Heidelberg Quickmaster Designer's Guide

The DI Designer's Guide has been created to assist you in providing the appropriate materials and in preparing your electronic files for production on the Heidelberg Quickmaster Direct Imaging Press. Following these guidelines will help ensure the successful, timely completion of your project.

Here's What We Need

Page layout files: PageMaker, Quark, and InDesign are the most common. Check with us if you use another product.
Live art files and scanned images: Don't forget those embedded art files! And, by the way, there's no need to send FPO files because they just take up additional disk space.
Screen and printer fonts: Please take a moment to check all your files for the necessary fonts. Disk directory.
Proof: Either a composite laser proof complete with color break information marked up, or a laser proof with individual lasers of each color separation plate. Whichever option you choose, please forward it to us at 100 percent of the actual size.

Here's How We Need It

Page Layout

Define page size as a final size: In case you're wondering, 13 x 17.75 is the maximum image size for the DI. A final size of 11 x 17, however, allows for the most efficient use of paper.
No need to trap your files: We use Scitex Full Auto Frames Trapping software which does an excellent job of trapping. Most printers will want you to do the trapping because they don't have a Scitex workflow. Provide the correct panel size for the style of fold you wish to incorporate in cases where a fold is required.

Type/Rule

Select a font from the font menu: Avoid style options or buttons as they may result in incorrect output.
Use PostScript Type 1 fonts: Refrain from using TrueType whenever possible. Define rules by their measurements: Rather than indicate a hairline rule, specify a .25 pt. rule.

Color

Define all color names the same, using CMYK, in both your graphics and page layout programs. Output a laser copy of all color plates to verify accurate color break Add 60 percent cyan to large solid black areas: The addition of cyan will help achieve a richer black on your finished piece.

Images

Convert all live color bitmap files from RGB to CMYK: When converting RGB images to CMYK in Adobe Photoshop, use medium GCR. For best results, we suggest you limit black ink to 95 percent coverage, and total ink to 340 percent coverage. Save files as follows:
-PC images in Tiff format
-Macintosh images in EPS format using DCS.

If QuarkXPress pages are saved as EPS files and placed in another document, send the original QuarkX-Press page and any placed files required for the page. Include the Freehand document when exporting graphics from Macromedia Freehand.

Scan line work at 800 dpi (dots per inch) or above: This will ensure optimum quality. Provide live color bitmap images at scan resolutions of 225 to 300 dpi: DI work is usually output at 150 lpi (lines per inch). Place all scans at 100 percent size or smaller: Enlargements could compromise quality.

Rotate, scale, and crop images before placing them on your page: Completing these steps in the page layout program creates excessive imaging time. Set picture box background color to white or zero percent black in QuarkXPress whenever possible.

Create blends (or gradients) in Adobe Photoshop adding a gaussian noise of two: This step will help reduce banding. Avoid saving screening information or transfer functions with Adobe Photoshop images.

Electronic Prepress Services

Electronic Proofing

Electronic proofs are completed on our Epson Proofing System. The maximum image area on these proofs is 13" x 19".

Scanning

All scanning is completed with our Crosfield drum scanner. We accept transparency, reflective, color, black/white, line art, and positive and negative copy formats. Original images are accepted up to a maximum size of 20" x 28". It may be helpful to note that our minimum reduction size is 25 percent, and our maximum enlargement size is 2000 percent.

Image Management

We have the capabilities to catalog, archive and retrieve your images.

Software Applications

Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Macromedia Freehand, QuarkXPress

Platforms

Macintosh and PC