[Updated from a post from Fall 2008]
Not long ago, my PRCA 3339 (PR Publications) classes took a field trip to the Eagle Print Shop on the Georgia Southern University campus. Our goal was to learn how students in the PR program could work most effectively with the print shop, especially for their PR Publications, PR Research and PR Campaigns classes. Here are a few of the tips shared by Eagle Print Shop Manager Brenda Aytes:
In General
- Allow enough lead time for the work to get done. For most PR class projects, two to three days are appreciated.
- Know what you want the output to look like before you go to the Eagle Print Shop. For example, for the PR Pubs brochure, you’ll want to tell them you need “80-lb. glossy paper, 8.5×11, printed duplex in color.”
- Design your document so it will cost you less. For example, rather than creating one small handbill and centering it in the middle of a page, put four copies of the handbill on one 8.5×11 page. Then the print shop can cut your document into fours.
- It is possible for the Eagle Print Shop to print your brochure as a bleed, with the print running to the edge of the paper. However, it will cost you a bit more and take a bit longer. You’ll need to ask them to print the brochure on 11×17 paper and trim it to 8.5×11.
- Photos and other graphic print best when they are a minimum of 300 dpi; 150 may print fairly well, too.
- If using the Georgia Southern logo, be sure to use the correct logo and be sure you have permission to use it. See the GSU Identity Standards for guidelines. (Note: Only the Athletic Department can use certain logos.)
- Have your flash drive or CD prepared. Create ONE folder with all the necessary files in it for this specific print job. (Necessary files include the .indd file, .pdf file, fonts and photos.) Name this folder with your name and the contents; for example, “Barbara Nixon, PRCA 3339 Brochure.”)
- If printing something from InDesign, it’s best to export the file as a PDF and print the PDF. This will ensure that the file looks the way you intended to when it prints (fonts, layout, etc.). Also have the original InDesign file with you, just in case you notice something that needs to be changed at the last minute. You can’t easily edit a PDF.
- The Eagle Print Shop has InDesign CS3 (the version we have in the Veazey Hall computer labs). If you’ve downloaded the newest trial version of InDesign from Adobe’s website, it will be InDesign CS4 – and the print shop will be unable to work with your file, unless you export the file as InDesign Interchange first.
- The Eagle Print Shop will give you a price quote after you answer a series of questions detailing exactly what you want. They cannot give you a complete printed price list, however.
- If you choose to e-mail your project to Eagle Print Shop to printshop@georgiasouthern.edu, be sure to include the following:
- A clear subject line
- Your name & phone number
- Date & time you wish to pick up the printed project
- Number of copies
- Exact type of paper you need
- And the PDF file, of course 🙂
For PR Campaigns or Research Books
- To save you money and time, when preparing your PR Campaigns book files, make two (no more, no less) files: one for all your color pages and one for all your black/white pages. If you have multiple PDF files, combine them into one file by using Adobe Acrobat Professional’s Insert Pages feature. (Note: The Insert Pages feature is not available in the free Acrobat Reader; it’s only in the Professional version, which is in most of the labs on campus.)
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If you want tabs or dividers in your books, you’ll need to purchase them elsewhere and bring them in. Be sure that the dividers have square, not rounded, corners – or they cannot be bound into your books.
