Workflow for Customer-Produced Digital Files
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Preferred Workflow for Creating Electronic Files for University Relations.
The above diagram illustrates the most efficient workflow for customers who create
their own electronic files for University Relations. Any other workflow will cause
additional production time and extra cost for your publication. Our
Checklist for Client-Produced Digital
Files
(PDF) offers additional tips for preflighting your files.
We understand there are other software packages available to you, but the printing
process is very exacting; therefore, if you choose other programs that are not considered
standard tools for the graphic arts/offset printing industry, you likely will incur
additional costs. Word processing programs such as Microsoft Word and Publisher
are not designed to produce press-ready files. Often these files must be re-created
by our staff in PageMaker or InDesign. Please note: The cost of purchasing industry-standard
software may be offset by the cost of one print job that requires substantial rework
at press-time. Print jobs that are created using the above workflow are handled
most efficiently, leading to your cost savings, timely delivery, and a higher-quality
printed piece.
It may be beyond the scope of some University departments to invest in all industry-standard
programs, personnel trained to use them, and IT support. An alternative is to let
our prepress professionals prepare your files from scratch. There is often a sense
of "false economy" by departments wanting to do their own desktop publishing
and graphic design. Typically, our experienced staff can create in several hours
a publication that took several days or weeks for someone less experienced to create,
saving your department time, cost, and frustration. Simply give us your text (see
Tips for Preparing Text Files), artwork, and photographs
(see
Tips for Submitting Photographs), and let University
Relations build files guaranteed to print.