STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
for MAC and PC
Creating a Press-Ready Document
Using PageMaker 7.0
Before you create a PDF from PageMaker, it is very important that the elements contained within your document are pressready. The following is a step-by-step tutorial to guide you through key tips to ensure your document has been designed especially
for press-purposes.
TEXT
It is important that any text that is to be printed with black ink, be typeset using the “Black” swatch found in the
color menu (WINDOW/SHOW COLORS), as seen in the example below. This will ensure that the text will only
separate on the black plate. If “Registration” black were to be used in a process color document, it would then
generate 4 separate plates to make up the black. Keeping the text in registration during the press run would be
extremely difficult, and, as a result, the text would have a fuzzy appearance.
COLOR SWATCHES
When creating a document that is to be printed with process color, it is important that any color swatches used be
in CMYK format, as opposed to RGB. Below is an example of how to distinguish a CMYK swatch from an RGB
swatch. (The small square to the right of the swatch name is an indicator of what format the swatch is in).
This square
contains
stripes
representING
RGB color
This square
contains
TRIANGLES
representING
CMYK color
EDITING COLOR SWATCHES
You can convert color swatches from RGB to CMYK by following the example below.
CLICK ON THE ARROW TO THE RIGHT
AND SELECT “COLOR OPTIONS”
SELECT CMYK FROM THE “MODEL” PULL-DOWN MENU AND CLICK
“ok”
PHOTOS AND OTHER GRAPHIC ELEMENTS
Before placing any photos or graphic elements onto a page that will print as process color, it is VERY important
that these elements be brought into Photoshop and converted to CMYK. Images placed in RGB format will not
separate properly, and will generally print as grayscale. It is also important to make sure that grayscale images that
are to be placed on a process color page are, in fact, “grayscale” and not RGB or CMYK.
High-resolution photos and graphic elements should always be used in the publication. Images lower than 300 dpi
are not recommended.
Be sure all photos and graphic elements are properly linked before creating a PostScript file. To do this, go to
FILE/LINKS MANAGER. If a file is not linked, it will show a question mark next to the file name. A dash next
to the file name indicates that the photo or graphic element may have been altered after the placement of the file
into the document.
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