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• Adobe Photoshop
• Quark Express, Adobe InDesign, Pagemaker
• Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDRAW
• Adobe Acrobat
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher
• AutoCad Help
• Reprodesk Help
•
Black and White file prep tips
• Color Management Tips
• Color Laser File Prep Tips
• Indigo FIle Prep Tips
• Scotchprint Graphic Prep Tips
• Trade Show Graphic Prep Tips
• Wide Format Scanning Notes
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General File Prep Tips
Adobe Photoshop®
Flatten layered .psd's and save as .tif's. Remove excess channels and paths. Adhere to the output device’s resolution requirements and supported color mode(s).
Quark Xpress®, Adobe InDesign®, Pagemaker®
Raster art should have optimal resolution (see resolution requirements for specific output devices) when placed at 100%. All linked images must be included. All document fonts must be included. Avoid "derived" fonts (fonts bolded or italicized). Spot color matching of Pantone® colors used in conjunction with raster effects may not be possible.
Adobe Illustrator®, Freehand®, CorelDRAW®
Fonts can either be converted to outlines/paths, or included on disk. Raster art should have optimal resolution (see resolution requirements for specific output devices) when placed at 100%. Although images may be embedded, please include graphics with job. In Illustrator, set color mode to the appropriate color space, and set the document's raster effects setting to the output device's resolution requirement.
Adobe Acrobat®
Before creating pdf file, be sure that raster images have optimal resolution when placed in layout software. In Distiller settings, turn off all compression. Set compatibility to Acrobat version 4.0 (Distiller version 1.3). For files that utilize transparency effects, set compatibility to Acrobat version 5.0 (Distiller version 1.4). Embed all fonts. For files with bleed, include bleed and trim marks.
Word®, Excel®, PowerPoint®, Publisher®
All fonts and images must be included on disk. Proofs are required for all Microsoft publishing programs as different printer drivers may alter output. For PowerPoint jobs, include detailed print settings used to produce your proof (i.e. slides 2-up, notes, handouts, etc.). Indigo jobs to be printed from Microsoft products may accrue additional setup charges.
AutoCad Help
After you have made the necessary changes to your drawing file, zoom the drawing to extents. (At the command line type, Zoom (Enter), Extents(Enter)).
Next type in PLOT. Follow the instructions below to help you create a plot file to use through Repro Desk.
1) Click on Device and Default Selection
2) AccuGraphics plotting system requires files written in the HPGL2 language. If you have an HPGL plotter installed, you can use it. Otherwise, click here to install the AccuGraphics recommended plotter.
3) If a PCP file needs to be loaded click on the merge box (1b) and find the pcp file. Once this is done click on OK)
4) The next step in making a plot file is to select your paper/sheet size. Click on your size box and pick the size paper you need. I would recommend that you pick a larger size sheet than is needed unless you are making the file fit)
5) Pick the Parameters you need to plot, Display, Extents, Limits, View or Window)
6) Then enter the scale of the drawing under the PLOTTED INCHES = DRAWING UNITS Click on the Preview box to double check that the scale is correct)
7) Once all of the steps have been completed, click on file name and choose the directory where you want to save the file and click OK. Plot files can be e-mailed to AccuGraphics here. If sending more than one file, please use a file compression utility, such as WinZIP, to keep the files all together. If you've never plotted with AccuGraphics before, we strongly recommend sending two or three test files, allowing time for modification to be made to your setup if needed.
View exact appearance of final output plot jobs, either on screen or to local 8.5x11 printer.
Visual pen set management.
Full error detection capabilities.
Plot Viewing Capabilities
View multiple plots at once
-Fit to page,
-Crop image
-Rotation, mirroring
Pen width and pattern visualization
View plots and overlays simultaneously
Data Formats Supported
HPGL/2 HPGL Calcomp 906/907 HP-RTL
TIFF Group IV
TIFF Group III
TIFF Packbits
TIFF Uncompressed
Adobe PDF (with GhostScript)
Pens
Number of pens=256
Number of pen patterns=unlimited
Use or override plot file pen attribute functionality
User definable pen patterns
Plot Error Control Features
Early error detection during plot job creation (on client side)
Use the 400dpi screen preview to see exact image output
Automatic detection of potential errors
Full Electronic stamping,
Plot overlay and preview of plot overlay
Save jobs to disk for archiving or later submittals
Reprodesk Help
After double-clicking the AccuGraphics Repro Desk icon on your desktop to start the program, simply follow the next 7 steps and your plot files will be on their way to AccuGraphics.
1) To add files to your job, click on the ADD FILES icon and select the files you wish to send for plotting.
2) After adding files, click on the PEN SET icon and select desired pen weights for this project.
3) To align drawing, click on the ALIGNMENT pull-down menu and set it to center
4) Click on the MEDIA and PAPER SIZE pull-down menus to set the media type and size .
5) Click on the PROCESS icon to process and prepare your files for transmission.
6) Once file processing is done, it is advised that you view one of the drawings just to make sure everything is set correctly. To view a drawing, simply double-click on the drawing name and it will come up on your screen. To view what the drawing will look like when plotted, click on VIEW pull-down menu and select TOGGLE RASTERIZATION which will show you the actual line weights and screens your file contains and the way it will print.
7) After all this is done, simply call AccuGraphics to get a user name and password to be able to send your job for plotting.
8) Click on the SEND JOB icon and fill in all the information pertaining to the job in question to ensure prompt and proper job processing. Then click on the DIAL NOW icon and your job will be directly sent to the AccuGraphics line up.
Please note that most of the time, the HPGLAUTO .pen will work for all your plotting needs.
By using Repro Desk, creating standard or customized pen sets is made easy. You can customize your pen sets or create new ones. You view your files before sending them to AccuGraphics for plotting. Check plots can be sent to your local printer to ensure that your originals will come out looking the way you want them to look, with clean, crisp line weight and text. To create a new pen set follow these steps:
1) Click on the PEN SET icon
2) Starting from pen # 1 go down the pen assignments by double-clicking on each number and assigning the pen weight.
3) To add screens simply click on SOLID BLACK with the right button of the mouse, and pick the screen you desire.
4) Save your pen set with a descriptive name, i.e. related current job or project.
5) Once you have your pen set saved, you then go to the PEN SET on your menu bar and select the desired pen table by going to the NEW PEN SET bar.
You can quickly and easily add date and other text stamping to your drawing with a few clicks of a button using Repro Desk. This ensures a clean, consistent and professional plot. By using this valuable tool you will eliminate the cost of having your sheets manually stamped.
1) From ReproDesk, click on the STAMP icon.
2) Enter the text you wish to appear on your sheet and then save it to your hard drive.
3) Next,click on your digital file with the RIGHT mouse button and select ADD OVERLAY- pick the label you have just created.
4) Double-click on the label you have brought up and place it where you want it to appear on your sheets. To do this you need to choose the hand with the box tool.
Quick tip, if more than one sheet needs to be stamped,click with RIGHT mouse button on your label file and go to COPY DOWN OVERLAY.
To ensure proper plotting on the right media, filling out the Job Ticket is essential. This takes only a few minutes, but may result in saving you hours. Just fill in the fields on the Job Information tab, the Contact Information tab and, if needed, the Finishing and Small Format B&W tabs. After the job ticket has been filled out, all that is left is transmitting your files. Simply click on your DIAL NOW icon and your files will be on their way to our plotter.
Black & White File Prep Tips
Jobs can be output from Quark, PDF, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Pagemaker, and most Microsoft publishing software.
· All color to grayscale
· All fonts included
· All art included
· Bleed provided as needed
· 1-bit resolution - 600 DPI
· Image resolution - 150 DPI (100 LPI)
· Use .tif and .eps formats for raster files
Color Management Tips
Customize your color workspaces in Photoshop. For your CMYK workspace, utilize the US Web SWOP Coated profile. For the RGB workspace, utilize the Colormatch RGB profile. Be sure to convert your RGB images to the CMYK workspace for those devices requiring CMYK before submitting your work!
Color Laser File Prep Tips
Jobs can be output from Quark, PDF, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Pagemaker, and most Microsoft publishing software.
· All color to Pantone and/or CMYK
· All fonts included
· All art included
· Bleed provided as needed
· 1-bit resolution - 600 DPI
· Image resolution - 200 DPI (133 LPI)
· Use .tif and .eps formats for raster files
Indigo Digital Color Offset Press
Input resolution requirements: 200-300 DPI (175 LPI)
CMYK and Pantone colors are supported. Variable data/personalization is supported. Do not impose or "step" jobs for Indigo output. 1/8" bleed required when applicable.
Scotchprint Graphics Prep Tips
 AccuGraphics can output Scotchprint Graphics from native publishing software programs, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, InDesign, Pagemaker, FreeHand, Corel Draw, and most Microsoft Publishing software.
When outputting presentation graphics, intending viewing distance needs to be taken into consideration for determining optimal input image resolution. For premium up-close viewing quality, submit no more than 100 DPI and no less than 72 DPI. For viewing distances that will exceed 5 feet, no more than 50 DPI is required. For viewing distances that exceed 10 feet, 25 DPI is sufficient. You may design at a scaled size (i.e. 50%, 25%), but make sure that your resolution requirements are met once scaled back up to print size.
- All color to Pantone and/or CMYK
- All fonts included
- All art included
- Use .tif and .eps formats for raster files
Chromira/Trade Show Graphic Prep Tips
Input resolution requirements: 150-300 DPI
RGB and CMYK colors are supported. For best results, use Pantone specs for vector colors and leave raster images as RGB.
Wide Format Scanning Notes
Our standard procedure will yield your original scanned at 100% at 150 DPI. Please specify the output dimensions and resolution you are requiring if it differs from our standard. Do not fold or crease your originals.
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