Photoshop — How to set up a notepad or desktop pad file for a commercial printing company

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This page provides some words and images that should assist you in creating a press-ready notepad or desktop pad file for your commercial printing company, and it is for people whom are using Adobe Photoshop.

Whilst the images are based upon Apple-Mac computers, the process is much the same on PCs.

 

How to set up a notepad or desktop pad file in Photoshop

Photoshop is a program that is really meant to be used for altering images and photographs. Photoshop is not a perfect program if you want to create a notepad or desktop pad file. However, if you make sure your file is correctly set up from the very begiining of your design process, then Photoshop can be a very useful program.

Choose File > New (see below).

 

You will then be presented with the New Document dialogue box (see below).

  • Name your file. Printing companies use the file's name in production process to identify the file, and they also use the name to identify the type of job it is. We will be creating an A4-sized notepad for TheOnlinePrinter, so the name of the file will be TheOnlinePrinter A4 Notepad.
  • Size. This is where Photoshop can be a bit of a problem, so make sure you read and thoroughly understand this part of the help page. Files must have bleeds (more about what bleeds are later), and Photoshop does not allow for bleeds. So, you must make allowances for bleeds. This is done very easily. All you need do is make the notepad or desktop pad file 6mm larger than the size it will be when it is trimmed down to the correct size. The sizes of the file should be:
    • A6 notepads — 111mm wide x 154mm high.
    • A5 notepads — 154mm wide x 216mm high.
    • A4 notepads — 216mm wide x 303mm high.
    • A6 notepads — 426mm wide x 303mm high — desktop pads are wider than they are high.
  • Resolution — set this at 300 pixels per inch, or even higher (e.g.: 350 pixels per inch), but never set it lower.
  • Color Mode — set the drop-down menu at CMYK.
  • Background Contents — this is best set at White.
  • When the above information is correctly entered, click the OK button.

 

You will be presented with a blank document (see next image). If you are creating a notepad, then the document will be in portrait (i.e.: it is higher than it is wide), and if you are creating a desktop pad, then the document will be landscape (i.e.: it is wider than it is high).

Do NOT start designing yet. there are two things you need to do, and those matters are addressed in the next image.

 

You now need to add the trim lines and the Safety Margin lines.

  • The trim lines is where your notepad or desktop pad will be trimmed to the correct size after it has been printed. The trim lines should be 3mm in from each edge of the Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file.
  • The Safety Margin lines should be at least 8mm in from each edge, and all vital text and images must be inside these lines.
  • The trim and Safety Margin lines must be put in place accurately. So:
    • Zoom in on the top left corner of the Adobe Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file (hold down "Window" and click "+" on a PC, or "Apple" and "+" on an Apple-Mac).
    • Place your mouse in the top ruler, hold down the mouse, and drag the mouse to the 3mm mark (as shown on the left-hand side ruler) — this is the top trim line. Do the same again, but stop at the 8mm mark (as shown on the left-hand side ruler) — this is the top Safety Margin line. Now do the same thing, but start from the side ruler, and use the measurements on the top ruler — these lines will be your left-hand side trim and Safety Margin lines.
    • Now, scroll down to the bottom right of the Adobe Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file and put in the bottom and right-hand side trim and Safety Margin lines.

 

Now, zoom out ("Window" and "-" on a PC, or "Apple" and "-" on an Apple-Mac) until the whole of your Adobe Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file can be seen on your screen. You should have a screen that looks similar to the below image.

Start designing your notepad or desktop pad file, but please ensure you follow the two following rules:

  1. Any background colours or background images that are going to print right to the edge of the file MUST NOT stop at the trim line. Instead, continue those background colours or background images all the way to the very edge of the file. If you look closely at the below image, you will notice that the green and lemon background colours go all the way to the very edge of the file.
  2. Keep all important text and images inside the Safety Margin lines. Again, if you look closely at the below image, you will notice that the company logo and all the text is inside the Safety Margin lines.

You can now save you Adobe Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file.

 

Before you send your correctly-formatted and press-ready Adobe Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file to your commercial printer, we suggest you consider the following:

 

How to convert text to outlines in a notepad or desktop pad Adobe Photoshop file

Converting text to outlines in Photoshop is easy.

Choose Select > All Layers (see below image).

 

Next, choose Layer > Type > Convert to Shape (see below).

Your text has been converted to outlines (or, as Photoshop phrases it, Converted to Shapes), and you can save your file.

 

How to convert a Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file into a press-ready PDF

Converting an Adobe Photoshop notepad or desktop pad file to a 100% press-ready PDF is simple.

Choose File > Save As.

You will be presented with the below Save As dialogue box.

  • Make sure that the Format drop-down menu (near the bottom of the Save As dialogue box) is set at PDF (or Photoshop PDF).
  • Make sure the file is going to be saved in the correct place on your computer.
  • Click the Save button.

 

If you get the below dialogue box, just click the OK button.

 

You will now be presented with the Save Adobe PDF dialogue box, and the General tab in the left-hand list should be highlighted in light blue (see below).

  • Set the Adobe PDF Present drop-down menu (the top drop-down menu) at Press Quality.
  • Click the Compression tab in the left-hand list.

 

The Save Adobe PDF dialogue box will alter, and the Compression tab in the left-hand list should now be the tab that is highlighted in light blue (see below).

  • Make sure that the Options are set at Bicubic Downsampling to (the top drop-down menu in the Options box) and 300 and 450 pixels per inch (see below).
  • Click the Save PDF button.

 

If you receive the below dialogue box, just click the Yes button.

 

You now have a 100% press-ready PDF that you can send to your commercial printer and, given you have outlined your fonts, and given all the background colours and images go to the very edge of the file, you are almost 110% assured of having your printing job proceed with not a single problem or worry.