Collate to print full copies of the specified range of Pages instead of multiples of each page.
Spreads to print spreads horizontally on the same sheet of paper.
Back to Front to print pages in reverse order.
Fit Print Area to force the layout to fit on the paper.
Use the Device Options pane to choose the correct Printer Description (PPD) , which automatically establishes the default Paper Size, Width, and Height. Depending on the PPD, you can change the Page Gap and Paper Offset. You can also change the Resolution, print a Negative Print, and turn on the PostScript Error Handler, which helps you identify printing problems.
Use the Page Options pane to change the Orientation of the pages on the paper, Include Blank Pages, print Thumbnails, specify Page Flip, and specify Page Tiling (for pages that are larger than the paper; see page 391).
Use the Color Options pane to choose a Mode (Composite or Separation) and a Setup (Grayscale, Composite RGB, Composite CMYK, Composite CMYK and Spot, or As Is) (see page 393); you can also choose custom output setups created by a color expert. For Halftones, choose Printer or Conventional (see the sidebar on this page and on page 393).
Use the Picture Options pane to change the Output type (Normal, Low Resolution, or Rough; see page 392), Data encoding, Overprint EPS/PDF Black, and Full Resolution TIFF Output setting.
When a PostScript printer is selected from the Printer menu, you can control which fonts download to the printer using the Font Options pane . Leave Select All checked ; the only fonts you should prevent from downloading are 2-byte TrueType fonts resident on the printer (for Asian markets). If you are printing to a PostScript 2, version 2015, or PostScript level 3 or later output device, check Optimize Font Formats to speed up printing.
Use the Registration Marks Options pane (click Marks in the scroll list at left) to add crop marks and registration marks to pages. Choose Centered or Off Center, and then use the Width and Length fields to specify the size of the crop marks. Use the Offset field to specify how far the marks are placed from the edge of the page.
Use the Bleed Options pane to choose bleed options. From the Bleed Type menu, choose Page Items to allow any items that are at least partially on the page to print in their entirety. Asymmetric and Symmetric let you define the width of the bleed area. For Symmetric, enter one Amount value; for Asymmetric, enter Top, Bottom, Inside, and Outside values. With Clip at Bleed Edge unchecked, items that at least partially overlap the bleed area will print in their entirety, within the limits of the output device ; when it’s unchecked, items won’t print beyond the bleed area .
When working with marks and bleeds, it helps to consult the preview in the upper-right corner of the Print dialog box . Icons indicate the type of device selected (cut sheet or roll fed) and the media feed direction. Point at the icons to view Tool Tips and click the question mark for a key to the colored guides on the preview.
Use the Layer Options pane to turn printing temporarily on or off for individual layers (see page 392). If you’re not sure what is on a layer, it might help to select it and view the Plates Used On Selected Layer area. Check Apply to Layout to apply the current print settings to the layers in the Layers palette.
If the layout contains objects that will be flattened on output (such as opacity, alpha channel masking, blends to None, line art TIFFs, or bitmap frames), you can choose settings in the Transparency Options pane . For the Transparency Flattening Resolution, enter a value in the field or choose an option from the menu. If you need to troubleshoot problems when printing transparencies, try checking Ignore Transparency Flattening to print opaque items. This can help narrow down a printing problem to a specific item.
Controls in the OPI Options pane apply only if you’re outputting to an OPI prepress system that’s going to replace your pictures with high-resolution picture files stored on that OPI system. To get started, check OPI Active and then specify which pictures to exchange with the full-resolution versions by checking Include Images under TIFF Options and/or EPS Options. Both picture data and comments will be sent to output. For TIFF files, you also have the option to check Low Resolution and output the TIFF images used in the layout rather than the high-resolution versions.
If the project uses a Job Jacket (see Chapter 23), use the JDF Options pane to specify how that information is handled. Check Output JDF to save the JDF file with the job. You can also choose whether to Include Job Jacket Contact information.
Use the Advanced Options pane to choose the PostScript Level (2 or 3) used in embedded EPS and PDF files.
Use the Summary pane to review settings from all the panes to be sure they will work for the print job.
Click Capture Settings to save the current settings in the Print dialog box with the layout. This closes the Print dialog box without printing. To save the current settings as a print style, choose New Print Output Style from the Print Style menu.
Clicking the Printer button at the bottom of the QuarkXPress Print dialog box opens the Mac OS X Print dialog box . The Printer menu at the top lets you change printers, and the Presets menu lets you choose from print styles you’ve saved at the system level. The menu in the middle lists options specific to the selected printer. In general, we suggest you choose printing options in the QuarkXPress Print dialog box to ensure proper output. You can, however, set options specific to your printer such as quality. To save new settings, click Print (this won’t actually initiate printing).
Clicking the Properties button in the QuarkXPress Print dialog box opens the printer’s Properties dialog box . Options in this dialog box will depend on which printer is currently selected.
Settings chosen in this dialog box override the current settings in the Print dialog box in QuarkXPress. Most settings, however, will update in the QuarkXPress Print dialog box (such as Copies and Orientation). The exception is Paper Size. When you’re done choosing Properties settings, click OK to return to the QuarkXPress Print dialog box.
DeviceN composite color is a printing feature that allows a project containing colors of various types (e.g., a combination of CMYK colors, spot colors, blends, multi-inks, colorized TIFFs) to be output as a single composite print while preserving the file’s color separation information. A print layout can be output as a composite or as separations, with no adjustments needed to the file. As an example, this dual output option would be useful for a project that is to be output to both PDF and to color separations for offset printing.
DeviceN can be chosen as a print option and when exporting to PDF and EPS. To specify DeviceN for print output, choose File > Print. In the Device pane, choose a PostScript composite color device from the PPD menu (only a PostScript level 3–compatible device can utilize DeviceN). In the Colors pane, choose Mode: Composite and Setup: Composite CMYK and Spot.
With the As Is composite color option chosen, an item in a print layout will output on a PostScript device using that item’s original source color space. This option is helpful when you have, say, an RGB image from an RGB scanner or image-editing program that you want to print as an RGB color composite on a PostScript device. The final output device—not QuarkXPress—will color manage the output. As with DeviceN, As Is color can be chosen for print output (PostScript level 3 printers only), and for PDF and EPS export.
To specify As Is composite color for print output, choose File > Print. In the Device pane, choose a PostScript level 3–compatible device from the PPD menu. In the Colors pane, choose Setup: As Is.
With automatic tiling, any layout whose page size is larger than the standard paper size can be printed in sections on multiple sheets of standard-size paper. Generally, you use tiling to print drafts of oversized documents, such as posters and the like. QuarkXPress automatically prints crop marks to be used as guides for trimming the page sections, as well as margin label codes notating the order for reassembling them into the larger whole.
To print an oversized layout on one standard size sheet of paper, check Fit Print Area at the top of the Print dialog box.
You can also check Suppress Picture Output in Item > Modify > Picture.
You can print a layout minus all pictures to speed up printing or to help you see the naked, “bare bones” composition.
Choose File > Print. In the Pictures pane, choose Output: Rough . On the printout, an X will appear in each picture box and ornate frame styles won’t print.
Another way to hasten printing is to choose Output: Low Resolution. The low-resolution version of the picture that was saved automatically with the QuarkXPress file will print instead of the full-resolution version.
To suppress printing of an entire item (box, text path, line, or table) from a print layout, including its contents, and including any frame applied to the item, select the item, go to Item > Modify > Box (or Line or Table)(Cmd-M/Ctrl-M), then check Suppress Output .
Choose File > Print and then, in the Layers pane, click the check mark in the left column for any layer. You can also double-click a layer in the Layers palette (Window menu) and check Suppress Output. A non-printing layer is a good place to store notes and comments on pages.
You can modify halftones for composite output or separations. We’ll discuss separations, but the process is similar for both. You may need to consult with your output service provider for the proper settings.
If you choose Halftones: Printer for either composite or separation output, QuarkXPress sends no halftone information to the printer.
To save yourself from repetitive setup work and ensure consistency, create a print output style that contains the desired halftoning options. Then you can choose that style from the Print Style menu in File > Print.
Output styles work like style sheets, except in this case they contain custom output settings for print, PPML, PDF, and EPS output. Using output styles not only saves you time but ensures consistency—so you can be sure the 50 or so settings you’ve chosen are the same each time you output a job.
Once you’ve created an output style for print, you can choose it from the Print Styles menu in the Print dialog box for any QuarkXPress print layout in any project, existing or future. You can temporarily override settings from the currently chosen print style simply by choosing new settings in the Print dialog box.
To create print styles from scratch (and to manage all your output styles), choose Edit > Output Styles . Click the New button to display a menu and select the type of style to create: PDF, PPML, Print, or EPS.
You can modify the Default Print Output Style in Edit > Output Styles to better suit your needs.
A PPD, short for PostScript Printer Description, is a text file that contains information about a particular PostScript printer’s parameters—how’s that for alliteration?—such as its default resolution, usable paper and page sizes, and PostScript version number.
The PPD Manager (Utilities menu), which facilitates the loading of PPDs into QuarkXPress, is helpful in any setting where more than one kind of printer is used. It controls which of the System’s PPDs (and thus printer names) are available in the PPD menu in the Device pane of the Print (File > Print) or Edit Print Style dialog box (Edit > Output Styles > New > Print).
Although an unlimited number of PPDs can be loaded at a time, you can restrict the ones that are loaded to just the printers you output to from QuarkXPress.
If you add a new Printer Description file to your system, click Update in the PPD Manager dialog box. Any PPDs that you just added to the System or Library folder will also be added to the current PPD list (unless you checked Use Auxiliary Folder and selected a substitute folder).
Some print shops need a PostScript file of layouts for output. To do this, first prepare the layout according to the output provider’s instructions—including confirming that no fonts or pictures are missing in the Usage dialog box (Utilities menu) and choosing all the prescribed settings in the Print dialog box. Also, be sure the proper Printer Description file for the final print output device is enabled via the PPD Manager (Utilities menu) so it’s available in the Device pane of the Print dialog box.
or
In Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), click the PDF button and choose Save PDF as PostScript from its menu .
Whether you need a PDF for proofing, onscreen viewing, or prepress, QuarkXPress makes it easy to produce one.
or
Control-click/Right-click in a blank part of the layout and choose Export > Layout as PDF.
To specify defaults for when PDFs are created, how the files are named, and whether a log file is created, choose QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > PDF. We change the Default Name for files from Project_Layout.pdf to Project.pdf.
The Edit > Output Styles dialog box lets you create and save PDF export styles. We recommend you do this for speed and accuracy. For example, you might have a style that creates low-resolution PDFs for proofing and one that creates prepress PDFs. A quick way to create a PDF output style is to choose New PDF Output Style from the PDF Style menu in the PDF Export Options dialog box .
The Save Page as EPS command converts a QuarkXPress page into a single picture. Reasons for using this feature include:
• Your output provider or commercial printer requests an EPS file for color-separations.
• You want to import a QuarkXPress page into another application, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.
• You want to create a resizable page within a page (e.g., an advertisement or logo).
EPS files can’t be edited in Quark XPress, so be sure to save the original file from which it’s generated so you’ll be able to edit it or generate another EPS file from it later on!
To increase the amount of virtual memory available for creating EPS files, choose QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > EPS. Increase the value in the Virtual Memory field. The Preview preference lets you choose whether to use the Embedded previews or Generate new previews when importing EPS pictures.
The Edit > Output Styles dialog box lets you create and save EPS export styles. If you create EPS files often, particularly for different output methods, we recommend you do this.
When you hand off a file to an output provider, you must supply the project and layout names, names of fonts and colors used in the project, and other data. You also must supply the original files for any pictures being used in the file, or they won’t output properly. The Collect for Output command gathers copies of all the required elements together for you automatically, and also produces a report with information about the active layout. You can selectively choose whether the layout, linked pictures, color profiles, screen fonts, and printer fonts will be included in the output folder.
A folder containing the current project, the components that you checked in the previous step, and a detailed report file, will be created.
After using the Collect for Output command, if you want to review the report, double-click the report text file in the folder you collected the files into. Take a look at the other files as well. Once you’re satisfied that everything is there, you’ll need to deliver the files to the service provider. You might burn a DVD, stuff the files and upload them to an FTP site, or use some other method as directed by the service provider.
An imagesetter is a device that produces high-resolution (1,250–3,540 dpi) paper or film output from electronic files. The paper or film output, in turn, is used by commercial printers to produce printing plates. Note: Some printers skip the intermediary film output step entirely and go directly to plate—so ask your printer! The following is a checklist of things to do to help your imagesetting run successfully:
• Find out if your commercial printer can output your electronic files. Since they’re intimately familiar with the printing press—its quirks and its requirements—they’re often the best candidate for imagesetting.
• If you’re outputting the file with an output service provider, ask your commercial printer for specific advice regarding such settings as the lpi (lines per inch), emulsion up or down, and negative/positive. Tell your output service what output settings your commercial printer specified, and they’ll enter the correct values in the Print dialog box when they output your file. Don’t guess on this one. Also ask whether you should set trapping values (see pages 404–412) yourself or have the output service do the trapping on their high-end system. You can also ask your commercial printer to talk directly with your output service provider.
• Make sure any pictures in the layout are saved at final printout size and at the appropriate resolution for the final output device, which means approximately 1.5 times the final lpi for a black-and-white or grayscale picture and 2 times the final lpi for a color picture. If a picture requires cropping, rotating, or scaling down, use the Vista tab in the Collect for Output dialog box (File menu) to generate new, modified files—they will output more quickly.
• Use the File > Collect for Output command to collect your project and associated images and to produce a report file. If you don’t supply your output service provider with the original picture files, the low-resolution versions will be used for printing (yech!). The report file lists important specifications that they need in order to output your file properly, such as the fonts used in the layout.
• If your output service provider needs a PDF or PostScript file of your layout, ask them for specific instructions.
• Be sure to supply the correct version of all the necessary fonts. For PostScript fonts, include both the screen and printer fonts, and don’t forget to supply the fonts used in any imported EPS files.
• Include printouts of your file with registration marks or send a PDF version of the file.
• If your layout doesn’t print or takes an inordinately long time to print on your laser printer, don’t assume it will print quickly on an imagesetter. Large pictures, irregularly shaped picture boxes, and clipping paths are some of the many items that can cause a printing error. If you are using the same high-resolution picture more than once, but in very different sizes, import copies of the picture saved at those specific sizes.
• To reduce the amount of information the imagesetter has to calculate, delete any extraneous items from the layout’s pasteboard. To find out if there are any pictures on the pasteboard, choose Utilities > Usage, and click the Pictures tab. If you see the letters “PB” next to a picture name, it means that picture is on the pasteboard.
• Always refer to a printed swatch book when choosing colors (e.g., a PANTONE swatch book). Computer screens only simulate printed colors, so you won’t get reliable results by choosing colors based on how they appear onscreen.
• Don’t change the shade percentage for a process color via the Colors palette or Item > Modify. Instead, mix a color that has the desired shade percentage built into it. It’s perfectly okay to change the shade percentage for a spot color (e.g., PANTONE), though.
• If your layout contains continuous-tone pictures, such as scanned photographs or artwork produced in an image-editing program, ask your output service provider or commercial printer in which file format (e.g., TIFF, EPS) and in which image mode (e.g., CMYK, RGB) those pictures should be saved. You can use an image-editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop, to change a picture’s file format, resolution, or image mode.
• Ask your output service provider whether to use QuarkXPress or an image-editing program to convert any color pictures from RGB to CMYK for separations. Pictures scanned into CMYK color mode don’t require conversion.
• RGB spot colors from imported Illustrator EPS files will remain as RGB spot colors, and will be listed as such in the Colors dialog box.
• If your layout contains hand-drawn registration or crop marks, apply the Registration color to them to ensure that they appear on all the separation plates.
• For color work, order a color proof of the layout (e.g., Iris, Xerox DocuColor, Matchprint, or a high-end inkjet proof) so it can be inspected for color accuracy.
Trapping is the deliberate overlapping of colors to help safeguard against gaps that may result on press due to the misalignment of plates, paper shifting, or paper stretching. In QuarkXPress, trapping is applied according to the way colors in each object interact with color(s) below it. Use the mini-glossary at right to familiarize yourself with trapping terminology.
Before exploring the circumstances in which trapping is necessary, we’ll discuss a couple of circumstances in which trapping is unnecessary.
Trapping is unnecessary when black type or a black item or frame is placed on top of a light background color. In this case, the black type will overprint (print on top of) the background color. You can specify a minimum percentage of black to control when and if overprinting will occur.
Trapping is also unnecessary if process colors and adjacent or overlapping colors contain a common color component (C, M, Y, or K). Let’s say you have a red, which contains a percentage of magenta, that touches a blue area that also contains a small percentage of magenta. The two colors both contain magenta, so trapping is unnecessary.
Trapping is necessary when you print spot colors, print process colors that don’t have a common color component, or print a light color on a dark background.
In QuarkXPress, trapping values are assigned to the foreground color. A light foreground color spreads into the background color by a specified amount, and a light background color chokes the foreground color. To produce a choke trap in QuarkXPress, the foreground color is assigned a negative trapping value.
In QuarkXPress, trapping can be controlled using several features:
• On a layout basis using QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > Print Layout > Trapping.
• On an individual color basis using Edit > Colors (click Edit Trap).
• On an individual item basis using the Show Trap Information palette (Option-F12/Ctrl-F12).
The settings in Colors > Edit Trap override the settings in Trapping preferences. Trap Information palette settings override both the Edit > Colors > Edit Trap and the Trapping preferences settings.
To define automatic trap values and specify the defaults used by QuarkXPress for trapping object colors, you’ll choose settings in the Trapping preferences dialog box.
or
Choose Proportional to use the trapping value entered in the Auto Amount field, multiplied by the difference in luminosity (lights and darks) between the foreground object color and the background color. The width of the trap will vary and be calculated by multiplying the Auto Amount value by the difference in luminosity between the object and background colors.
or
Choose Knockout All to turn trapping off for all objects. Objects will print with 0 trapping.
The trap width is equal to half the Auto Amount value when Absolute trapping is specified. When Proportional trapping is specified, the trap width will equal the Auto Amount value multiplied by the difference in luminosity values between the foreground object and background colors.
If Process Trapping is off, the same trapping value will be applied to all the process-color components, using the trapping settings for those colors as specified in the Trap Specifications dialog box (Colors > Edit Trap button).
An Overprint setting chosen on the Trap Information palette will cause the selected object to overprint regardless of the current trap settings or any Overprint Limit value entered in any other dialog box.
With Ignore White unchecked, objects on a white background will overprint. If an object is set to spread over a background color, the Indeterminate value will be used for the spread.
The Trap Specifications dialog box controls trapping on a color-by-color basis. The default settings for each color display in this dialog box and can be modified here.
Note: For these instructions, Absolute should be chosen as the Trapping Method in QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > Print Layout > Trapping.
Default to have QuarkXPress determine how colors will be trapped. With Default chosen, black always overprints.
Overprint to have the foreground color overprint the selected background color when the foreground color shade is equal to or greater than the Overprint Limit value specified in QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > Print Layout > Trapping.
Knockout to have the foreground color knock out the selected background color.
Auto Amount (+) to use the auto spread value for the foreground color.
Auto Amount (−) to use the auto choke value for the foreground color.
Custom to enter a custom spread or choke (negative) value for the foreground color.
Remember that when traps have a Dependent relationship, the Reverse column setting automatically derives from the current Trap column setting, and vice versa. Change either of these columns, and the other will change automatically. When traps have an independent relationship, unique settings can be set in these two columns.
Settings in the Trap Specifications dialog box override the settings in QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > Print Layout > Trapping.
If a print layout is open when Edit > Colors is chosen, Edit Trap changes will apply only to the current layout. If no project is open, changes will apply to all subsequently created projects.
Note: Trap Information palette settings override the settings chosen in the Trapping preferences and Trap Specifications dialog boxes.
Note: For these instructions, Absolute should be chosen as the Trapping Method in QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > Print Layout > Trapping.
Default to have the settings in Trapping preferences or Edit Trap be used to determine how colors will trap.
Overprint to have the foreground item color overprint any background color.
Knockout to have the foreground item color knock out any background color.
Auto Amount (+) to have the auto spread value be used for the foreground color or Auto Amount (−) to have the auto choke value be used for the foreground color. The auto amount settings are established in QuarkXPress (Edit, in Windows) > Preferences > Print Layout > Trapping.
Custom to enter a custom spread or choke value for the foreground color.
Choosing Overprint from the palette will cause that item to overprint, regardless of the foreground or background color shade or the Overprint Limit value.
To set trapping for text, select the text—the Text option on the palette will become available.
What follows are guidelines for common trapping situations that may occur.
When it comes to trapping, a text box is treated like a single foreground object. The text box color will trap to the background color based on the current trap settings. When a text box with a background of None is on top of a background color, QuarkXPress will trap the type, even if the type itself isn’t overlapping the background color . This can occur with type that appears inside a large text box.
To control how text traps, select the text and set it to Overprint or Knockout via the Trap Information palette. You can also select individual characters or words and apply a unique trap setting to them that’s different from the remaining characters in the box. Any box that’s layered on top of a text box will trap to the background color of the text box—not to the type .
QuarkXPress regards type that’s partially on top of a paragraph rule as trapping to an indeterminate background color. If the type is completely within the paragraph rule, the type is trapped based on the type color-to-rule color relationship as per the Edit > Colors trap settings. This relationship can be changed only via Edit > Colors > Edit Trap.
A frame is layered on top of the contents of the box the frame is attached to. Using the Trap Information palette, you can apply different trapping settings to the inside, middle, and outside parts of a single-line or multiline frame, and to the gaps in a dashed frame.
In QuarkXPress, a picture can’t be spread or choked to a background color.
Trapping adjustments that are made to a vector (object-oriented) picture in a drawing program, such as Adobe Illustrator, will output successfully from QuarkXPress. The Trap Information palette provides no trapping controls for the picture itself. Note: Don’t scale an imported vector picture that was created with built-in trapping, because such scaling will also resize the trapping areas in the picture.
You can use the Trap Information palette to specify that a raster (bitmap) picture knock out or overprint a background color. This is helpful if you’re colorizing a grayscale TIFF picture in QuarkXPress. Click a picture, then choose Overprint or Knockout from the Picture menu on the Trap Information palette—whichever setting your commercial printer instructs you to choose.
A line art (black and white) picture to which you’ve applied a shade of black that’s equal to or greater than the Overprint Limit in QuarkXPress will overprint any background color(s) it’s positioned on top of. Use the Trap Information palette to set the picture to knock out, if desired.
Lines and boxes in QuarkXPress can knock out, overprint, or trap to pictures that are underneath them. Use the Trap Information palette to set the type of trap. Type can knock out, overprint, or spread to a picture underneath it.