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| Sending & Receipt of Files/Turn-around Time Issues: |
6: By what different methods can we send you files?
7: Is it better to send orders/files through your web site or via e-mail?
8: Did you get my e-mail?
9: Why didn't you call and tell me you didn't get my e-mail?
10: How long does it take for you to receive my e-mail?
11: Once my file gets to you, how long does it take before you look at it and contact me if there is a problem?
12: Once my file gets to you, how long does it take before my order goes into production?
13: I get most of the files I send to you for printing from my customer. Can you use them?
14: Who can I call to find out if you got my files?
15: Is turnaround time the same if I send you electronic files as if I send the files in the traditional manner since sending electronic files would save set-up time?
16: Why do I sometimes get more than one call telling me there is a problem with my file?
17: Why do you charge so much to fix our files?
18: I just sent an e-mail. Are my files correct?
19: What do I do if I notice that the files I sent to you are wrong? |
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| Type, Font & Style Palette Issues: |
20: What is the stylization palette?
21: Why can't I use the stylization palette?
22: My font doesn't have a bold version. The only way I can bold it is in the palette. What should I do?
23: Why does it cost more to do a font substitution than to just re-typeset?
24: Why can't we send PC fonts for you to use to output my file?
25: What do you mean by "creating outlines" on type?
26: What fonts do you have available? |
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| Color Issues |
27: Why do I need to color my files cyan if my job is printing reflex blue, or magenta if my job is printing red?
28: Why does black need to be colored printing black on a full-color card?
29: Why do photos printed in full-color need to be colored CMYK?
30: What is the difference between CMYK and RGB?
31: I want both foil and embossing on my business cards. Your guidelines say to color them both yellow. How will you know what is to be hotstamped and what is to be embossed? |
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| Resolution issues |
32: I know my scan is at low resolution. This is how I got it from my customer. Why can't you use it the way it is provided?
33: What line screen do you use for printing?
34: What dpi do you use for printing?
35: What is 'ppi'?
36: Can you scan a printout I send you of my file if for some reason you can't use my file? |
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| Miscellaneous Issues |
37: Is it advisable to send black and white camera-ready artwork instead of (or as well as) electronic files?
38: Do I need to fax a composite proof of what I want my cards to look like even if I'm e-mailing it to you?
39: What is BinHex?
40: What kind of compression (compacting) software can I use to compress my files before sending?
41: What could be happening to my file that would make it change from the time I send it to the time you receive it? What would make a file corrupt?
42: What kind of scanner do you use for scanning full-color photographs? |
1: What applications can I use to create my files?
A: We will accept files created per our guidelines in the following native applications:
QuarkXPress®: Macintosh - v. 4.0 or earlier and IBM-PC - v. 4.0 or earlier
Adobe Pagemaker®: Macintosh - v. 5.5, 6.0 or 6.5 and IBM-PC - v. 6.0 or 6.5 only
Macromedia Freehand®: Macintosh - v. 8.0 or earlier and BM-PC
Adobe Illustrator®: Macintosh and IBM-PC
Adobe Photoshop®: Macintosh and IBM-PC
Corel Draw®: IBM-PC only - (MUST be exported)
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2: How should I prepare my files for printing at fourcolor.net?
A: The guidelines are available here on the fourcolor web site. |
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3: How do I create files to send to you in QuarkXPress®? In Adobe Pagemaker®? In Adobe Illustrator®? In Macromedia Freehand®? In Adobe Photoshop®? In CorelDraw®?
A: Any questions regarding the creating of files or how to use any of the software applications or to fix any problems should be directed to the manufacturer of the software in question. |
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4: What is a soft proof?
A: It is a layout that appears on your screen just as it will appear when printed. |
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5: What is your e-mail address?
A: custserv@fourcolor.net |
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6: By what different methods can we send you files?
A: 3.5" floppy disk
Zip disk (100MB)
CD/DVD
E-mail (prepress@dailygraphics.net)
FTP (call our Customer Service department for information) |
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7: Is it better to send orders/files through your web site or via e-mail?
A: E-mail is acceptable, provided your complete order information is included. Our guidelines for creating your artwork need to be followed, regardless of how the files are sent to us. |
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8: Did you get my e-mail?
A: Once an e-mail transmission gets to the fourcolor server, an automatic e-mail message is generated back to confirm receipt of your email. However, it does not mean that your files are "ready" to go into production. The files are routed to Preflight where one of our application specialists will look at each element of the file to determine if your files are produced to our specifications. |
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9: Why didn't you call and tell me you didn't get my e-mail?
A: If you need someone to keep an eye out for a particular e-mail you want to send, please be sure to
call customer service before sending your files so a representative can be watching for your transmission. Then be sure that you write that person's name on the subject line along with your company name so that the file can be routed quickly to that person once the files comes in to fourcolor. Also, be sure to include any other information the representative asks you to supply in the message area of the e-mail. If no one in customer service knows a specific e-mail transmission is coming, we would not have a reason to call you.
We will not question if your order is in our hold file and we don't get a replacement file right away. We realize that sometimes corrections take time. Production time does not begin until we have correct files.
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10: How long does it take for you to receive my e-mail?
A: Once e-mail files arrive on our fourcolor server, they are downloaded every 15 minutes. After
downloading, the files and e-mail messages are routed to our Preflight department to be sorted into the work rotation. |
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11: Once my file gets to you, how long does it take before you look at it and contact me if there is a
problem?
A: Files are downloaded every 15 minutes at fourcolor. Please keep in mind that volume of incoming files can affect how quickly your file is reviewed. Our goal is to completely preflight incoming orders within 24 hours of receipt at fourcolor. |
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12: Once my file gets to you, how long does it take before my order goes into production?
A: Once your file arrives at fourcolor, our goal is to get your order into production within 24 hours.
However, our Electronic Preflight Department must look at all your files and determine if they are sent to our specifications. Production time does not begin until your files have been approved. |
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13: I get most of the files I send to you for printing from my customer. Can you use them?
A: We can use them as long as the files are prepared according to our electronic ordering guidelines. |
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14: Who can I call to find out if you got my files?
A: A customer service representative can help you with that. He/She would need to know the following:
1) the date the file was sent,
2) the approximate time the file was sent,
3) the method by which it was sent (i.e. e-mail, ftp, etc.),
4) the e-mail address from which it was sent (if files came that way), and
5) what was on the e-mail subject line.
If you e-mail your files to fourcolor (prepress@dailygraphics.net), an automated e-mail
message will be sent back to you, letting you know that your transmission arrived at our server. This does not mean that your order is in production. Every file for every order will be checked thoroughly by our Electronic Preflight operators to be sure it follows our guidelines and will work in our system. |
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15: Is turnaround time the same if I send you electronic files as if I send the files in the traditional
manner since sending electronic files would save set-up time?
A: Turnaround time does not change if electronic files are sent. All electronic files that come in need to be checked in our Electronic Preflight Department. Production time does not begin until we have confirmed that files are set to our specifications. |
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16: Why do I sometimes get more than one call telling me there is a problem with my file?
A: Our Production Schedule begins once we have correct electronic files. Delays will occur if the files
are not set up according to our guidelines. We realize that you may be handling files that someone else created. Each time files come in, as new files or corrected ones, our Preflight department checks all the elements of each file to be sure everything is correct. If they are not set up according to our guidelines, another call is generated and production of your order is delayed. Sending in artwork in the traditional manner is always an option if you feel more comfortable using the traditional ordering process. |
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17: Why do you charge so much to fix our files?
A: Our prices to you (our customer) are set assuming that all specifications have been followed
according to our guidelines. In cases where these specifications are not followed, additional handling and corrections incur additional cost. We have an internal group of application specialists that handle order corrections. These corrections (and the additional cost involved in making them) require us to charge for this service. Our charges are based on an average hourly rate, and the average time necessary for routing, correction and reprocessing of your order. |
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18: I just sent an e-mail. Are my files correct?
A: All files that come in to fourcolor need to go through our Preflight department. Preflight checks
all orders before they go into production. There they will be checked to see if our guidelines are followed and if the file will work in our system. If the files are correct, the order will continue through production; if there are problems or concerns with the files, you will be contacted with the corrections that are needed. |
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19: What do I do if I notice that the files I sent to you are wrong?
A: Please contact our Customer Service Department right away and let them know that there is a
problem with the artwork. They will need to put a flag in our system to catch the order in our shop. It is very important to be sure to reference your order number when you send in your new files. Failure to do this can result in a duplicate order being produced. |
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20: What is the stylization palette?
A: It is a palette that allows you to change the appearance of a font on screen by clicking a button
(italicizing, bolding, etc.). |
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21: Why can't I use the stylization palette?
A: Our imagesetter will always look for the 'actual' version of the font that was selected. It will use this
information to produce the type. It will ignore any changes made to the type using the palette, defaulting back to the 'plain' version you have selected. A standard output device (laser printer, ink jet printer, etc.) will recognize and print these changes and print them as you see them on screen, but an imagesetter will not. |
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22: My font doesn't have a bold version. The only way I can bold it is in the palette. What should I do?
A: There are several options:
• We can reset the type in our closest type match (choosing from the typestyles in the back of our
catalog).
• You can make an .eps file and bring the .eps into either Adobe Illustrator® or Macromedia Freehand® and "create outlines" or "convert to paths" on all type.
• If we have the bold version, we can substitute our bold version of that font into your file (the font substitution charge would apply).
• You can purchase the bold version of that font. |
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23: Why does it cost more to do a font substitution than to just re-typeset?
A: If we are substituting fonts, we need to go back into your files and make changes. We have an
internal group of application specialists that work exclusively with your application files and make the changes needed. These adjustments to your file (and the additional cost involved in making them) require us to charge for this service. Our charges are based on an average hourly rate, and the average time necessary for routing, correcting and reprocessing of your order. If the type is to be reset, the order goes through our traditional pre-press system and typesetting is done using our standard fonts. |
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24: Why can't we send PC fonts for you to use to output my file?
A: fourcolor has a Macintosh-based pre-press area and PC fonts cannot be installed onto a
Macintosh. To avoid this issue, always create outlines for your fonts. |
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25: What do you mean by "creating outlines" on type?
A: Within three applications (Adobe Illustrator®, Macromedia Freehand®, and Corel Draw®) there is a way to make the type into a graphic so that fonts are not needed. The application actually "draws" around each letter. In Illustrator®, that feature is called "create outlines"; in Freehand®, it's called "convert to path"; and in Corel Draw®, it's called "text to curves". |
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26: What fonts do you have available?
A: Any font that is shown in the typestyle section of our catalog. |
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27: Why do I need to color my files cyan if my job is printing reflex blue, or magenta if my job is
printing red?
A: Many of our orders are grouped with other orders in order to make the most economical run. We need the files colored in this manner (for our standard colors) to help with our grouping needs. This will ensure that your order will flow through our prep system without delays. |
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28: Why does black need to be colored printing black on a full-color card?
A: This needs to be done for the best quality printing. When you add cyan, magenta and yellow to the black mix, it will help to register the black with other colors and to avoid spots, etc. on larger black imprint areas. It will actually be a richer, "blacker" black. |
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29: Why do photos printed in full-color need to be colored CMYK?
A: Full-color printing is done by using the four CMYK colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to make up the final colors. Therefore, the files we send to the press need to be made up of only those four colors. If we receive files colored in another way (mode), the conversion to CMYK is done by the computer by "making up" information to resemble a CMYK mix. Often, when a file is converted from another mode to CMYK, the colors change substantially. Most notably, when converting from RGB, the colors look "washed out". |
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30: What is the difference between CMYK and RGB?
A: CMYK is a color model that makes all colors from combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow, and
black. It is what a press uses to make a color. Different percentages of these four colors in combination with each other make different pigments of color to use for printing. RGB (an acronym for red-green-blue) is a color model in which a given color is specified by relative amounts of the three primary colors. CMYK colors are actual pigments of color whereas RGB colors are actually made up of streams of light (similar to a light spectrum). Therefore, we cannot print using colors that are RGB, only CMYK. |
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31: I want both foil and embossing on my business cards. Your guidelines say to color them both
yellow. How will you know what is to be hotstamped and what is to be embossed?
A: If the embossing and foil will touch on the final product, you will need to make one of them an alternative color (black) and then indicate on your order blank which process is represented by which color in your file. If the embossing and foil do not touch on the final product, both elements can be colored yellow. Please be very specific on your order blank what is being hotstamped and what is being embossed. |
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32: I know my scan is at a low resolution. This is how I got it from my customer. Why can't you use it
the way it is provided?
A: We can use it the way it is provided; however, we recommend that you submit black and white bitmap images scanned at least at 600 dpi, grayscale images at 300 dpi, and full-color photos at 300 dpi for the best possible quality. Also, be sure that you are scanning at the size we are going to print. Enlarging and/or reducing scans will affect how they look. If you know the scan is low-resolution and you want us to use it, please indicate somewhere on your order blank that you are aware of and will take responsibility for the relatively low quality and that you want us to proceed without calling you. |
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33: What line screen do you use for printing?
A: We use a 120 line screen for all products except full-color. We use 150 line screen for full-color
jobs. |
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34: What dpi do you use for printing?
A: We will print with whatever dpi is approved on your files. We recommend that you submit black and
white bitmap images scanned at least at 600 dpi, grayscale images at 300 dpi, and full-color photos at 300 dpi for the best possible quality. We output to our imagesetter at 1200 dpi. If your files were submitted at a different dpi than what we recommend and that resolution has been approved, that is what will print. |
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35: What is 'ppi'?
A: It's an acronym for 'pixels per inch' (same as 'dots per inch'). |
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36: Can you scan a printout I send you of my file if for some reason you can't use my file?
A: We cannot guarantee the quality of the final printed piece if we scan preprinted material.
Sometimes scanning a printout works just fine, but we do not recommend it. |
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37: Is it advisable to send black and white camera-ready artwork instead of (or as well as) electronic
files?
A: Sending in artwork the traditional way for spot printing is always an option. If you send both electronic files and hard art, we will check your electronic files first to see if they are set up correctly and are useable. We'll print your order using them if they are correct. If your electronic files are
incorrect, and we have received good black and white artwork, we will use that as an alternative. Please keep in mind that if we receive pre-screened art or printed material to scan, we can not guarantee the quality of the final printed product. If neither the files or the black and white art sent is acceptable, we will need to contact you and your order will be delayed. Good electronic files will always take precedence over hard art. Good color-separated black and white art is the best alternative to electronic files. |
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38: Do I need to fax a composite proof of what I want my cards to look like even if I'm e-mailing it to
you?
A: This is your option. It doesn't hurt to have a sample of what the layout should look like, but it is not necessary to do this for us. Sometimes, faxing us a sample layout only delays getting the order into our Preflight department because we need to match your faxed layout to your order and files. If you do fax a composite proof, be sure to indicate that the order was sent electronically to avoid a duplicate order. |
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39: What is BinHex?
A: BinHex is a method of encoding your files so that they can be transferred to other computers via
the Internet. It is used to keep files from becoming corrupt. |
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40: What kind of compression (compacting) software can I use to compress my files before sending?
A: Stuff-It® or DiskDoubler® for Macintosh and WinZip® for PC. |
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41: What could be happening to my file that would make it change from the time I send it to the time
you receive it? What would make a file corrupt?
A: There are different ways a file can become corrupt. It could be that the file was put on a bad disk; it could be that the disk passed near something magnetic; it could be that it was unprotected (not compacted or "BinHexed") when it was sent through e-mail or to an FTP site. A file would only become corrupt by an 'outside force' or by the method by which the file is being transported. |
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42: What kind of scanner do you use for scanning full-color photographs?
A: SAPHIRE. Our guidelines booklet shows comparison scans using different kinds of scanners.
Differences in scanners will result in differences in quality, even when following our guidelines. If you have questions about your scanner's capabilities, we recommend that you check your manual or call the scanner's |
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