Files must be print-ready PDF files.

The PDF/X-1a:2001 is a requirement for color book file submissions, and always recommended for black and white file submissions (both cover and text files). Below are some of the reasons this setting is the most efficient to use when creating PDF’s for print:

• Ensures all fonts are embedded. Typically, the default setting for a PDF that cannot embed the fonts is that it fails to create a PDF initially, which immediately tells the creator that there is a problem with fonts. A common reason a font will not embed using PDF/X-1a:2001 is due to licensing restrictions with the font.

• Converts any images that are not already CMYK. This is a critical check. RGB is how monitors handle color, but it is not a color mode for printing. If a file is sent as RGB, and is printed as is, the shift that it goes through during the rip process may be significant enough to cause the publisher/customer to be unhappy/dissatisfied with the final output—creating extra time/costs in getting the color to be satisfactory. A PDF/X-1a:2001 file will result in a truer representation of the color BEFORE a file is submitted.

• “Trapping” settings will be corrected. This is an issue with how colors interact with each other that generally preview correctly on screen, but can cause a problem when the ink is printed on the paper.

• “Transparency” settings will be corrected. Layering/special effects such as drop shadows should be rendered correctly so that there are no unexpected results when a file goes through the rip process, e.g. a drop shadow turning black when the desired effect was a gray drop shadow.

• Bookblock Specifications (pdf) (Important Bleed Information)

• How to verify if your fonts are embedded (pdf)

• Acrobat Distiller Settings (pdf)

Below are instructions for creating a PostScript file from various applications:

Macintosh: • InDesign CS3 (pdf) • InDesign CS2 (pdf) • Quark Xpress 7.2 & 7.3 (pdf) • Quark Xpress 6 (pdf)

Windows: • InDesign CS3 (pdf) • InDesign CS2 (pdf) • Quark Xpress 7.2 & 7.3 (pdf) • Quark Xpress 7 (pdf) • Quark Xpress 6 (pdf)

 

Some notes about Acrobat & Acrobat Distiller:

KD Press recommends and supports submission of PDF files that are created using the Adobe Acrobat Distiller program. Other PDF creators are not guaranteed and any additional charges or resubmission's resulting from the use of other PDF-creator programs will be the responsibility of the publisher.

Adobe is the company that created the file type of PDF. As such we have found their software to be the most consistent and reliable in creating not only PDF’s in general, but PDF’s that are stable for printing. It would be impossible for us to support all or even a small portion of the PDF producers that are available on the market. These 3rd party companies use different code and software to create PDF’s, and these are not always reliable for print-ready files. Adobe Acrobat Distiller is the only PDF producer that has proven to provide consistent and stable PDF files for printing with our processes.

Examples of issues that can be seen are font encoding errors with text. In these cases, the PDF will appear correctly when viewing on various machines, but when the file reaches various rip processes or printers, the unseen issue with the file will occur at this time causing fonts/characters to be replaced with unreadable symbols. Additionally, with cover files, we have seen transparency issues where drop shadows and other similar effects do not render correctly at the rip process. These are just two of the common examples we have experienced when 3rd party PDF producers were used. We cannot make it a practice to alter/edit files as this can produce unexpected results. Since we are not the creators of the original document, it is impossible for us to discern if a PDF has retained it’s layout/specifics as it was originally created. Because these errors can often be overlooked, we cannot be held responsible at a later time for the PDF not having been interpreted correctly.

A note about all PDF submissions (cover & text)

Please preview ALL PDF files before submission to KD Press. A common mistake is to only proofread / preflight the application files for errors (i.e. InDesign or Quark XPress, etc). When viewing the PDF after it’s created, and proofreading / preflighting for errors, more errors can often be caught before submission to us (on the front end) and will save time in producing a correct proof.

 

 

PROOFS:
We print using a direct to print process.  A digital laser, inkjet printout is to be submitted with your files and MUST be of the final files.  We do not proof read your document.  If you do not supply a printout, you accept full responsibility for the printing outcome and may incur additional charges.

It is understood that the CMYK values built into the file is what will print.  KD Press will not check for color accuracy for files to printout.  (Example: If your monitor and printout shows a dark blue with a CMYK color value of 100M, 80C and it prints a dark purple, it is a result of the file.  100M, 80C will produce a dark purple.)  DO NOT TRUST THE COLORS ON YOUR MONITOR OR ANY DESK TOP PRINTER.  CHECK ALL COLOR BUILDS AGAINST A CMYK COLOR GUIDE.  Every monitor and desk top printer is calibrated differently and there is a good chance it will not reflect the final print color.  Only a calibrated proofing system will produce an accurate proof. 

PRINTING:
We print directly from your files to SWOP ink and density standards.

KDP recommends and supports submission of PDF files created with Adobe Acrobat® “Distiller” program.

If you do not have the full version of Acrobat you can convert your manuscript for free by visiting the Adobe Web site.

Other freeware PDF creators:
http://www.cutepdf.com/
http://www.pdf995.com/download.html
http://www.dopdf.com/download.php

A few basic PDF Do's and Don'ts

• Embed all fonts and graphics
• Flatten Photoshop files (Images must be 300 ppi)
• Convert RGB to CMYK
• Print a postscript file and use Acrobat Distiller
• Do not use PDF writer
• Do not use security

Color Covers... ...

1. Adobe PDF (.pdf) using the default setting of “PDF/X-1a:2001
2. Adobe Postscript (.ps)
3. PhotoShop (.psd)
4. .tiff file
5. .eps file

See CMYK for color tips.

 

1. All Images or artwork must be submitted in CMYK format at a 300ppi resolution.
2. All fonts should include screen and printer fonts, even the most common fonts.
3. When you lay out the cover of a book in a desktop application, make sure that the front and back covers, as well as the spine are designed as one contiguous page.
   
4. White Space:  This .25-inch white space allows us to place trim, registration and color identification marks, which will be used during printing.

   Bleed: Any background color or photograph that extends to the edge of the page after trimming is called a bleed. To ensure ink coverage to the bleed edge, the image or background color must extend .25 inch beyond the trim. This area will be trimmed away after printing. Neither trim nor registration marks should be placed inside the bleed area.

   Spine Width: To determine the book's spine size, divide the number of pages by the paper's thickness (measured in "pages per inch" or ppi). Our 50# paper is 526 ppi, our 60# paper is 435 ppi and our 70# is 384 ppi. (Example: 256 page book printed on 50# would be 256 ÷ 526 = 0.48" spine.) For “safety”, provide at least .0625” tolerance within the text on the spine. There can be no printing on a spine that is less than .25" (1/4). Click here to use our Calculation Form.

5. Color Breaks on the Spine: This involves a spine whose color is different from the color used on the front or back cover. We call this a "color break." Because the bulking of paper can vary slightly, it is inadvisable to create a color break between the spine and both the front and back covers. It is better to have only one color break, either on the front or the back.
   Another solution is to extend the spine color over onto the front and/or back cover by about 1/4 inch.

6. For best results text should be at least 0.25” from trim edges of the book.
7. If scanning to create the digital file, scan all images at 300ppi CMYK.
8. Black elements should NOT be built in “Registration” black. These elements should be built out of “Rich” black. For best results, we recommend the CMYK values of 60% Cyan, 40% Magenta, 40% Yellow, and 100% Black. CMYK total value should not exceed 240%.
9. The barcode should be built in 100% Black only.

 

• Most digital photos cannot to be utilized properly at 100% scale. The reason for this is the difference in resolution between your computer monitor screen and the resolution required for effective print reproduction. Because they are intended to be viewed on a computer first, most digital photos are saved by default as 72 PPI images. This is because a computer monitor only needs to display an image at 72 PPI (most Macs) or 96 PPI (most PCs). What looks great on your screen at 100% will not print well at all when scaled at 100%, but it may print very well if used at 25% because the resulting effective resolution is the 288 PPI.

  If you want to use photographs from your digital camera in your print job then you need to set your camera on the highest pixel count possible. A higher pixel count (or resolution) will mean better photos, but it will also mean that your camera can store fewer of them, because the individual size of each photo will be larger.

  Understanding Raw Files