Disclaimer: Graphic arts and prepress preparation are very complicated processes requiring a lot of knowledge and skill. We take no responsibility for any misunderstanding or errors you may make in trying to "do-it-yourself". We suggest hiring a competent graphic design firm to create your artwork. However we are easy to work with and we help a lot of independent DIY publishers get their art ready for printing. Our standard prices assume correct files are being supplied, so please allow us some compensation if we have to work on your files.

Amtech is pleased to work with you and your graphic artist to expedite the film and plate-making process.

CD and DVD label films must be made exactly to the proper specification or else they may have to be redone. In practice we have taken care of the filmwork for every job since about the year 2000. You can supply your own films if you have the ability and want to take the chance.

Paper print is usually direct-to-plate with no film required, so we are the final proofing stage before your job hits the press and is assembled into the CD or DVD package. Rest assured we are very diligent in making sure your job will "rip" and print the way you envision it. It really helps if you send us some hardcopy prints of what the job is supposed to look like so we can catch errors in the files before they get to the ripping stage. Once files are ripped and you get the proofs back a lot of labour and printer ink has been used (even if you are only getting PDFs, we are making full-colour prints), so there is usually a minimum charge of $25 per resubmitted file.

Note that booklet files must always be supplied in printer's spreads, not reader's spreads. Some book designers always make files in reader's spreads so it is important to tell them it has to be printer's spreads (ie page 1 beside 8, 2 beside 7, etc...

For CD and DVD folders please consult our templates carefully with your sales rep to avoid rework. In some cases there are several variations with different folding patterns. For example here are 4 variations of 4-panel (8-page) folders:

Gatefold	Accordion	Double Parallel	Roll

If color is critical you MUST supply or ask for calibrated proofs. The proof will be given to the press operators for matching. Please allow a couple extra days of production time in this case.

Here are some basic points to help you avoid problems, save money, have your project look good... and get it done on time!

The Basics
The first thing to know if you are doing your own graphics is:

Most printing is done with the following colors: Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and Black. These colors are referred to as "process colors". They are abreviated CMYK. Photographs and artwork are "separated" into these colors. These process colors cannot reproduce all visible colors. Flourescents, pastels, oranges, greens, deep blues and reds can be troublesome or impossible to reproduce.

Another method is "spot color" printing. In this case printers and designers usually refer to their Pantone (tm) books when specifying colors. The printer looks up the color and mixes the appropriate inks to arrive close to the specified color. This method of printing is usually not used if photographs are being reproduced. Pantone colors are usually used on CD labels.

Computer monitors use red, green, and blue (RGB) to reproduce color. Desktop scanners scan into RGB. These scans must be converted into CMYK for printing on paper. There can be a dramatic color change and much uncertainty during this process. We can do the conversion for you for a small charge.

The maximum recommended CMYK ink density is 280%, out of a theoretical 400% (if all 4 colors were printing 100%). We can go a little higher in small areas, but if your art files are a heavy 320% or more in large areas, the job will be delayed until you redo the the files. Use the eyedropper in your graphics program to spot-check the ink densities. If you print your file on an inkjet printer and it takes a long time to dry, you could have too much density.

Here is an example of an RGB picture which is printing 280-290% when converted to CMYK:

The eyedropper tool shows a total density of 287% in the water. By playing with the separation curves in Photoshop we can alter the final densities of the 4 colors. 280% isn't a brick-wall limit, just a guideline.

Unfortunately, this photo also has a lot of red, blue, and green colors that cannot be converted to CMYK. We call these areas "out of gamut".

Planning

Photo and Art Reproduction

Details

This page was updated August 2007.