
Prepare your art in the program that is best suited for the task. Illustrator® is a drawing program, ideal for logos, packaging, posters and single panel layouts. Photoshop® is a pixel based (raster) program that lets you size, color-correct and manipulate scanned images such as photographs and flat art. Neither is intended for multi-page documents. For that, use a page layout program such as QuarkXPress® or InDesign®
Despite all the advances in graphic software and printing, the adage, "garbage in, garbage out" still
applies. The better the original, the more latitude the printer has in achieving the results you want. Use photographs that exhibit the full tonal range. Don't convert a color photo to make a black and white reproduction, if a black and white original is available. Start with the best you can get because each step results in a generational loss in quality.
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When a job or an estimate request comes in that may cost less to run digitally, the job will be estimated printing offset versus digital and the different cost options presented to the client along with the pros and cons of each method. Digital runs usually can be finished more quickly and the quality is generally accepted. Offset runs require more time, but generally have a higher quality look to them. If a customer considers digital, a proof can be printed on the specific digital printing machine for them to assess the quality and determine if the digital option is acceptable for that project.
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