Kendall Press Blog

Mario

Labels: design, fonts, kendall press

Choosing the right paper for your project can be the difference in having the finished piece look outstanding or just so-so! You put a lot of time into the creation and it is now time to make it come to life!

There are many different varieties of paper stocks to choose from! If you are unsure of what to use for your next project, here are some suggestions.

Paper Weight

Each paper comes in several weights and each weight serves a different purpose. If you are planning on printing business stationery, you need to choose a paper that comes in both text and cover weight as well as having the size envelopes that you will need readily available. Keep in mind that if you choose a natural white or colored paper to print your stationery on, it may vary the color slightly.

If your document has a lot of heavy coverage, you will want to stay with a smooth paper rather than choosing one with texture. If it is postcards that you are printing, you will probably want to stay with paper that is coated one side (C1S). The coated side will bring out the colors of your design and the uncoated side will make it easier to address.

Bond papers are commonly used for letters and business forms. Most letterhead is printed using 24# Bond, but if you want it slightly heavier, 28# is available in some papers. If you write letters with multiple pages, you might want to stay with the 24#. The extra weight of the 28# might add extra postage.

Cover weight papers come in various weights, colors and finishes. Cover weight papers can be used for business cards, covers on programs, postcards and brochures. A popular weight for business cards is 88# or 100# cover.

Coated papers can be used for flyers and brochures when there is a lot of photographs and coverage. Coated paper does not always mean glossy. There are dull coated papers as well.

Offset papers may be used for printing newsletters, books, direct mail pieces with only a few photographs and other printing products requiring average quality.

Recycled Paper We also offer a variety of FSC certified papers and support socially and environmentally responsible practices.

As with anything, there are a variety of price ranges for the different papers. If you have a budget that you are trying to meet, give us a call and we will work with you to pick the right paper for your project!

Cheryl

Press Quality PDFs: Many programs provide several methods to make a pdf file(printing to a pdf driver, saving a file as a pdf and exporting the file as a pdf). Below is a list of how to make a pdf file in some of the more popular programs. Regardless of the method chosen, a Press Quality pdf should be the end result.

Qualities of a Print Quality file
1. crop marks
2 bleeds; 1/8 inch beyond the borders
3. colors; Spot or CMYK (depending on the print method)
4. size is correct
5. photo resolution is 300 dpi
6. fonts are either in outlines or embedded

InDesign
1. Choose File > Export.
2. Specify a name and location for the file.
3. For “Save As Type” (Windows) or “Format” (Mac OS), choose “Adobe PDF”, and then click Save.
4. Choose Adobe PDF Preset “Press Quality”
5. Then select the following options:Under “Marks and Bleeds” selecta. crop marksb. bleed (.125”)
6. Click Export (Windows) or Save (Mac OS).

Illustrator
1. Choose File > Save As or File > Save A Copy
2. Specify a name and location for the file.
3. Choose Adobe PDF (*.PDF) as the file format, and click Save
4. Choose Adobe PDF Preset “Press Quality”
5. Then select the following options:Under “Marks and Bleeds” selecta. crop marksb. bleed (.125”)
6. Click Export (Windows) or Save (Mac OS).

Photoshop
1. Choose File > Save As, and then choose Photoshop PDF from the Format menu.
2. Click Save. In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, choose an Adobe PDF preset specifying whether the Photoshop file will be printed on a desktop printer or proofer, sent to a commercial printer, distributedby email, displayed on the web, and so on. For details, see Adobe PDF presets.
4. Choose Adobe PDF Preset “Press Quality”
5. Click Export (Windows) or Save (Mac OS).

MicroSoft Word - MAC
1. Choose File menu, click Print, and then click Save As PDF.
2. In the Save As box, type a name for the file.
3. Locate the folder and disk where you want to save the file, and then click Save.

MicroSoft Word - PC
1. Choose File Print
2. Select “Adobe PDF” as the printer
3. Under Properties
a. select: “Press Quality” for Default Setting
b. uncheck “Rely on system fonts only; do not use document fonts”
c. select the appropriate size

Quark Xpress
1. File > Export > Layout as PDF
2. Select the following Options:
a. Compression “none”
b. Resolution > keep resolution
c. Job Options: embed all fonts;d. Output: select either composite, cmyk, black and white or “as is” for spot color;
e. Output select:
1. crop marks
2. bleed - symmetric .125”
3. Save

By providing us with a press quality pdf, it will help to ensure that your final product will turn out just as you expect it to!

- Mark