A.R.Garamond s.r.o printer specifications
Generally create documents as multi-page documents, don’t pass data by page.
If you’re exporting data to PDF, choose PDF 1.3 export to merge transparency.
Document
All pages should have the same size and orientation. Always set the page size to the final print size. Don’t forget to set the fallout correctly. Set the fallout to 3mm, never less. Use the fallout definition in the document size setting, don’t create custom crop marks manually, etc.
As a rule, don’t use diacritics and any special characters, such as slashes, etc. for naming a document. Spaces, hyphens, underscores are allowed.
Generate and send the document as a multi-page PDF file, don’t generate print data on a page-by-page basis.
Transparency
- All forms of transparency are prohibited in the data. Transparency poses a real danger that you’ll see your data on the monitor in a different form to how it’s processed with the RIP in the printer, and even your proof may differ from the resulting print. For example, transparency automatically appears in a document as a result of using shadows in many other situations.
- To get rid of transparency, you must merge them when generating the print data. Set PDF 1.3 compatibility when exporting data from InDesign, and use the High-Resolution preference to merge transparency.
- With InDesign, you need to set the Transparency Blending Space to CMYK.
- If you don’t use export, transparency is also merged when you print the document to a PostScript file and then generate a PDF via Distiller. This procedure is universal and can be used when working on InDesign and other graphics applications (QuarkXPress, etc.). Use the enclosed Distiller preference file to generate the PDF (note that these preferences assume that you also set-up PostScript printing according to our instructions).
- Carefully check the PDF document’s final form, especially overprint areas, as well as checking image quality and possible changes in font thickness in rasterised areas. The issue of applying transparency is complex and in many cases the output result is different from the idea of the document creator.
Colour spaces and defined colours
Objects in a colour space other than CMYK are prohibited in the final print data; this specifically applies to objects in RGB.
Spot colours are allowed when used in printing. Include this in the order, making it clear that spot colours have been consciously used in the file and not by mistake. Name the spot colours regarding which colour will actually be used in printing (for example, it can’t be defined in the Pantone 123 C document and in the Pantone 125 C order). Never use your own blue-headed names, etc.
Otherwise, spot colours are prohibited. If your document contains spot colour (most often as a result of inserting a logo or an externally created advertisement) and you‘re ordering CMYK printing, you must convert (split) the CMYK process colours when outputting the spot colour data. No objects inside the page must be coloured with registration paint. If you need to use Rich Black, we recommend a 60/40/40/100 CMYK value.
Fonts
All fonts within the document must be embedded correctly as a subset.
White font must not be overprinted.
Fonts smaller than 6 dots printed by registering two or more inks are prohibited.
Black fonts smaller than 12 dots must be defined as overprinted. Colour the font to be black only with black (K), never CMYK, and there’s a risk of registration problems.
Necessary exceptions must be stated in the order to consult and agree with CTP and production, including the printer’s possible limitation responsibility for the printing result (especially registering small texts).
Links
Don’t use lines that are less than 0.25 points in one colour, and lines that are less than 2 points, printed with two or more inks. White lines must have knockout, not overprint. Black lines must be overprinted.
Overprints
Always keep Overprint preview enabled when working with a document.
White objects must be set to cut-out, not overprinted. Small black objects (small font, thin lines) must be overprinted. For larger black objects (captions over images, etc.), you must consider overprinting or cutting-out case by case. If you’re unsure, consult CTP in advance.
Note: Overprint settings are not automatically modified. Exceptions must be negotiated individually.
Image resolution
Use colour and grayscale images at 300 dpi. Higher resolution is unnecessary. In most cases, lower resolution lowers image quality (visibly lower sharpness, etc.). Supply line art and other monochrome images at a minimum resolution of 1200 dpi.
Use logos and other similar graphics in vector format. Only use the logo in raster form (JPEG, TIFF) in an emergency, this procedure always lowers print quality (especially sharpness, which is visibly worse) even if the logo is delivered in 300 dpi resolution. The correct format choice is the data submitter’s responsibility.
Barcodes
All barcodes must be supplied only in vector form, not as a bitmap. The code must be executed in black only, never as a multiple colour register. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in poor code reading, which the printer is not responsible for if conditions aren’t met.
THE MAKET IS THE IDEAL TOOL FOR MINIMAL ERRORS and is supplied by the customer
- must be the same number of pages as the final printed matter,
- must be identical in content (latest version),
- must simulate the resulting type of binding or folding,
- sheets must be firmly joined or the page order must be marked so that they can’t be confused.
FILE REPAIR
We only repair files after consulting the customer, if technically possible.
These technical conditions were approved by the A.R. Garamond s.r.o. statutory body on 1.6.2019.
