Frequently Asked Questions: Answers

Q: Do I have to go to Printing Services for my printing needs?
A: University and state policy requires that all printing work paid from state administered funds be referred to Printing Services or another state contracted vendor. It is not necessary to go through procurement or state purchasing when ordering directly from Printing Services, which usually saves time and money.

Q: What type of work can I get done at Printing Services?
A: Our services include everything from quick copy services to full-color printing combined with a variety of finishing and mailing capabilities. This includes business cards, letterhead, envelopes, graphic design, brochures, posters, portfolios, books and more. Our experienced composition staff and prepress units, together with a mix of presses and combined with an incredible bindery department ensure your job will be completed expertly from start to finish.

Q: When will my job be ready?
A: Often our clients request their jobs be finished by a certain date. When contemplating a time for your job to be completed, there are several things to take into consideration. How is your job being printed? Offset printing (from the press) usually takes 1-1/2 to 3 weeks depending on the complexity of the job and the quantity being printed. Jobs produced in our copy center can be turned around in 24 hours or less or up to several days, again, depending on complexity of the job. Current work load in the shop can also be a factor. Other items that will add to the turn-around time are binding options that require handwork or mailing and specialty jobs that need to be die cut, embossed, numbered or perforated. Lastly, jobs that have special order papers or items like embossing or die cutting can slow down a project. When you bring in your job you can discuss a due date with us and we will make every effort to accommodate your deadline. As always, please allow us as much time as reasonably possible to give you the best possible service.

Q: What type of file formats do you accept?
A: For full function printing, your file must be done in a page layout program. We use two primary layout programs, Quark Xpress and Adobe Pagemaker. Both are excellent pieces of software that allow for single page documents all the way to multiple paged complicated books. We do not recommend the use of any of the Microsoft Office software for layout if possible if you are planning to have it printed on a press. But you may use these if you are planning to have us layout your document or if the file is to be printed in the copy center. Nonetheless, we do have ways of working with these files so please call if you have a concern about your file format.

If you are planning on printing a poster on our wide format printer there are a few things to know.

• We can print your poster up to 52”x100”.
  
• It needs to be created in CYMK mode. - If you do not know about this please call.
  
• We can accept tiff and eps files.
  
• We have experienced problems with PowerPoint 2000.
  

Q: What is the problem with using Microsoft software to do my design?
A: While MS software such as Word, is great for word processing, it was not created for use as a layout program. We understand that many of our clients have MS software and we do try to accommodate them. However, when it comes time to bring your files to Printing Services, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint often have problems re-wrapping text and substituting fonts. In turn this will add composition time and thus more money. So what can be done? We can still take your word files and use it to create the publication you desire.

Q: Why do I need to include my fonts? Aren’t they in the file?
A: Most people believe that the fonts are automatically included with their files. This unfortunately is not true. When you create a document on your computer, the software is utilizing your version of fonts. There can be several different versions of each font which can cause your lines of text to re-wrap. Even Times (common as it is) has several different versions on the market, which makes it important for us to have the version that was used in the creation of your document. If you need help locating your fonts please feel free to call us.

Q: My graphics are embedded, so why do I need to include them separately?
A: Another common misconception is that your graphics are embedded in your publication. Although we can see them on the screen and in the document, this does not mean that the actual eps or tiff file is included on your disk. In order to insure that your publication’s graphics print properly, always include your image files separately on the disk.

Q: Why do my graphics look so blocky?
A: Often when graphics/images are pulled from web pages, or copied out of other digital publications, the resolution is set too low for printing (typically 72 dpi). The blocky appearance is known as pixelation. When considering the use of Internet graphics for your printed work, you will want to take a few things into consideration. If you want your publication to look its best, it is worth the time and effort to locate the original image or find another suitable graphic. When using graphics for print work it is always a good idea to have them scanned at 300 dpi or higher.

This will prevent your graphics from becoming pixelated. Another reason for pixelated or blocky graphics is that the “link” to them has been lost in the layout software. Commonly this will happen if you do not send your graphics along with your publication. When opened on a different computer from the one in which it was created, the document only has an “idea” of what the images looked like and prints them out as such.

Q: How much will my job cost?
A: With the recent budgetary cuts and restraints this question is very important. With several different printing methods for you to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which to use. When it comes to cost there are several items that figure into your final costs. Estimates can help you plan printing orders. To get the most accurate estimate for your job, be specific and provide as much information as possible. From this point we can discuss job specification, make suggestions that can help you cut cost but still have the quality piece you desire. Some ideas could be:

• Have your file ready and proofread when you bring it in. Feel free to consult with our composition department before hand.
  
• Allow us enough time to do the job in the most cost efficient way.
  
• Sometimes it is more cost effective to put it on a press rather than through our copy center.
  Always ask for a free estimate.
  
• Printing on standard size paper and not bleeding the image off the page.
  
• Are you typically reprinting certain jobs several times a year? When possible, anticipate your annual needs for these jobs. It’s less expensive to print a larger quantity at one time. Each reprint requires new plates and press set-up charges.
  
• If you know you will be using the same publication over a period of time, try to design it so that it can be reprinted without changes being made. Alterations require new film and flats, and depending on the extent of the changes, can be as expensive as printing a new job.
  
• If you are printing newsletters, bulletins and other periodic publications, consider having “preprint” made. We can print your masthead, title bars, etc. in color, store them for you, and then imprint the black ink copy for each issue on our digital copier. This allows you to have multiple ink colors on your publication without paying for it each time you publish a new edition and helps speed up the printing process.
  
• Using screens in your publication can be a good way to add dimension and visual interest to your piece.