File Preparation Guidelines:
.....Taking proper care in the creation and submission of your artwork will avoid time-consuming and costly revisions, and help ensure delivery of a quality product. Please look over the following guidelines before you prepare and submit your artwork. If this document doesn’t address any specific file preparation questions you may have, please contact customer service or the prepress department for more information.
FILE PREPARATION:
Supported Software:Macintosh Applications
• Adobe Creative Suite - CS3
• Quark Xpress 6.x
• Macromedia Freehand 9.0
• Press-level pdfs


.....In general, illustration applications (Illustrator, Freehand) are preferable for label artwork preparation. Page layout applications such as Quark Xpress and Pagemaker are accepted, but artists are advised to use care in the definition of colors, layout size, and special situations such as overprints, knockouts, and special color plates. Hard copy printouts must accompany all file submissions.

Files may also be submitted in PC-Windows format from the above
applications, but note the following guidelines:
.....•Save the file as an EPS
.....•Include a list of fonts used
.....•Convert all non-standard fonts to paths/curves
Because of cross-platform font and application issues, it is essential
that you provide a hard copy printout of the document submitted.

Files from other applications:
.....We do not accept “final art” files from Microsoft Publisher, PowerPoint, or layouts created in Microsoft Word, as these and other applications produce files which are unsuitable for digital prepress. These applications generally lack the ability to accurately define label size, colors used, and do not provide proper font management.
.....As such, any files submitted from these applications are rarely press-ready and will incur addition artwork expense to recreate the art in a proper illustration application. WE DO ACCEPT plain unformatted text from Word or other text editors, which we can use in creating a layout for your label. If you are working with these applications, please contact us for additional information and help on how we can re-create your design.
Media Accepted:
.....You may submit files for artwork production by email (graphics@midatlanticlabel.com) or conventional delivery. Some ISPs limit the size of mail attachments which you can send. In the case of larger files which you wish to submit digitally, contact customer service for ftp instructions.

Files may be submitted on the following types of media:
•CD-ROM (Macintosh or Windows)
•DVD-ROM (mac/Windows)

.....When providing files on disc, please only send files for the particular order in question. Include a printout of the disc directory showing the main file, support images and fonts.
File Compression:
.....It is recommended that you use compress files sent electronically to maximize transmission time and prevent corruption of your files. Use Stuffit (Macintosh) or any of the Windows Zip utilities to save your files as .sea, .sit, or .zip files.
Macintosh users sending files uncompressed should use “Macbinary II”or “Binhex” settings in their email client to ensure file integrity. Do not send files using “Raw Data:” option, as Macintosh file resource fork data will be discarded by the program.
It is not necessary to compress any files provided on disk unless that is required to fit data on the desired media.

ART REQUIREMENTS:
Setting up your file
•VERY IMPORTANT - Provide hard copy printout of final art, showing colors used and label dimensions.
You may supply a pdf or jpg version of the file in place of a laser or inkjet printout.
•Name your file in a way that corresponds to the job and your company,
or any item#with which you will identify the finished label or product.
•Provide Directory printout of of disc which artwork is supplied on
•All screen and printer fonts used in document
•All support files and placed images
•Color samples for any special color match required. Please provide pantone color reference
numbers when possible for process builds which must match special colors.
•“Read-Me” file detailing job requirements, creator application and version used,
any special instructions, and contact information for design/production questions.
•Bleed - artwork elements which extend to the edge of the label should bleed .0625”. Text or artwork
elements which do not bleed should maintain a 1/8” distance from the trim.

Font Use & Styles:
.....It is important that you provide all Macintosh fonts used in your document. Avoid mixing Type 1 and TrueType fonts in the same document as this can cause font substitution problems. Whenever possible, use the Type 1 version of a font if both types are available.
It is important that you use font families which contain native bold and italic versions, rather than manually styling a standard font (such as by choosing styles from the Quark font palette). The same applies to pseudo-shadow, outline, underline and cross-out styles. Re-creating artwork using these styles may result in additional artwork time billed.

Image Formats:
We accept the following image file formats:
.....•EPS (convert text to paths/outlines/curves)
.....•TIFF
.....•PDF
.....•JPEG (High resolution images only, compression quality “best”, no web graphics)
.....•PSD (Photoshop native format)
Continuous Tone Images: Artwork such as continuous tone images and logos should generally be placed as a “linked” file in the document, rather than “embedded” in the file. Continuous tone images should be scanned at 300 dpi at the size used. Use caution when scaling images placed in illustration/layout applications. Excessive scaling reduces the effective file resolution and will greatly reduce image quality. Provide a color “match” proof or previously printed sample for any image which requires a close color match.
Please include as separate files any images embedded in your document. It is often necessary to manipulate such files for color correction or trapping. It is preferable to link files rather than embed where that is an option.
.....Files intended for 4-color process reproduction should be supplied as CMYK files. RGB files will be accepted, with the understanding that colors in that document will likely appear different upon conversion to CMYK, due to the smaller color gamut of the CMYK color space. Mid Atlantic Label uses ICC profiles to convert images to our press color space.
Lineart Images: Artwork for solid line color should be scanned/created at final reproduction size, 1200 dpi, and saved as a tif file. Do not use jpg compression on lineart files.

Color Usage:
.....Use care in preparing your document so as to avoid creating a file which contains multiple occurances of a single intended spot color. This often occurs when eps files are imported into page layout applications. Remove any unwanted, unused or duplicate colors from your document palette before submission. Print out separations of your finished document to ensure that all color plates are accounted for.
Provide specific Pantone color matches for any logos or legacy art to be reproduced, as well as spot color matches for any custom or critical colors to be reproduced as CMYK.

PROOFING OPTIONS:
•Color or B/W Laser Proof
•Color-Managed Digital Proof - Wide Gamut Inkjet Proof calibrated to Mid Atlantic Label press conditions. Best match for process color work, very close match for spot color reproduction.
•Adobe Portable Document Format Proof (PDF) – Customers can be emailed PDF proofs for approval. Viewing these files requires Acrobat Reader 3.0 or higher.
•Spot Color Drawdowns – Used to indicate color in non-standard printing conditions, such as printing on clear or metallic substrates. This shows the actual ink used on the print material.

Please Note:
Please contact customer service at Bizerba Label Solutionsfor any other assistance you may need in preparing digital files or artwork for print production. Call us at 410-879-8220, or email any inquiries to graphics@midatlanticlabel.com

.....All estimates are based on the submission of properly prepared digital files. Artwork submitted requiring extensive reworking is subject to additional artwork charges. These charges include, but are not limited to, documents created in applications other than print design/layout programs, jobs requiring extensive copy alterations or copyfitting, and logos and artwork which require scanning and/or artwork recreation. Multiple revisions of artwork may also result in additional charges.

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