What are Printer’s Spreads?
Print projects that get saddle stitched into a booklet (like a magazine) need to have the pages reordered so that the booklet will read correctly after being assembled. Files are commonly designed in reader’s spreads (1,2,3,4…) for ease of creation, but the printer needs them in printer’s spreads for production. Don’t worry! We have software and tools to do this for you — but ideally, you need to supply your file in single-page PDFs for our software to work.
See the chart below for the difference between reader’s spreads and printer’s spreads, and contact us if you have any questions.
Download this as a PDF: https://printing.wisc.edu/file-preparation-for-printing/readers-spreads-vs-printer-spreads-2/
Common Print Terms Explained
When preparing files for print, there are a few terms we toss around in conversation all the time that you should know. Bleed, trim size, crop marks, and binding are common topics in the printing process and we want you to learn about them!
The trim size is the final size you want your printed piece to be. You create a file that size in InDesign or another page layout program. In the sample image, the trim is shown as a black keyline. (Your art will not have that keyline at the trim edge.)
The bleed is the art that is extending outside of the trim area. We usually print on a larger sheet and trim it down afterward. The bleed ensures no white edges are showing on your final piece where you had images going to the edge. To create bleeds, place images and other elements outside of the trim edge on your document. In the sample image, we highlighted the bleed with a pink keyline.
Crop marks (or crops) are the marks you see on the outer edges of the sample image, which guide your printer on where to trim the project after printing. These are generated automatically when you export your file and ask for crop marks.
Binding is the method we will finish your work off with when a multi-page project is printed. We commonly 3-hole drill (for a ring binder), saddle-stitch, corner staple, coil (spiral bind), tape bind, or perfect bind packets, books, and newsletters. Each has advantages and disadvantages depending on your specs. Speak with your CSR to determine the best binding method for your project.
Packaging a file: When using InDesign, you can collect all of the fonts and linked images into one folder to be zipped and sent to us for processing. Packaging a file includes the opportunity to include a PDF file too — make sure your settings in the PDF Export process include crops and bleeds for us to use that file for production.
Soft Proof: Many times, files are proofed out using PDFs on the computer screen instead of printing a proof on an output device. Screen proofs are commonly referred to as “soft proofs” and once you approve your art on the screen we will generate a hardcopy proof at the final device and inspect it internally before proceeding with the full press run.
An Indicia is used for mailing projects in bulk (200+ pieces) through a mail vendor. DPPS currently partners with United Mailing Services (UMS) and uses their indicia on mailings. Go to https://printing.wisc.edu/mailing/ for more information and access to their indicia files.
For a glossary of these and MANY other print-related terms, visit the DPPS KB at https://kb.wisc.edu/doitprint/glossary.php.
PDF Export from InDesign for Print
If you are using InDesign for your creative work, please do the following to supply a PDF file to DPPS:
1. Design your file. Any elements that bleed off the sheet should be placed in InDesign so they extend past the edge of the page in your layout.
2. Select Export from the File Menu, and under Format select Adobe PDF (Print). Click Save.
3. In the Export Adobe PDF window, select [High Quality Print] from the Adobe PDF Preset Menu. Click on Marks and Bleeds on the left side. Under Marks, select Crop Marks. Under Bleed, enter .125” for all fields. No other changes are necessary for this preset!
4. You should Save Preset in the bottom left corner and rename it “DPPS Bleeds” to use in the future! Click Export. (Next time, just select “DPPS Bleeds” from the Adobe PDF Preset Menu and click Export).
5. Check the PDF to ensure the art goes past the edges where you want bleeds. If not, go back into your design and fix those elements and download a new PDF.
Download these instructions as a PDF here
If you need further assistance in InDesign, email our team with your questions.
Outputting Files from Canva for Print
If you are using Canva for your creative work, please do the following to supply a PDF file to DPPS:
1. Design your file. Any elements that need to bleed off the sheet should be placed in Canva so they extend past the edge of the page in your design.
2. Select Share from the top bar, and select PDF Print. Check the boxes for Crop marks and bleed, and Flatten PDF.
3. If you have a Pro account, also select CMYK for the Color Profile (not available for basic account users). Check the Save download settings box for future use. Download your file.
4. Check the PDF to ensure the art goes past the edges where you want bleeds. If not, go back into your design and fix those elements and download a new PDF.
Download these instructions as a PDF here
Note: For UW Branding tips in Canva, visit the Brand and Visual Identity page and download their Canva tip sheet.
Top 8 things to know when ordering from DPPS
Our talented CSRs compiled a list of common questions they receive from customers placing orders in our new WebCRD order entry system. Find that list on our Home Page.
How to Prepare for the End of Type 1 Fonts in Adobe products
Starting in 2023, you will no longer be able to create new content in InDesign with Adobe’s Type 1 fonts (also known as PostScript, PS1, T1, and Adobe Type 1 fonts). Read this guide to see if you need to update your font library.
https://www.monotype.com/resources/expertise/how-prepare-end-type-1-fonts
Earlier Versions of CC will still support Type 1
Type 1 fonts will continue to work in previous versions of Creative Cloud apps apart from Photoshop v23 and beyond, which ended support in 2021. Any release from January 2023 and beyond will not support Type 1 fonts.
Operating systems are also currently moving towards ending support for Type 1 fonts. Previous versions of Creative Cloud apps will not be able to support Type 1 fonts once support is ended for the operating system.
Type 1 fonts embedded in PDFs
No changes are being made to Acrobat. Acrobat will continue handling PDFs, in the same manner, it has been for more than 20 years:
PDFs with embedded fonts will display as intended.
For files with non-embedded fonts, there are two scenarios–
- The missing font is one of the fonts that ships with Acrobat or is the default in the operating system’s fonts. This font gets used in place of the non-embedded font.
- The missing font is substituted for the next closest match according to Acrobat’s font substitution table and the available fonts on the system.
When PDFs are viewed in a web browser, a viewer other than Adobe’s may be used. In such cases, we cannot control what will happen. This is the current expectation and does not change based on Adobe’s Type 1 end of support.
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More from the Adobe website on this topic:
https://helpx.adobe.com/fonts/kb/postscript-type-1-fonts-end-of-support.html
Converting old fonts to new versions
Note: there are some websites that can convert fonts from one format to another. If you have a display font you want to continue to use, you could try one of these online converter sites to see if conversion is possible. One example is https://convertio.co/pfa-ttf/ (you can change the input and output selections). There are also stand-alone programs such as TransType 4 (https://creativepro.com/how-to-convert-postscript-fonts-to-opentype-with-transtype/).