require editing. For instance fonts used in an EPS file may not have been properly embedded into the EPS file that was then embedded into a layout, we would need the fonts that were used in the EPS file, and the EPS file itself in order to correct the problem, an impossible task if the EPS file is embedded into the layout. Another instance may be that the colors used in graphics may not match the actual output intent, such as an RGB graphic used in a spot color job, or perhaps a graph has 4 color black that should really be only K. Often times graphics that contain “black” type are set up incorrectly, and the “black” type might separate out as a 4 color mix, this is an issue on press, and we must correct the graphic in prepress, an impossible task when graphics are embedded, we need the originals to edit.
And yet another issue has to do with resolution. Depending on how the images were created, what formats they were originally, how they were embedded into the layout, and other factors, the embedded images may be low-res, they might have excessive compression artifacts, they might not separate into the same colors as the original graphics files, and they might not show up in preflight reports as low-res (we might not be able to determine their effective resolution).
You can imagine from these few examples how quickly these issues can compound, how they could have a serious negative impact on the quality of the final printed piece, and could cause a project to fail.
Q: What is resolution?
A: Image resolution describes the detail an image holds, in digital images this is usually measured in dots per inch (DPI). Higher resolution means more image detail, and generally, larger file sizes. Resolution also refers to the image-sharpness that printers and monitors are capable of reproducing.
Effective resolution describes the detail an image holds after it has been placed into a layout, scaled, rotated, and resized. For instance, a 300 DPI TIFF placed into a layout and scaled up to 200% is effectively 150 DPI. By the same token, a 300 DPI TIFF placed into a layout and scaled down to 10% is effectively 3000 DPI! This can be a source of frustration for some designers when they hear that their project contains low-res images, and they are certain all of their images were 300 DPI in Photoshop, but they did not take scaling of the images in their layout into account. This can also be a source of frustration for our prepress department when a postcard or brochure contains dozens of 1000+ DPI images! Higher resolution increases file size, which in turn increases the time it takes to output a layout, and additionally increases the time it takes to RIP the output. Increased prepress and processing time can affect the cost of your project, so please keep effective resolution in mind when resizing images within your layout.
Q: What resolution is acceptable?
A: Typical standards in the commercial printing industry state that an image’s effective resolution should be 1.5 to 2 times the line screen for optimal image quality. So a 133 LPI job would require 200–266 DPI images for optimal image quality, and a 150 LPI job would require 225–300 DPI images for optimal image quality. Of course it would be difficult for clients to know what the line screen of a job is going to be before they have even submitted the job to us, so shooting for an effective resolution of 300 DPI is generally a good goal.
Knight Printing’s preflight standards say that any image below 200 DPI (effective resolution) should be flagged as low-res and brought to the attention of the client by their account executive or customer service representative. This is to bring quality issues to the client’s attention. The client may then choose to approve the images for printing “as-is,” or choose to submit higher-resolution replacement files.
Q: Why isn’t Word (Excel, Works, or any other non-professional application) good for designing my layout?
A: Word, Excel, Works, and a myriad of other programs, were never intended to be used as design, or layout programs. These programs, as user friendly as they are, do not give the user the control and options needed to successfully design a dynamic piece, that will be print (press) ready. These files often take longer to prep, and often times will cost the customer more.
Q: What is “Registration” color and why shouldn’t I use it?
A: “Registration” color, also sometimes called “Auto” color, or even “All,” is a special color swatch seen in many layout and illustration program’s color palettes. Registration and it's variants are not intended to be used as a rich black or as a substitute for black, it is actually a special color that instructs the application to lay down 100% of each separation used in the document.
So for instance, if you have a four color process document, and you color some of your type with Registration, the type will not actually be black, it will be 100% Cyan, 100% Magenta, 100% Yellow, 100% Black, and 100% of any and all spot colors used in the document! This is obviously a problem when said type is being printed, as the type (or any other element colored with Registration) would exceed the maximum ink limit allowed on the press!
The only time anyone would need to use the Registration color is if they were making their own “printer’s marks,” registration marks, and/or trim marks… and there is absolutely no need to do so when you submit your documents to Knight Printing, we create our own registration and trim marks in our imposition application for proofing and plating. Setting up your documents with homemade registration and trim marks could actually interfere with our workflow, creating unnecessary charges and introducing possible errors into the workflow.
Q: Why shouldn’t I set up my document as “Reader’s” or “Printer’s” spreads?
A: There is absolutely no reason to build your document as “Reader’s” or “Printer’s” spreads when you submit your documents to Knight Printing. At Knight Printing, we have what is referred to as a “single-page workflow,” which means we do the imposing (sometimes referred to as stripping) ourselves. We would prefer, that documents be set up as individual pages built to the actual trim size of each page, not as a spread.
For instance, if you have an eight page, 8.5" x 11" booklet, please refrain from setting the document up as 4 - 17" x 11" pages. Build it as 8 - 8.5" x 11" pages, we will do the imposing ourselves. In fact, setting the document up as “Reader’s” spreads can create confusion if we are not 100% clear on what pages go in what order, it can create additional work in our prepress department as we may need to “break the pages up,” and most likely it will result in additional charges on your job.
Q: What file format should I use when sending you a mailing list?
A: We can use most list formats, but we prefer Comma Separated Values (.csv), Microsoft Excel (.xls), and Tab Delimited text files (.txt)
Q: What is NCOA (National Change of Address) processing, and how much does it cost?
A: NCOALINK™ processing is a service we offer at no charge when you print your project with us. It will update addresses of anyone person or business that has filed a Change of Address with the USPS within the last 18 months. See your AE or CSR for more details.
Q: What does CASS certified mean?
A: Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) is a process that will standardize your addresses with the correct Zip+4 code and proper address formatting. This process allows us to mail at Automation (Bar-coded) rates.
Q: How much clear space do you need for printing a bar-coded address?
A: We need a space that is a minimum of 1 ½" high by 3 ½" long and at least 5/8" up from the bottom edge.
Q: When do I need to have my mail piece tabbed?
A: Any folded letter-size mail pieces must be tabbed in order to receive automation discounts. Depending on the opening of the piece and the basis weight of the paper, the piece may require one or two tabs.
Q: What is the difference between First Class Mail and Standard Mail?
A: First-Class Mail is the best choice for time sensitive mailing. It is generally delivered in 2–5 days nationally and 1–3 days in the within our region. Standard Mail can be a lower postage rate but with a longer delivery time. You can expect delivery in 4–10 days nationally or 2–5 days regionally. Additionally, First Class delivery is consistent throughout the year while Standard Mail can take considerably longer at peak mailing periods such as the holidays.
Q: How many pieces do I need in order to qualify for discounted postage rates?
A: In order to qualify for Presorted Standard Mail rates, you must have 200 pieces or more. In order to qualify for Presorted First Class rates, you need 500 or more pieces. You may still use a mail permit for First Class if you have at least 200 pieces, but the postage is at the full First Class rate.
Q: Why doesn’t the color printed on paper look like it does on my screen?
A: The short answer to that question is because colors produced by a computer monitor have a different color gamut than colors printed on paper. The longer, more descriptive answer, detailing the differences between additive and subtractive color models, can be found in the Knight Printing RGB and CMYK Color help center.
