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  Updated: 13 April 1998
 

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Electronic File Submissions

PostScript and EPS

DIGITAL MPS

PDF

Adobe Acrobat PDF File Submission Requirements

  • Create PDF files with Adobe Acrobat Distiller V3.X or later.
  • Make sure that a PDF file created from Adobe Acrobat Exchange is editable (not locked). When choosing Save As…, all security settings should be left unchecked. No password protection should be specified. We cannot make corrections to a locked PDF file.
  • In the General section of the Job Options dialog box:
    • Choose compatibility with Acrobat 3.0.
    • Create PDF files in ASCII format.
    • Set the default resolution to 2400 dpi.

PDF General Options

  • In the Compression section of the Job Options dialog box:
    • Compress text and line art.
    • Use automatic compression for color and grayscale bitmap images. Use ZIP/JPEG Low. Low compression means that almost no information will be lost.
    • Use manual compression for onochrome bitmap images. Use CCITT Group 4.
    • Do not downsample images. Downsampling is OK for on-line viewing but terrible for printing.

PDF Compression Options

  • In the Font Embedding section of the Job Options dialog box:
    • Embed all fonts. Avoid subsetting fonts. Subsetting makes it impossible for us to edit typographical errors and may even prevent the file from printing. If you choose not to embed fonts in the PDF file, you will need to send us any fonts you use that are not available on the Adobe FontFolio8 CD-ROM. We have that CD and it contains packages 1 to 436 of the Adobe Type Library (2300+ typefaces). The same fonts are available on the Adobe Type On Call CD-ROM. You can find a complete list of Adobe’s fonts on http://www.adobe.com/type/browser.

PDF Font Options

  • In the Advanced section of the Job Options dialog box:
    • Spot colors must be included. This can be done by checking "Distill with prologue.ps/epilogue.ps." This option will not work unless prologue.ps and epilogue.ps are in the same folder (directory) as the Distiller application.
    • Use CMYK rather than RGB for non-spot color. In other words, don’t check "Convert CMYK Images to RGB."
    • Don’t check "Preserve OPI Comments."
    • Check "Preserve Overprint Settings."
    • Check "Preserve Halftone Screen Information."
    • Choose "Remove Transfer Functions."
    • Choose "Remove Under Color Removal/Black Generation."
    • Choose "Unchanged" for color conversion.

PDF Advanced Options

  • Multi-page (text body) files may need to include blank pages to ensure proper pagination. For example, if your chapters must begin on even-numbered pages and a chapter ends up on an odd-numbered page, you will have to add a blank page before the first page of the chapter.
  • Include crop marks for documents that are positioned in the center of the printable area and have trim sizes smaller than the printable area. For example, a 7"x9" document printed on an 8.5"x11" page will need crop marks if the artwork is centered on the page.
  • All pages in a multi-page document must be placed identically and in the same orientation. For example, if the first page is placed in the lower left and is in portrait orientation, all other pages in the book must use these same attributes. If the artwork for a multi-page document is not positioned in the lower left, include crop marks.
  • Don’t add recto/verso offsets. Recto/verso offsets are shifts added to your margins to maintain proper gutters in the finished book. This will be taken care of when we process the document. Adding recto/verso offsets in the PostScript or EPS file limits the portability of the document. For instance, recto/verso offsets for a document printed on 8.5"x11" paper will be incorrect if the book will be printed in Europe on A4 paper.
   
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