Page Setup
One of the most important aspects about computer layouts is a correct page setup.
It will make the DTP faster to setup the document for printing and will
eliminate the possibility of any layout misinterpretation. Letter (8.5x11"), Legal
(8.5x14") and Tabloid (11x17") are the only sized paper that we use for printing,
and are considered as standard for our industry. If the dimensions of your document
differ from the standard size, we can trim the document to the necessary size for an
additional charge. Oversized jobs are always trimmed at no additional fee to the customer.
Trim Marks
To trim prints correctly, we will need to know the location of where we need to cut. Mark
the sections that need to be cut with a 0.5" crop mark on the layout.
Crop marks
There are few guidelines to follow:
- Standard size paper. Create a layout with pages of that same size.
- Non-standard size paper. Create a layout on pages of the nearest standard size and
place crop marks in the places where cuts need to be made.
- Multiple copies on the same page. Sometimes, you can fit more than one copy of your document
(e.g. two copies of a postcard on letter size paper) onto a standard sized page. Crop marks will be
required around each copy if it is needed to be printed. Opposite margins must be equal. Alternatively,
you may create just a single copy with crop marks. We will setup multiple copies for the customer at no
additional charge.
- Multiple pages, per one printed page. Requirements for this type of layout are the same
as for the previous layout.
- Oversized printing. Create a layout on the page, having exactly the size you need.
Crop marks for multiple copies
The process of placing a few pages on the layout (even if they are just copies of a single page) within a printed
page is called imposition. We accept all types of files for imposition including .PDF files.
Bleeds
The printable area of any printer in existence is slightly smaller than the size of a normal sheet of paper.
Prints inevitably have some unprintable margins along the papers edge. The sizes of the margins depend upon
the model of the printer. Our Canon ImageRUNNER 600 black and white printer has 0.2" margins, while the Canon
CLC 2400 color printer has a margin of 0.1". If the layout has a standard size and occupies the whole area of
the paper to the very edges, it needs to be printed on a larger sheet of paper and then trimmed. The trimmed
area is called a bleed. If your document has a bleed, then they need to be clearly marked within the layout with
crop marks to demarcate them.
Bleeds
If you do not follow these guidelines, additional setup charges may apply.
Enlargements/Reductions
If your document is not set up for the print size, we will have to scale it for you. In this case we will
need the precise information about the scaling ratio. In most of the cases you would not want the image
distorted during the enlargement/reduction. It means that the ratio of width and height of the image must
be the same before and after enlargement.
For example, if you want the standard letter size document enlarged to exactly 2x3 ft (24x36 inches),
then it will be distorted: 24/8.5 ¹ 36/11. You may use the calculator below
to find out the best size for proportional enlargement of your document.
Enter the size of the document in a file into Document column or select one of the standard sizes if it is the case.
Enter the desired size of the enlargement into Desired column. Press one of the
buttons to the right:
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Fit Width. The calculator will give you the size of the enlargement
keeping the width you set. Height of the enlargement is calculated in proportion.
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Fit Height. The calculator will give you the size of the enlargement
keeping the height you set. Width of the enlargement is calculated in proportion.
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Fit Price. Calculator gives you the size of the enlargement which
costs the same as the enlargemet with dimensions you set as desired.
The result of the calculation is output in the Calculated column.
It is the width and height of the enlargement and the scaling coefficient.
In this section you will find the templates for most common types of layouts made in
Adobe Illustrator, Quark XPress, Microsoft Word. Feel free to
download them and use to set up the layouts for printing.
| Business Cards. 10 per page, no bleeds |
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| Business Cards. 10 per page, two bleeds |
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| Business Cards. 8 per page, all bleeds |
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| Post Cards. 4x6" 2 per page, no bleeds |
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| Post Cards. 4x6" 2 per page, all bleeds |
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| CD Labels. 2 per page, all bleeds |
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You might need to download WinZip® decompressor to unpack PC files or StuffIt® Expander
if you use Macintosh computer.
