How do you send DCS files to the printer?

Mickey · 03-09-2005, 09:33 PM

I never send the printer files they don't need. it leaves a door open for a screw up. If I use DCS files I send only the files I use in the final peice.

**morea** · 03-09-2005, 09:42 PM

Mickey said...
I never send the printer files they don't need. it leaves a door open for a screw up. If I use DCS files I send only the files I use in the final peice.

allow me to second this adamantly!

our print shop used to receive cd's with so much gibberish on them that we had no idea where to begin.

I remember one job that came in - asaddle stitched booklet-as a 22 pg document. Obviously, that wouldn't work because the page count for saddle stitched jobs has to be divisible by 4. To further complicate things, the client had been quoted for a 24-pg booklet.

In the end, after multiple conversationswe learned that they had simply sent the artwork from the previous years job, and expected that we would know which pages to use and which to remove. We whittled it down to 16-pgs, and were mocking up the proof when the customer called and said, "ok, where do I email the new cover?"

Argh!!!!

[I]The more people I meet, the more I love my cats.</A>

Drawing a Blank · 03-09-2005, 11:14 PM

Thanks for the comments Mickey and Morea I appreciate your thoughts and respect your opinions. I look forward to any other comments/opinions anyone has.

I see a re-write of art submission rules for our clients in the near future and since I'm the only graphics person here it will be me who re-writes them.

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**morea** · 03-10-2005, 12:53 AM

hey, G - I didn't get a chance to look, but are there any guidelines on www.prepressure.com? That site can be really helpful.

[I]The more people I meet, the more I love my cats.</A>

Drawing a Blank · 03-10-2005, 01:30 AM

Morea, I actually checked that site before I made the original post and didn't really see anything about standards for supplying DCS files, but thanks for the suggestion.

I think Mickey has it right; if you only give them the DCS file then they won't have any choice but to print it as a spot color. It has never been a problem before, but now that it has I think I'll just be proactive and provide one less chance for a mistake.

I would love to call the printer and get their opinion, but the purchasing dept. here pulls the strings with our vendors (and they hate it when I talk to printers except of course when there is a problem I can help solve). Actually I'm not supposed to talk to the printers, internal memorandum (for reasons I can't understand) makes it a breech of company policy unless the printer calls me. I do talk to a few of our printers often, but technically I'm not supposed too. The company structure is not friendly to the graphics department. I'll stop because this is another issue.

G

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uncle carbunkle · 03-10-2005, 04:00 PM

this guy doesn't seem to like them much

:

on't call me Foreman, for I am your Boss::

How do you send DCS files to the printer?

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