Page Layout Software

The following programs enable designers to produce professional quality results inexpensively and quickly without the need for outside typesetting or assistance. They also allow the user to import images and text, select from a variety of type fonts and sizes, column justifications, document formatting, and image linking. DMA suggests:

- Adobe Illustrator v8.0 or higher
- Adobe Indesign v1.0 or higher
- QuarkXpress v4.0 or higher

Illustrator: Illustrator’s ability to work with compound paths makes CD face design a breeze. It is also great for single sheet output like CD labels. Features we enjoy with Illustrator are the layers palette which allows us to add masks, non-printing comments and guidelines to assist designers with our templates. One of the most common errors with Illustrator is that inexperienced designers paste images onto the art board rather than using the File > Place command, or they check the Include External Files Within Document option during saving making for a hefty bloated Illustrator file that causes all sorts of delays while ripping your files.

Indesign: is the current industry standard for print. It allows for easy placement of images and text for multiple page projects.

Quark Express:is the next best program preferred for basic page layouts. The preflight options and error checking are efficient and well supported. When you import images they are automatically linked to an external file which is what we want. A low resolution version of your image is produced inside the Quark document making the file much quicker to open and edit.

Acrobat PDF: since you would need to make a PDF file using Indesign, Quark, Illustrator or Pagemaker anyway, we prefer to have the original layouts and not PDF-documents. PDFs have numerous options using compression that can cause low quality printing. It only supports CMYK color and is locked so we can not adjust your files if you inadvertently make a layout error.

Photoshop: you can use Photoshop but eventually the file must be placed in Quark or Illustrator for proper output to the plate making machines. Think of PSD files (Photoshop) as snap shots and Quark or Illustrator as the photo album that assembles them all together. Photoshop files usually contain different elements and multiple layers, these elements can get flattened during conversion and submission. Once this happens changing text alignment and typos is no longer possible. If you keep text vector based, as you would by typing your text elements in Quark or Illustrator, the result is smooth, high-resolution text and not halftones. This program should only be used for what it is intended - to create photo images for placement into Illustrator, Indesign or Quark.

*Please anticipate longer preflight times and possible graphic design charges if you submit anything other than Illustrator, Indesign or Quark files

Troubleshooting

CD Label Specific:
· Client did not read the customer supplied film specifications guide
· Label film not sized to specifications
· Line screen not respected (120 max)
· Gradients used (very hard to reproduce accurately)
· Image or information inside the non-printable area of the disc label
· Image outside printable area
· PMS colors not separated properly. (Do test separations at your end first)
· Florescent colors specified (don't use them)
· Hexachrome values used (do not use a number with a dash: e.g.. PMS156-7)
Paper Parts specific: (booklets tray cards etc.)
· Image files not supplied
· Tray card spine text upside down
· Bar code placed on nonwhite background
· Pantone colors specified in CMYK output (paper parts) without prior warning.
· No mockup supplied for booklets and CD label
· Text too close to cut marks. Allow for enough gutter margin
· No bleed around booklet panels
Fonts:
· Fonts are missing or incomplete
· Do not stylize fonts (make Bold and italic) in Quark; i.e. don't use the 'bold' command to make regular Helvetica appear bold. Use the correct Helvetica Bold font instead. All fonts need to be shipped with your print files, including the bold or italic font versions.
· Remember the fonts embedded in EPS files. Often a customer will send the fonts used to create headlines and text, but forget to include fonts that are contained in EPS graphics that are imported into the page layout document.
· As an alternative, before creating an EPS, you can convert the text to paths. Most Illustration programs, especially Illustrator and FreeHand, have the ability to change text into vector elements so you no longer need to include the font files. It becomes self contained. Do backup your files before you convert!
(select your text > Type > Create Outlines)
· Avoid nesting or layering of fonts. Placing type in a graphic, then placing it in another graphic, and finally, imprinting it into the page layout program could make it hard for the imagesetter to find the font. Try to keep graphic file construction as clean and simple as possible.
· Avoid obscure font manufacturers or bargain basement fonts. All fonts are not created equal. Strange fonts may cause problems with high-resolution output. Some of these fonts are only made for 300 DPI laser printers.

Feel free to contact us anytime! 1.877.736.5596 or customerservice@dmadiscs.com