Here's a money-saving idea any designer can use. When designing a job for printing, it's an excellent idea to keep in mind how it will run on the press. This kind of forethought leads to delivering more thoroughly prepared files to your printer, which translates to fewer pre-press charges for you. Trapping, imposition, and the direction of the paper grain may all be issues you'll need to consider. Another simple, yet sometimes overlooked aspect of press capability is running your piece more than one at a time, or " 1-up ". When you ask for a printing quote, ask your sales rep if it's possible to run your job 2-up, 4-up, or, as in the case of business cards and other small items, even 24-up. Often, it actually costs less to print multiple-up. Why? Two reasons: 1) fewer sheets of stock are required to reach the desired quantity; and, 2) press time can be cut down dramatically, especially on larger runs. Creating multiple-up jobs used to require extra work in the paste-up or stripping department, but in this era of desktop publishing, it can be a simple matter to step-and-repeat in your layout program to exact measurements. Be sure you add crop marks around each piece (and tag them as "registration" instead of "black"). If there is a bleed, extend it 1/8" beyond the edge of the piece, and allow at least a 1/4" gutter between pieces. We have shown at right the preferred method for simpler jobs [enlargement]. If your job is more complex, ask your sales rep to put you in touch with the production department: they'll be happy to help you. If your files are correctly set up for output, they will be faster and easier to process, with a greater chance of error-free printing. THIS MONTH'S TIP If you have a pre-press topic you'd like to see addressed in this space, please send us an e-mail and we'll try to cover your suggestion at our earliest opportunity. Or check back at a later time for tip updates. Thanks!

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