Quick Checklist:
- PDF files
are the best file format for our purposes
- Please
outline all fonts (turn fonts into vector
art)
- Do not put
crop marks, trim marks, or other file
information outside of the advertisement
- Full page
ads with bleed should have all text and
other important information at least 1/4
inside the trim area (trim is 8.375" wide x 10.875"
high, except for KSAE which is 5.5"
wide x 8.5" high)
- All images
in the ad should be at least 300 dpi and in
CMYK format
- Include your
company name in the filename
Please read the
following guidelines before sending us your
advertisements.
What programs
and platforms do you use?
Peterson
Publications, Inc., is PC based, using Adobe
InDesign CS and Photoshop CS.
Do you need
crop marks or registration marks on the file?
We request that
all electronic files do NOT have crop marks or
registration marks included in the file, even
for full page ads.
What file
formats can I send?
We request that
you send Adobe's Portable Document Format (.pdf)
files and Tiff (.tif) files.
If you need any
assistance in creating a .pdf file, check out
Adobe's site, specifically
http://www.adobe.com/print/prodzone/pdfs/PDFforPrint.pdf.
We request that your pdf file be accompanied by
a flattened .tif file as well, saved at 300 dpi
minimum (higher if there is small text in the ad
and 600 dpi minimum if the ad is black-and-white
or grayscale.) Occasionally a pdf file will
cause problems for the printer and we would like
to be able to immediately substitute a .tif
file.
What about .jpgs?
Files saved as .jpgs
can work as long as they are saved at the
highest possible quality. Keep in mind that .jpgs
are a lossy compression format, which means that
image detail is removed to make the file
smaller. Before saving a file as a .jpg to make
the file smaller, try saving the .tif with lzw
compression and see what effect that has.
How should I name
my file?
Ideally, your
filename should include the name of your company
or establishment. In the past, many advertisers
have sent us ads named Plastics-ad.tif or
InsideFinishing-ad.tif. As you can
imagine, once there are two or three files named
this way things can get confusing. We suggest
naming your file along the following
conventions:
CompanyName_Publication_date.tif
For example, if
Nike wanted to place an ad in our Winter 2006
Topeka Visitors Guide, they could name their ad
Nike_TVG_Winter06.tif. This will avoid
all confusion and ensure that the proper ad
finds its way to the proper publication.
Remember to make
sure the .tif extension is included in the
filename. Mac computers don't automatically add
this extension to their filenames. PC's only
know a file's type by checking the extension.
What media should
be used?
CDs. We no
longer accept film.
Can I email my
materials?
Usually, yes. Our
email system can accept large attachments, but
some email programs and some servers that
transmit email limit the size of attached files
that you can send. For most that limit is 2 MB
while others limit it to an even smaller size.
A good rule of thumb is to keep the file size
below 1.5 MB. (This problem is happening less
frequently as ISPs continuously upgrade their
systems.)
How can I
reduce the file size?
Black and White .tif
files are the smallest of the three different
color modes. A quarter-page black and white ad
will probably be under 1.5 MB. Larger ads and
those in Grayscale or CMYK formats will
naturally be larger. If your file is larger than
1.5 MB try saving the file with LZW
compression. This will dramatically reduce the
file size. If the resulting file is still
larger than 1.5 MB and it will not transmit
through email, it would be best to save it to a
disk and send it directly to Peterson
Publications, Inc. if the next step is
unavailable to you.
Can I upload
the file to an FTP site?
We have an FTP
server that you can use to send us your files.
Please contact our
Webmaster or one of our Sales People to
request the FTP address, username and password
you will need. It's possible to use an internet
browser to access the FTP server, but if that
process doesn't work for you try using an FTP
client program. If you don't have an FTP client
program you can download one of the following
free programs:
For
PCs:
FTP Commander
For Macs:
Cyberduck
Can I upload
the file to our website and email you the url?
Yes. If you have
the capability to upload it to your company's
website, ftp server or a third-party service
such as
Driveway.com or
Xdrive.com, you could simply email us the
url to the file and we could download it at our
convenience.
How can I create
a .tif file with my software?
With most desktop
publishing programs, such as Pagemaker and
QuarkXPress, it's possible to either print your
file into an .eps file or to export it as a .pdf
or other file that Photoshop can read. Once in
Photoshop you can save it as a .tif file. Most
versions of Illustrator and Freehand have the
ability to export it directly as a .tif file.
Once you've brought it into Photoshop check it
over carefully to make sure the file is how you
intend it to be printed. If you have questions
about how to do any of this please email our Art
Director at the following address -
eric@petersonpublications.com |
