These file specifications and guidelines are for customers and file suppliers who deliver Digital files directly to a
RR Donnelley Digital Solution Center (DSC). If the customer or file supplier is providing files to a RR
Donnelley Premedia Center, specifications and guidelines will be provided by those centers. Please note that
changes to these specifications may have occurred since this document was released.
To prevent time delays and additional costs, to obtain up-to-date specifications and guidelines, or to ask questions,
please contact one of the following RRD contacts:
- RRD Sales Representative – Sales contact between customer and RR Donnelley
- RRD Print Plant Customer Care Manager (CAM) – liaison between customer, facility print/bind, and
RRD Sales.
- RRD DSC Technical Service Representative – liaison between customer, RRD CAM, and RRD Sales.
- RRD Technical Operations Supervisor – DSC or Print Plant Technical Supervisor responsible for
specifications, guidelines, and process compatibility issues.
It is our desire to produce the best possible product. Working together, following these guidelines, every effort
will be made to ensure that RR Donnelley reproduces your data as accurately and timely as possible.
In an effort to aid in the creation of files that are compatible with Offset and/or Gravure printing and to
ensure a smooth production handoff, a customer must work closely with the RR Donnelley Center
producing the work. The name and phone number of a Technical Contact, Customer Service
Representative, and after hour’s contact(s) in the customer organization must be provided. Prior to the
submission of any production files, pre-production input discussions, successful file testing, and final
agreement on file specifications are required. Those supplying files should work with the Technical staff of
the receiving facility to discuss sending two or more test pages (odd & even) along with color proofs. Any
deviations or changes made to any agreed upon process, specification, or software (including switching
design software (ex. Switching from QuarkXpress to InDesign and vice versa), must be discussed in advance
with the receiving facility and may require additional testing.
Notes: Please read the following pages of this document prior to submitting files directly to a Digital
Solution Center.
- PDF File Guidelines for Offset Plate and Gravure Engraving
- General Design Guidelines for Offset Plate and Gravure Engraving
- Common Design Guidelines for Offset Plate and Gravure Engraving
- Proofing Guidelines for Offset Plate and Gravure Engraving
- File Naming Guidelines
PDF File Guidelines for Offset Plate and Gravure Engraving
- Accepted File Formats submitted directly to a Digital Solution Center
Preferred file format – PDFx-1a:2001 or PDF made to Acrobat 4 (1.3) compatibility.
(Pages submitted to a DSC may be processed for either offset plate or gravure engraving. Other file formats must
be discussed and agreed upon prior to submitting files.)
A digital file that can be prepared and viewed on-screen, by anyone, anywhere, is a powerful tool in the arsenal of
print production. The Portable Document Format (PDF) is just such a digital file. PDF files give a good
representation of how the page will look upon output; however, keep in mind that merely generating a PDF will
not fix a poorly constructed page. To ensure its suitability for print, take it a step further and make it a PDFx-1a
file—a focused subset of PDF designed specifically for reliable prepress data interchange—which can help you
realize the full potential of this flexible and efficient file format.
General Guidelines
Exporting a PDFx-1a from InDesign CS2 and higher or Quark 7.x and higher is recommended. The standard
“Out-of-the-Box” step-by-step instructions from InDesign or Quark are recommended for PDFx-1a creation. If
needed, the RRD Center Technical Staff can provide application assistance for exporting to a PDFx-1a from
InDesign or Quark. Or, if needed, they can also assist you with Acrobat Distiller job options to facilitate PDFx-1a
creation.
- PDFx-1a files received at a RR Donnelley Center must be undamaged.
- All component files and resources (linked EPS and TIFF images) must be embedded. Embedded raster
files must be in composite TIFF or EPS format. Do not place a pre-separated element in a page that will
be output as composite. Note: Nesting EPS files within EPS files can cause errors. Placed DCS files
containing raster data with non-compliant output resolutions can cause artifacts. These situations are not
recommended in files intended for print.
- ZIP and JPEG compression may be used in images. However, note: JPEG compression must be set to
“High Quality” to avoid artifacts in some images.
- OPI is allowed for assets stored at a Digital Solution Center where RR Donnelley has provided the lowresolution
placement files. Otherwise, do not use OPI or embed OPI comments.
- All fonts must be properly embedded. This includes the Standard 14 fonts (PostScript Type 1 fonts built
into most PostScript output devices).
Page Construction
- File Size - Build single pages (one page per document). Build all pages to trim size, and extend the bleed 1/8 inch beyond
the document page preferably on all sides or at the very least at head, foot, and front.
- Cropping - Trim box (geometry) must be set. Media box, Art box, or Bounding box must be exactly one inch larger than
and set relative to trim size. Output with crop and registration marks turned on, and set the offset to at least 12 points
(.1667½). Any exceptions must be communicated in advance to the RR Donnelley facility.
- Orientation - Build all pages at the same orientation and right reading. Pages must display with the head of the page at the
top of the display. Any exceptions must be communicated in advance to the RR Donnelley facility.
- Resolution - Continuous tone (CT) images meant for high-resolution output should be set to an effective resolution greater
than or equal to 266 ppi. For nested Raster data, the CT resolution should be 300 dpi (11.81102 dpmm). LW resolution
should be 2400 dpi (94.48819 dpmm). Running resolution settings out to the 5th decimal for dots per millimeter will
eliminate the risk of introducing artifacts when pages are rendered through some Ripping Systems. Consistent resolution
within a job is required.
- Total Density – Total CMYK overprint densities should not exceed 300%. Fade off tones should equal a 3-4% dot size.
- Type Safety - Leave a safety margin of 3/16 inch for type and other elements not intended to bleed. Shingling requirements
and/or instructions should be provided in advance to the RR Donnelly facility.
Other Common Design Guidelines for Offset Plate and Gravure Engraving
Fonts - Do not “menu-style” your fonts. These styles may not have matching
correctly. For effects such as bold or italic, select a bold or italic font.
Type and Rules –
- All typesetting should be done in an application that will retain the vector properties of the text. Doing so will allow
all type, regardless of color, to be in the LW file.
- Typeface size and geometry will greatly affect reproduction and the ability to maintain print registration.
- Avoid fine serifs, small lettering, and small artwork.
- Avoid (100% key only) overprint type and hairline rules less than .007 inch or 1/2 point.
- The key type should overprint the background free of C, M, Y drop out.
- Avoid 100% four-color elements. (This would equate to 400% total density which is noncompliant)
- Reverse lettering should be carried in the areas of the illustration that will offer maximum contrast between the
reverse type and the images.
- Reversed type, 2, 3, 4 color type, and reversed rules should not be less than approximately .014 inch or 1 point at the
thinnest part of the rule or character.
- When type prints in a heavy 4 color background, the underlying colors should have spreads/chokes applied as
needed for better register control.
- Gray type (black type that is less than 100%) should be set to knockout so as to maintain the gray tone. Avoid
“gray-on-gray” situations where gray type is surrounded by gray background color. If densities are similar, the gray
text will blend into the background and appear as if it has disappeared.
Trapping –
- To avoid bleed into small reverse type or rules and to create proper abutment of elements, the customer or file
supplier is responsible for trapping between colors, borders, rules, etc.
- Pages should be trapped as the page creation software allows.
- Pre-existing chokes/spreads are retained in CTs, Tiffs, and Raster EPS images that may be placed into a desktop
layout document.
- Typically, in a composite color workflow, overprints and knockouts are retained in files created by desktop
publishing software packages like QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign. Chokes/Spreads are not retained in these
software packages.
- Additional charges will apply for any additional trapping performed by RRD.
Colors –
- Avoid using a color palette of more than 255 colors. Delete any unused colors.
- Define all colors as CMYK builds unless the color will print as a spot color on press.
- Spot colors must not have any alternate color spaces other than CMYK.
- Do not save TIFF or EPS files with embedded color management profiles.
- If available, do not enable your page layout application’s color management tools, as these settings may be lost once
your files leave your production environment.
- RGB, LAB, and ICC based colors must be converted to CMYK for print.
Design Tips - Although design and layout programs support many ways to create a document, some things should be
avoided as they can cause problems in some plate making systems.
- InDesign “Fat” Type - Often when type is wrapped around an image, or if it just flows near it, the type can
appear fattened or bold when the PDF is created. This is the result of transparency flattening, layering, and how the
PostScript file is written. When InDesign writes the PostScript file, it must flatten all elements on the page into one
layer. In doing this it can rasterize type that intersects an image even though this might not be apparent (it may
intersect the part of the image that is not visible because it is outside of the picture box mask). The simple way to
prevent this is to make sure that the type is “above” the image. To do this you can build your type on a layer above
the image or select the type and choose “Object - Arrange - Bring to Front”. Another method is to “Outline” the
affected text or linework while in InDesign.
- InDesign or Illustrator Gradients and Vignettes - Vector gradients and vignettes made directly from
InDesign or from Illustrator can be very complex to RIP and take excessive time to make plates. Rasterizing the
gradient or vignette in Illustrator or Photoshop (at 300 dpi) and then placing it into your layout program as an image
will greatly reduce complexity and the plate generation time.
- Typesetting - All typesetting should be done in an application that will retain the vector properties of the text. Do not rasterize the text with pre-press editing software like Adobe Photoshop. The result of doing so will cause
screened text on output to a Postscript-printing device. Text should be saved as (vector) elements of the Postscript
file or in the line work layer of a Raster file format such as Tiff-IT P1 or CT/LW.
Proofing - Color Contract Proof
RR Donnelley requests that proofs be made to the new G7 / SWOP specifications - G7 is a press or proof calibration that
has been optimized for ICC color management, computer-to-plate (CTP) and digital proofing. G7 is the basis for the latest
SWOP 2007 and GRACoL 2007 specifications. Please follow SWOP Application Data Sheet for your proofing device.
Review the hard copy system list available at: http://www.swop.org/certification/systemlist.asp
Review other SWOP Specifications at: http://www.gracol.org or http://www.swop.org
Proofing - Content Proof
- All pages should be delivered with a content proof (also known as a Copy Proof, Red Print, Stat’s, Blue-line,
Position Proof, Laser or Printout).
- All proofs must be clearly identified (marked) with computer printed folio, version information, generating file
name, date , time, color breaks, and customer sign-off.
- “For position only (FPO)” graphics must be marked as “FPO”.
- Each proof needs to be identified as a “For Content” proof.
- Each proof should be a “final” proof.
- Each proof must include all surprint, reverse, and color type; and must be free from all markings indicating changes
as compared to the supplied contract proof.
- Each content proof must be made from the same file as the contract proof. Revised text files do not always require
new Color Contract proofs - check with your Technical Service Representative.
- Each proof must be supplied at 100% size for proofreading and/or cursory content verification purposes. If
reduction is necessary, proofs must be clearly marked as "Reduced".
- All versions should have a separate content proof. If versions are included, a version chart indicating base pages,
black only, or four-color changes are required.
DSC Preferred File Delivery Method - Telecommunications
Kodak® InSite Web Services – This is the preferred method for delivering files to a RRD Digital Solution
Center. Each RRD Digital Solution Center has this service. Kodak® InSite is a portal to the prepress environment
that lets RR Donnelley and their customers work with print jobs over the Internet. Kodak® InSite helps to manage
the proofing, correction, and approval process so that it is more efficient. For assistance, please contact the
Technical Staff at the RR Donnelley facility receiving submitted files.
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