For the perfect print job...
Here's everything you need to know about how to begin a print project, how our production team can help, how to surprise-proof your digital files, and how to make sure your project elements are ready when you are.

Select a topic:

How to request an estimate and initiate a print project
How to design direct mail pieces to USPS specifications
Usage information for the TX State and TX State Athletics logos
How to complete a Printing Request Form
Graphics and photos
Fonts
Color specifications
Original materials: Hard copy or digital files
About Portable Document Format (PDF) Files
Storage media: how to get your digital files to us

How to request an estimate and initiate a print project

Free estimates: You can obtain a free estimate by contacting our office. Make sure you have the following information before calling:
. Is the project new, or a reprint?
. Number of original pages to be printed
. Quantity
. Finished page size
. Paper weight and color (click here to learn more about paper weights and finishes)
. Ink color(s) (click here to learn more about specifying color)
. How artwork will be submitted (camera-ready, disk, etc.)
. Design information (photos, bleeds, etc.)
. Finishing work (folding, stapling, etc.)

Design/typesetting service: Print & Mail Services also offers a typesetting/production service, in which we can create your documents using the elements and copy you provide. Please contact us for more information about this convenient service.

Submitting your project: We will need the following items to get started:
. Print & Mail Services Order Form or Business Card Order Form (or contact us to request a supply of 3-part paper forms)
. Artwork (materials to be typeset, CD, e-mailed PDF file, or WinZip or StuffIt folder)
. Sample copy of finished product (composite proof, as well as sample separations if more than one color)

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How to design direct mail pieces to US Postal Service specifications

Avoid extra postage or worse, rejection of your mailing — Talk to us about your mail piece before designing it! The US Postal Service requires that mail pieces meet certain specifications for size, weight, and copy placement. There are several resources ready to help you design and spec your project.

Specifications for postcards, standard envelopes and packages: See the Mailing Guide.

Specifications for Business Reply Mail: Call us at 245-2293. We have specs and templates on hand for our customers' use.

Detailed specifications for all mail pieces: See the Mailpiece Design section of the US Postal Service website.
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Usage of TX State logo on printed materials

Important: Please read the UPPS regarding use of the official TX State logo prior to employing it in any of your printed materials. Official logos can be downloaded here.
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How to complete a Printing Request Form

It helps expedite your order if the Printing Request Form is completed correctly. Refer to our step-by-step diagram (PDF format) to answer questions you may have concerning the form. Please contact us for a supply of three-part Printing Request forms, or if you have any questions about completing the form.
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Graphics and photos

Creating any images included in your document at the appropriate resolution, and in the right file format for your needs, are essential for quality print output. If you're not sending your document in PDF format, it's also important to include all graphic files along with your final document file when sending us your project.

For most press work, a rule of thumb is to create and save graphics in TIF or EPS format, as opposed to JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG format. Resolution for graphics and photos should be at least 300 dots per inch (dpi).

How do you know the resolution of the graphics you're working with? If you have an imaging program like Photoshop or Illustrator, you should be able to open your original graphics and determine their resolution. If any of your graphics were saved at Web resolution (typically 72 to 96 dpi), they will not output satisfactorily in print. This is because high-resolution reprographic equipment must "guess" where to add extra dots, or pixels, to increase the graphic's resolution to match the equipment's. This results in inaccurate or "pixelated" images.

Likewise, if your original graphics were created at lower resolution, you should not attempt to save them at a higher resolution, as the pixelation problem described above will occur.
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Fonts

There are literally millions of typefaces out there, and thanks to endless creativity and instant communication, there are more being distributed every day. We strive to maintain as many typefaces as possible in our prepress equipment; but occasionally we encounter an uninstalled font, and our equipment may substitute the next closest one. This can affect line breaks, pagination, and other important elements of the finished product.

Below you'll find instructions for creating Portable Document Format (PDF) files, which give you the opportunity to upload or "embed" all the fonts and graphics you used into your document, eliminating any substitutions that may occur. We highly recommend doing so, especially if you use unusual or handmade typefaces in your document. If you cannot save the document as a PDF, please include your screen and printer fonts along with your final document file when sending us your project. so that we can install them prior to output. You may also outline your fonts; however, we cannot make text changes once this is done. If you are sending a Photoshop document, please be sure to rasterize all type prior to submitting the file to us.
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Color

In one- or two-color offset printing, the spot color standard typically used is the Pantone Matching System (PMS). In four-color process work, the standard used is Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black (CMYK). When creating graphics and your final document, be sure you're using one of these color standards consistently to avoid inaccurate color separations. Keep in mind that the standard of Red/Blue/Green (RGB) is a monitor-screen matching system only; it is used for software and web designs, and cannot be used for offset printing.
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Original materials

Text to be typeset by Print & Mail Services: If we are typesetting your document, prepare a text file in MS Word, and e-mail us your file or save to CD. We will format your text to fit correctly on the printed page. Please follow these guidelines when submitting a text-only disk:
. Don't use hard returns at the end of each line of type.
. Use one tab instead of several spaces to line up copy.
. Enclose a printed hard copy of the file.

Digital files for film output: We can output your digital files directly to film. Be sure to refer to our Prepress Checklist for file type and media requirements. For storage media guidelines, see "Storage Media: How to get your digital files to us."
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Portable Document Format (PDF)

Surprise-proof your files We highly recommend saving your file as a PDF prior to sending it to us - or to anyone! The advantages of a PDF file are not just limited to our printers. PDF files offer the ability to overcome platform, software, version, font, and graphic incompatibilities by embedding all data into a single compressed file, allowing virtually any other computer user to see and print your file exactly as you created it.

This simple process is typically performed using Adobe Acrobat's PDF writing program, available inexpensively through your department's software administrator. (Note: the writer is different from the free Acrobat Reader). If you only want to use Acrobat a few times, you can create up to 5 PDF files for free on the web by visiting the Create Adobe PDF Online site. Or, depending on your computer configuration, you may already have Acrobat either as a freestanding application or bundled with newer versions of MS Word, Adobe PageMaker and many other applications.

Storage media: How to get your digital files to us

Please follow these guidelines when sending us your digital files:
. Any document with graphics needs to have the original linked graphic file on the disk or embedded within the file.
. Include all screen fonts and printer fonts used in the document.
. Write the document name, department and software used on disk label.
. The job we are outputting and the fonts and graphics pertaining to that job should be the only documents on the disk!
. Make sure your colors are correct (spot color or process separations).
. Please include a composite and a color-separated hard copy (if more than one color).
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