How to create an Adobe InDesign CS3 files for printing and other "Help" pages

Digital printing services,postcard,business cards,poster,flyers,letterhead,fridge magnet,docket book > Preparing files, help & links > How to prepare InDesign CS3 files for printing

What appears below is just a brief description on how to prepare your Adobe InDesign CS3 file for printing. This page is the 'quick fix'.

If you want to ensure that your printed product will be the exact item that you want, then have a read of our How to Prepare Your Files page — that page has a lot more information on what to do (e.g.: grammar, folding, etc).

 

Create a New Document

Adobe InDesign CS3 is a very 'user-friendly' program when it comes to creating your files, and setting up the files is an easy "3" step process.

Click on "File", then place your curser on "New" (File > New). A dropdown menu should appear and you click on "Document" (File > New > Document). You will then be presented with an image similar to the one below (but without the red arrows and numbers).

Now come the three simple steps:

  1. Put in the size that you want the finished job to be. In the above example, we are setting up a business cards file, and with TheOnlinePrinter, the standard finished size is 90mm x 55mm.
    The standard sizes of our products are:
    • A0 — sixteen times the size of a standard business letter — 1,181mm x 841mm
    • B1 — about ten times the size of a standard business letter — 1,000mm x 700mm
    • A1 — eight times the size of a standard business letter — 840mm x 594mm
    • A2 — four times the size of a standard business letter — 594mm x 420mm
    • A3 — twice the size of a standard business letter — 420mm x 297mm.
    • A4 — size of a standard business letter — 297mm x 210mm
    • A5 — ½ the size of a standard business letter — 210mm x 148mm
    • DL — 1/3rd the size of a standard business letter — 210mm x 99mm
    • A6 — ¼qtr the size of a standard business letter — 148mm x105mm
    • A7 — 1/8th the size of a standard business letter — 105mm x 74mm
    • Appointment cards — 54mm x 89mm
    • Business cards — 54mm x 89mm
  2. Put in the "Safety Margin" size. If you have any text or images on your job, then you should make sure that those images and that text is kept INSIDE that safety margin box. For business cards, this should be at least 5mm. For other larger jobs, you should make it at least 7mm.
  3. Put in a 3mm bleed. Make sure ALL the bleed boxes are filled with the numeral "3"

You then click "OK", and the file will be created similar to the below image (but without the arrows and numbers).

Create the document with the correct size. The document in the image is set for a portrait A4 file.

When you work on the Adobe InDesigtn file you MUST consider the following:

  1. The "Black" box is where your job will be trimmed (see numeral "1" in the above image).
  2. The "Pink/Purple" box is the safety margin area (see numeral "2" in the above image). Keep ALL vital images and text within this box. More about the safety margins is written below.
  3. The "Black" box is the bleed box (see numeral "3" in ther above image). All back ground colours and images that you want to print to the very edge of your finished job must extend to AT LEAST that box. They can go further out if you wish, but they MUST GO TO AT LEAST THE EDGE OF THE BLEED BOX. More about bleeds is written below.

 

Have a look at the below image. What you will notice is:

  • the background colours go right out to the red bleed line — this is the correct thing to do.
  • the text goes past the margin line — this is WRONG.

Bleeds

Please keep bleeds in mind when you are designing your artwork. If your artwork has a white border, then bleeds are not required. However, if your artwork is NOT white on all four sides, then you MUST include bleeds in your files, and those blleds MUST be included on all four sides.  In InDesign, this area should be extended past the page borders (the black page lines) and out to the bleeds lines (the outer red line). The bleeds MUST extend AT LEAST 3mm past the edge of the printed page.

The subject of bleeds is so important that we have written a separate page devoted to it. Click here to read all about bleeds, why you may need them and how to create them.

 

Borders and Safe Areas

The printing and cutting processes has a mechanical tolerance of up to 2mm. So, if you have a border in your artwork, it is essential that your design has at least 5mm of white space from your border to the trim line. If your border is less than the 5mm, then your job might lose its symmetrical appearance.

If your job is bigger than a business card, then we suggest your border is about 7mm.

It is also essential that no text or essential parts of your artwork come within 3mm of the trim line.  Again, due to the mechanical tolerance during the printing and trimming processes, any content within 3mm of the trim line may be cut off. In fact we advise that any essential text and images should be placed at least 5mm from the edge of the finished product.

 

Resolution

Do not use images that you have found on the worldwide web. Almost all of those images have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (72dpi or 72 pixles per inch), and they result in blurred or 'pixilated' images being printed.

If you want your printed product to look professional, then all of your images must be at least 300dpi at the final output size. 

DO NOT attempt to change a low resolution image to a higher one by changing the dpi in your imaging software — you cannot change a 72dpi image into a crisp and clear 300dpi image, all you will get is a blurred image that is set at 300dpi.

 

Be careful with Rich Black

If you are going to have your job printed digitally, then do not use "Rich Black", as it can produce a somewhat mottled appearance. We suggest that 100% "K" (i.e.: 100% back) should be sufficient if you order a Fast Digital product.

If you are ordering a Discount Priced product, then we suggest you do use "Rich Black", and your setting for Rick Black should be:

  • Cyan 70%
  • Magenta 40%
  • Yellow 15%
  • "K" (Black) 100%.

 

PreFlight

The newer versions of InDesign have a 'prefight' feature. USE IT. 'PreFlight' allows the InDesign program to check your files for common printing errors and help you solve them. Again, USE IT.

To access 'PreFlight' just click on the 'File" dropdown menu and select 'Preflight'.

Once you have corrected any errors that might have occured, click on the package button and you will come to an option similar to the below image.

On the page with the above image, please ensure you have clicked the checkmarks  that are indicated.

You then click 'Package'.

Good. You are now done.

Once you Stuff or Zip your file, you can then send your file to us with your order.

 

 

Is this the wrong page? Are you using different software? Try the links below:

 

Designing Business Card files

 

Designing Letterhead files