This is a question asked by many of our customers. Essentially a digital format is a type of file that comes in various flavors. For instance, if you send us a Microsoft Word document, or an Adobe PageMaker document, then you are sending us a ‘Native Format’ document. Other file formats include ‘PDF’ (Portable document files), ‘PS’ (Postscript files), Graphic files, these include EPS, TIFF, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PICT, AI, CDR, PMD, INDD, Etc. (The last one isn’t a file format, FYI!)

Please Allow us to Explain:

What the heck are all these abbreviations, and why can’t I see them when I view my files?

File symbols such as EPS, TIFF, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PICT, are derived from the ‘tail symbols’ or ‘Extensions’ found after the name of each file. Example: Tree.tif is a TIFF file and the file extension is .tif, Dog.eps is an EPS file and the file extension is .eps. Microsoft in all their infinite wisdom decided when they released Windows that you did not need to see the tail symbols so they set a default setting in windows explorer that hides the extensions from your view. Correcting this by turning off this default is a simple process. Click here to see how to do it: Setting file defaults in Windows Explorer

The ‘Native File Format’ and all the reasons NOT to send this type:

Sending a Native Format File means that in order for us to open the document correctly, our computer has to have the same program, same version, same graphics and fonts as your computer does. If these things don't match, then the file will change and adapt to our computer settings. This usually results in an unacceptable printout with graphics showing up poorly, text re-flowing, and weird stuff happening that we cannot explain. In this type of file (Native File Format) we must have all the pieces and parts of the file in order to open it correctly. That includes the Native File itself as well as any Graphic files you placed in the document, any Font files you used, as well as the printer type and model you used. This can be a very complex ordeal to complete and will usually wind up costing more to process than a portable document format. (We charge by the hour to become digital detectives for these types of files).

The Portable Document Format (PDF) and all the reasons
to SEND this type:

So what is a Portable Document Format & How do I create one that won't cost me anything extra to process?

The most common Portable Document File, is a ‘PDF’ file. This file is created by Adobe Acrobat. Set up correctly, it will contain all the parts we need so we can just click it open and print it (We don’t charge a file handling fee to print one of these files unless they need to be edited to change the layout or whatever you forgot to do). To learn how to set up an Adobe Acrobat PDF file, and what software you need just click here:    We highly recommend this type of file.

If you don’t want to pop for the Adobe Acrobat Package (Although we highly recommend you do!), then another rather cool way to create an Acrobat PDF file is to use our on line one click Postscript Print Driver. This very easy to use printer utility will take your file, print it to our web site, where it is transformed into an Acrobat PDF file. It will then generate an e-mail back to you with a link where you can proof your document on-line. Once you OK the proof the file is sent on to us along with your instructions for printing, it´s that easy! To see this remarkable way of transferring files to us just click this link: My Order Desk If you really don’t want to purchase Adobe Acrobat or go on-line (either of which we highly recommend you do!) then there is a third method called: creating a ‘Postscript File’ that will get you the same result with a minimum file processing fee. It is a bit more work on your part, but then its your time, not ours! (Refer to the recommendation for purchasing Adobe Acrobat above) This file format ‘.PS’ (PS stands for Postscript) will create a portable file larger than a PDF file but containing the same information (You will have to burn a CD or Upload the file to our website to get it to us instead of using e-mail). When we receive it we have to convert it to an Adobe Acrobat PDF file, which we can then print out. There are a few more steps in preparing a ‘.PS’ file than in creating an Adobe Acrobat file. To create a Postscript file there are two things you need, the first is to have a Postscript printer driver installed on your system, the second is the knowledge of how to produce the file using the print driver, both can be accomplished by clicking: Installing a Postscript printer  or  Saving Postscript files

The Graphics File Format and all the reasons to send this type:

Graphics Files are created by Graphics Programs (DUH!) A graphics file is a picture or a drawing or whatever GRAPHIC was created by the program. Examples of Graphic programs are: Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Adobe Photoshop, Windows Paint, as well as others too numerous to mention, plus all the free stuff you get with your scanner or your computer that really doesn’t work that great but can be upgraded for a slight fee! These programs create a GRAPHIC that can be placed into a Page Layout Program. An example of a file saved as a graphic file is: EPS, TIFF, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PICT, Etc. (The last one isn’t a file format, FYI!)

Page Layout Programs and all the reasons to use one:

(OK, what the heck is a Page Layout Program?) Page layout programs are used to manipulate graphics and text into a viewable and hopefully printable document. They include: Adobe PageMaker, Adobe InDesign, Quark Express, or Microsoft Publisher. Basically there are 4 (Four). These programs (as well as all other programs) then have the ability to create Native Files (See previous discussion) or they can create Portable document files, such as Adobe Acrobat PDF documents (Have we mentioned that we greatly recommend having Adobe Acrobat?). Examples of page layout program native files are: PMD, QXD, CDR, AI, INDD, PSD, PUB, plus a plethora (which means a whole lot) of others!

Word Processing Programs and other Specialty Programs and all the reasons not to send native files from them:

Word Processing programs do just that, they process words! Can you do page layout with them? Yes, sort of, depending on how valuable your time is! Can we use them to print from? Yes if you create an Adobe Acrobat PDF File (Have we mentioned that we greatly recommend having Adobe Acrobat?) Two examples of Word processing programs are: Microsoft Word, and Corel WordPerfect. Specialty programs are those programs that are designed to do one thing really well. An example of a specialty program would be Microsoft Power Point, designed to create presentations that can be projected on a wall or printed on transparencies, or sent to Adobe Acrobat to be turned into a printable PDF File. (Have we mentioned that we greatly recommend having Adobe Acrobat?) There are numerous other specialty programs out there in software land. The one thing they have in common, (Can You Guess?) is that they can all be used in conjunction with Adobe Acrobat to be turned into a printable PDF File. (Have we mentioned that we greatly recommend having Adobe Acrobat?)

Everything you ever wanted to know about Fonts, and stuff you probably don’t want to hear!

Fonts are one of the top causes of an electronic file to fail. To assure that your file prints properly, you will want to include the fonts you used to create the file. If your file is complete and you want it printed as is, please submit the file as a Postscript file.

Missing fonts, font conflicts, and confusion about how fonts work can add time and cost to outputting a file.

Note: Fonts are copyrighted. This company does not condone the use of fonts other than expressly stated in the font manufactures’ license agreement. The following is an excerpt of Adobe’s position on customers and service bureaus sharing typefaces: "Customers are allowed to give their typeface files to a service bureau along with a print job IF AND ONLY IF the service bureau already owns a valid license for the typeface. The reason for allowing this to happen is to ensure that the customer’s revision of the typeface software is the one used to image the print job. Adobe does revise its typefaces periodically. Customers are not allowed to give typefaces to service bureaus who do not already own valid licenses for the typefaces."

More of Adobe’s licensing policies can be found on their web site at: http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/legal/pdfs/FontFAQ.pdf . Check your font manufacturers’ license agreement for more information.

Embedded fonts in Postscript and PDF (Portable Document File) formats are allowed in most cases. However, some font manufacturers forbid font embedding in Acrobat. You need to check the log file from Acrobat after you create a pdf file to determine if your embedded font was restricted.

To assist our customers in finding the files that should accompany their files, we have included a list of instructions. There are two types of fonts that a computer user must be aware of. These instructions cover both Type 1 (Postscript) and TrueType fonts.

Cross-platform issues become critical when dealing with fonts. Macintosh fonts will not work on a Windows computer and Windows fonts will not work on a Macintosh computer. Our company will work with you to assure we can match the fonts as closely as possible or allow you to select another compatible font.

Type 1 Fonts

Type 1 fonts consist of two parts, a screen font for displaying the font on-screen and a printer font for rendering the font when printing. In the Macintosh, screen fonts are simply called fonts and are normally contained in a font suitcase. Notice that the icon is a single ‘A’ when viewed as an icon. The printer font is called a Postscript font. The printer font icon is usually a printer or, in Adobe’s case, a single ‘A’ with a series of horizontal rules as a background.

In the Windows environment, the screen fonts are called Postscript font metrics and have the extension .pfm. Printer fonts are called Postscript outline fonts and have the extension .pfb.

TrueType

TrueType fonts only require one font file. TrueType fonts are scalable fonts that print the same way they are displayed on the screen. On a Macintosh, they are called TrueType Fonts, have an icon consisting of three "A’s" and again, are normally contained in a font suitcase.

For Windows, the name is also TrueType Font, but have the file extension .ttf.

To Include Fonts On Disk

You should list what fonts you used to create the document. They should be identified as either Postscript or TrueType fonts. It is recommended that you use Postscript Type 1 fonts.

If you use TrueType fonts, it may be necessary to for your printer to substitute Postscript Type 1 fonts to allow the file to print properly. TrueType fonts were developed for use with inkjet printers and non-Postscript laser printers and sometime do not print properly on high-resolution output devices used by professional printers. TrueType fonts appear in the Font dialog box with a "TT" logo beside the typeface name in many applications. You can also avoid problems with TrueType fonts by submitting the file as a Postscript (or Print to File) file.

Instructions for Windows XP Type 1 Fonts

In order to install and remove Type 1 fonts, you’ll most likely have ATM (Adobe Type Manager) and Adobe’s postscript driver installed. Remember to include both the screen and printer fonts. Type 1 screen fonts (.pfm) are stored in both the ‘C:\WINNT\FONTS’ folder and in the ‘C:\PSFONTS’. Type 1 printer fonts (.pfb) are stored in the ‘ATM’ default folder of ‘ C:\PSFONTS’. If you have Adobe PageMaker installed, check the ‘C:\PROGRAM\FILES\ADOBE\PAGEMAKER\EXTRAS\FONTS’ folder for both screen and printer fonts. In case you don’t have a ‘PSFONTS’ directory, go to the Start Menu, select Find File, and do a search for *.pfb.

1. From the Start Menu, go to Programs, then to Accessories and select Windows Explorer.
2. Double-click the ‘[C:\]’ folder and select My Computer, then Local Disk, then scroll down to the ‘PSFONTS’ folder and double-click it.
3. Select the printer fonts by single clicking to highlight them and copy them to your floppy disk.
4. Scroll down to the ‘WINNT’ folder and double-click it. Select the screen fonts by single-clicking to highlight them and copy them to your floppy disk.
5. With only eight characters for a name it, can be tricky to determine which fonts are which. Double-clicking the font will open a sample of the font including its name.
6. Select the floppy drive, usually ‘[A:\]’ to make sure that both the screen and printer fonts you just copied are listed. (Example for Helvetica Black: HVBL_.pfm & HVBL_.pfb)
7. Exit Windows Explorer, eject the disk, and give it to your printing representative.

Instructions for Windows XP TrueType Fonts

TrueType fonts are stored in the ‘C:\WINNT\FONTS’ folder.

1. From the Start Menu, go to Programs then to Accessories and select Windows Explorer
2. Double-click the ‘[C:\]’ folder and select My Computer, then Local Disk, then scroll down to the ‘WINNT’ folder and double-click it
3. Scroll down to the ‘FONTS’ folder and double-click it. All TrueType fonts will have the extension .ttf
4. With only eight characters for a name, it can be tricky to determine which fonts are which. Double-clicking the font will open a sample of the font including its name
5. Select the fonts by single-clicking to highlight them and copy them to your floppy disk
6. Select the floppy drive, usually ‘[A:\]’ to make sure that all the fonts you just copied are listed
7. Exit Windows Explorer, eject the disk, and give it to your printing representative

Instructions for Windows 95/98 Type 1 Fonts

In order to install and remove Type 1 fonts, you’ll most likely have ATM (Adobe Type Manager) and Adobe’s postscript driver installed. Remember to include both the screen and printer fonts. Type 1 screen fonts (.pfm) are stored in the ‘C:\WINDOWS’ folder. Type 1 printer fonts (.pfb) are stored in the ‘ATM’ default folder of ‘C:\PSFONTS’ . If you have Adobe PageMaker installed, check the ‘ C:\PM65\EXTRAS\FONTS’ folder for both screen and printer fonts. In case you don't have a ‘PSFONTS’ directory, go to the Start Menu , select Find File, and do a search for *.pfb.

1. From the Start Menu, go to Programs and select Windows Explorer
2. Double-click the ‘[C:\]’ folder, scroll down to the ‘PSFONTS’ folder and double-click it
3. Select the printer fonts by single clicking to highlight them and copy them to your floppy disk
4. Scroll down to the ‘WINDOWS’ folder and double-click it. Select the screen fonts by single-clicking to highlight them and copy them to your floppy disk
5. With only eight characters for a name, it can be tricky to determine which fonts are which. Double-clicking the font will open a sample of the font including its name
6. Select the floppy drive, usually ‘[A:\]’ to make sure that both the screen and printer fonts you just copied are listed. (Example for Helvetica Black: HVBL_.pfm & HVBL_.pfb
7. Exit Windows Explorer, eject the disk, and give it to your printing representative

Instructions for Windows 95/98 TrueType Fonts

TrueType fonts are stored in the ‘C:\WINDOWS\FONTS’ folder

1. From the Start menu, go to Programs and select Windows Explorer
2. Double-click the ‘[C:\]’ directory, scroll down to the ‘WINDOWS’ folder and double-click it
3. Scroll down to the ‘FONTS’ folder and double-click it. All TrueType fonts will have the extension .ttf
4. With only eight characters for a name, it can be tricky to determine which fonts are which. Double-clicking the font will open a sample of the font including its name
5. Select the fonts by single-clicking to highlight them and copy them to your floppy disk
6. Select the floppy drive, usually ‘[A:\]’ to make sure that all the fonts you just copied are listed
7. Exit Windows Explorer, eject the disk, and give it to your printing representative

Instructions for Macintosh Type 1 Fonts

Remember to include both the screen and printer fonts for Type 1 . Unless you’ve created a new ‘FONTS’ folder, all fonts are stored in the ‘FONTS’ folder within the SYSTEM folder

1. Double-click your hard drive icon
2. Scroll down to the ‘SYSTEM’ folder and open or double-click it
3. Scroll down to the ‘FONTS’ folder and open or double-click it
4. All fonts will be displayed. Screen fonts are normally within font suitcases. To see a sample of the font open or double-click the font suitcase. Double-click on the font
5. Highlight the fonts and drag them to the floppy disk icon
6. Double-click the floppy drive icon to make sure that both the screen and printer fonts you just copied are listed. (Example for Helvetica Black: LBHelvetica Black 12 & HelveBla
7. Eject the disk, and give it to your printing representative

Instructions for Macintosh TrueType

Unless you’ve created a new ‘FONTS’ folder, all fonts are stored in the ‘FONTS’ folder within the ‘SYSTEM’ folder

1. Double-click your hard drive icon
2. Scroll down to the ‘SYSTEM’ folder and open or double-click it
3. Scroll down to the ‘FONTS’ folder and open or double-click it
4. All fonts will be displayed. TrueType fonts are normally within font suitcases. To see a sample of the font, open or double-click the font suitcase. Double-click on the font
5. Highlight the fonts and drag them to the floppy disk icon
6. Double-click the floppy drive icon to make sure that the TrueType fonts you just copied are listed
7. Eject the disk, and give it to your printing representative

If you have questions or problems with preparing fonts for transfer, please contact your printing sales representative.

Some applications automate the font collection process. Please review information on Adobe PageMaker, QuarkXpress and Microsoft Publisher to see how those applications collect fonts for output by a professional printer.