How to prepare artwork for your CD booklets.
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We hope this is useful information, if you need more help just ask!
What format should the file be in?
PDF
PDFs are best, you will get better and more consistent results by supplying PDFs. If you don't have a PDF creator, you can download a free one from called CutePDF from the nice folks at Acro Software Inc. Many of our customers use this and we even use it ourselves on PCs without an Acrobat licence. There are clear instructions on their web site, please follow them! Here is the link to web site for CutePDF:-
http://www.cutepdf.com
Clicking on the link above will take you away from inkylittlefingers.co.uk so if you want to open the link in a new window click on the following link
http://www.cutepdf.com 
Always make sure that you select the "Press" preset when using Adobe products to create a PDF. Cutepdf does not use presets, but the default setting will work OK.
Make sure that you set the correct page size!
Don't bother about turning on any "printers marks", we will just delete them anyway.
Some PDF generation tools will have an option to "embed fonts". If it's there, turn it on.
Always take a good look at the PDF before you send it to us.
TIFFs or JPEG
This option is hard work and not recommended except as a last resort. To keep the text clear and crisp, make sure that TIFFs are at 450dpi You will need to supply one file for each page.
Publisher
You can create PDF files from Publisher and we prefer to receive your artwork as a PDF. Either download CutePDF (see above), or follow the instructions in this technical note:-
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=F1FC413C-6D89-4F15-991B-63B07BA5F2E5&displaylang=en
Clicking on the link above will take you away from inkylittlefingers.co.uk so if you want to open the link in a new window click on the following link
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=F1FC413C-6D89-4F15-991B-63B07BA5F2E5&displaylang=en
Please note that Publisher does have a pretty big "issue" with transparencies (apparently this is not a bug!) that mainly affects GIF and PNGs. Basically Publisher will create PDFs with thousands of 1px by 1px images. This will make your computer run very slow and it causes major pre-press problems for us. The way to fix this is to delete the offending images, remove the transparency on the original image files (i.e. in an image editing application) and then import them again into Publisher.
If you want us to print from your Publisher file then we can do this, but an extra charge may apply depending on the complexity of the job.
InDesign
Please create a PDF and send this to us.
If you want us to print from your InDesign files then we can do this, but there may be an extra charge, depending on the complexity of the job. If you send us InDesign files, we strongly recommend that you convert the text to outlines (use "create outlines") and you embed the graphics (links > embed file).
Everything Else
If you have your file in a different format and you cannot create a PDF, then please call the Help Desk for advice on how to proceed, we can help in nearly all cases!
What page size should I use?
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Each page should be 120mm wide and 120mm tall. You must also have a "bleed" area of 2mm all round. A bleed area is an "extra" bit of artwork at the edge of a sheet and is used to make sure that there are no imperfections when printed sheets are "finished". The bleed area will be chopped off! Some applications understand bleeds and some (like Publisher) do not. If your application does not, then you need to create a page size of 124mm wide and 124mm tall. One way to think of bleeds is as follows; if you have a solid colour background, make sure that it goes all the way to the edge of the bleed area. If you have a picture that you want to run all the way to the edge of your page, make sure that the image goes all the way to the edge of the bleed area. Remember that whatever is in the bleed area will get chopped off. |
Is there a template I can use?
You can download the template below. This is a pretty simple template, so most designers will just use the dimensions given above!
This template is simply a "guide", please do not merge it with your artwork, otherwise it will appear in the printed booklet!
CD booklet Page Template
Do I have to supply my file in CMYK?
No, if you supply your file in RGB we will convert it to CMYK as part of the proofing process.
Bluffer's guide
RGB (Red, Green, Blue) are the basic components of the colours emitted by your monitor. All the colours that you can see on your monitor are
made up from RGB in different proportions. CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK) are the ink pigments used to reflect light back to you from the printed sheet. The full colour images that you see on the printed sheet are actually made up from complex patterns of CMYK. RGB colours must be converted to CMYK so that they can be printed. This conversion is usually hidden from you when you are using a desk top printer. Because RGB has a wider gamut (range of possible colours) compared to CMYK, not all colours can be printed accurately. For this reason, professional designers will usually design their artwork in CMYK and preview it on screen in simulated CMYK.
Some "Dos and Don'ts"!
Don'ts
- Don't supply your booklet as spreads.
Dos
- Do supply each page seperately, preferably as a multi-page PDF.
- Do supply each page as should be supplied with 2mm bleed all round.
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