ALL advertising materials can be uploaded as PDF. Your PDF should conform to the PDF/X-1a specification however, this is not always possible. If you have any questions regarding acceptable file formats, please contact your publisher directly.
What does this message mean and how do I fix it?
If you have received this error message, it means that RGB images have been detected in your PDF file. RGB files can cause color conversion problems and may also be a sign that your PDF file is low resolution. To fix this, you should convert your RGB images to CMYK in Photoshop and/or remake the PDF file as a PDF/x-1a file.
Images that have a resolution below 200 dpi may not print very well on press. The images can appear jagged and/or blurry. To fix this make sure the high resolution images are being used and that they are not being res’d down when the PDF is being created. Also – be aware of the effect that scaling has on resolution. Your image may be 300dpi when you look at it in Photoshop, but if you import it into InDesign or Quark XPress and scale it to 200%, your new resolution is 150 dpi.
Once your PDF file has been uploaded, it is moved to our preflighting queue and will be processed as soon as possible. Most of the time, expect to see your preflighted files within a minute or two after upload. If you don’t wish to wait, you can close the upload window after you see the message about the file being in the queue or that it is preflighting.
The most common file problems are:
- Trim and Bleed marks not incorporated in the layout itself – Trim and bleed size not correct
- Unintended Spot Colors
- Truetype fonts / Missing fonts