We can accept just about any Mac or Windows file that's normally used for offset printing. That includes Adobe inDesign, Quark Xpress, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe PDF files. In some cases, depending on the specifications of the print job, we can use files such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. However, results can be unexpected and output is generally not high quality.

Pre-press: Fully digital pre-press capabilities, including Adobe PDF workflow, Adobe PostScript Level 3, Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. We have the latest versions of the most common page layout, illustration and photo manipulation software.

In-house server for large file uploads.

Presses: Direct to plate 4-color sheet fed, 2 color sheet fed (2). We also partner with print wholesalers outside of San Diego to produce certain jobs at lower cost to reduce shipping costs outside of our home area. For example, large quantity booklet orders containing a large number of pages may be produced either in Eastern Canada or Nevada, depending on the geographic location of the customer. Roll labels are produced in Indiana and continuous forms are produced in Northern California, Oregon or Texas.

Post Press: In-house scoring, perfing, numbering, slitting, drilling, padding. In-house folding, including right-angle folds.

Careful preparation of PDF files is important for a press job. Firstly, the PDF file must be high resolution. If you're creating a PDF file from an Adobe application such as inDesign, choose the for Press option or better when creating a PDF. From other applications such as Quark, Do not downsample below 300 dpi (in general) and don't compress.

Make sure that you preserve the color settings; If you're creating a four-color project, your PDF file should be CMYK. (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow and Black) If you have spot colors in your project, ensure that the spot colors are preserved when creating the PDF file.

If the document has bleeds, please add them to you PDF file. At least 1/8". You can leave crop and registration marks on or off. If you leave them off, we can add them prior to imaging plates.

Graphics files should be 300 dpi for color tiffs and jpgs, 150 dpi for grayscale. Bitmaps should be no less than 300 dpi. Color tiffs and jpgs should be CMYK, not RGB. (Our software does RGB to CMYK conversion on the fly, but color shifts will occur. It's better to have CMYK files to begin with)

It's not a good idea to use web graphics for print projects. While a print project requires a color image to be at least 300 dpi, web graphics are usually 72 dpi for faster web viewing. That's means a color image for print has about 17 times as many pixels as the equivalent web graphic.

Additionally, web graphics are downsampled or compressed and in the case of gifs, only contain 256 colors.

A grayscale web graphic is a better choice for printing if you have no alternative.

Bitmap web graphics will usually print with "jagged" edges.

In general jobs are shipped within 5 to 7 working days. Jobs that require additional processes may take more time. We will discuss delivery dates with you when you place an order. We try to accommodate your schedule as much as possible. We never charge extra for rush jobs.

We maintain an on-site and off-site FTP servers for large file transfers. See the upload information page. If you have a Macintosh, you can log directly into our OS X server.

Sorry, we no longer support Microsoft Publisher.

A bleed in printing jargon means that a printed sheet has ink printed right to the edge of the paper. To produce a bleed, we have to print on a larger sheet and extend the printed image past the cut lines of the sheet. The sheet is then trimmed size, cutting off the extra image

If your job prints on card stock (cover weight) and will be folded, it needs to score along the fold prior to folding to prevent cracking and ensure a consistent fold.