BAUER MEDIA

GROUP (NZ)
Production User
Guide - Advertising

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 BAUER MEDIA (NZ) Production
recommendations

These are the BAUER MEDIA (NZ) recommended best practices for setting up layout files.
To help ensure the best printed result, follow these guidelines.

Bleed

Trim
5mm Bleed

The example above shows an image that bleeds off the

top and left edges of a page.
1. The shaded pink area is the bleed.
2. T he bleed needs to be set up in the layout program, and also included in the final PDF.
3. C rop marks should align with the trim (actual page size), not the outer edge of the bleed area.

Because of tolerances and movement in the trimming process, images and other elements that are designed to bleed
off the edge of a page need to extend beyond the trim size. Without allowing for bleed, the slightest movement in
trimming will cause a white border along one or more edges of the ad.

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 Set up the document size with bleed

NEW DOCUMENT

Create a new document in InDesign

1. Click on More Options to see the Bleed and Slug controls.
2. S et the width and height to the actual trim size of the magazine, as advised by Production.
3. T hen add 5mm bleed to all sides of the document using the boxes in the Bleeds and Slugs section.

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 Ink weight, part 1

All elements in a print-ready PDF should be made up of the four process inks - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black
(CMYK). The paper stock and the print process used for magazine printing puts a limit on how much ink can be put
down on the paper in any one spot. This limit is called the total ink weight, and is the sum of the four individual inks put
together. Most magazines have an ink weight limit at 300%, but some lower grade stock is limited at 280%.

Cool rich black

40%c 100%k

4-colour rich black

50%c 40%m 40%y 100%k

too much ink

100%c 100%m 100%y 100%k

In the example above, the lower black panel is made up of 100% of each process colour taking it to 400% ink
weight in total. This is too much and will cause problems on press such as ink smearing and slower printing speeds.

To fix this particular problem, reduce the CMY inks of the swatch so the total sum is under 300%. Note
that the Registration colour in the Swatches palette should never be used as it’s made up of 100% of each
colour!
1. For a cool rich black, the BAUER MEDIA (NZ) recommendation is to use 40%C, and 100%K.
2. For a 4-colour rich black, the BAUER MEDIA (NZ) recommendation is to use 50%C, 40%M, 40%Y and
100%K
It is advisable however to never use a 4-colour black on panels with reversed out white text.

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 Ink weight, part 2

ENOUGH INK
50%c 40%m 40%y 100%k

too much ink

100%c 100%m 100%y 100%k

To check for areas that are over the ink-weight limit in InDesign
1. O
 pen the Separations Preview panel, set the View to Ink Limit and set the value to 300% (or 280% depending
on publication requirements).
2. InDesign will grey-out everything that is under 300% and highlight problem areas in red.
Apart from swatches and colours created in the layout program, placed images will sometimes exceed the ink weight
limit.
3. F or a quick fix to these, convert them to RGB in Photoshop and then back to CMYK according to the instructions in
CMYK conversions - see p8.

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 Colour settings for InDesign and Photoshop

In both Photoshop and InDesign go to Edit/Colour Settings and set the CMYK Working space to the
relevant 3DAPv3 paper profile. Papertype-1 is used in this example but this will vary between publications. If you
are unsure which Paper type to select please check with your BAUER MEDIA (NZ) Production Coordinator which profile to
use for each title.
For more info and free downloads of the 3DAPv3 profiles, visit www.3dap.com.au
The CMYK Working Space is used as a default for all CMYK separations and will affect the print reproduction of images.
Using the wrong CMYK profile can cause problems like washed out images, plugged up shadows or lack of detail in
saturated colours, to name a few.

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 CMYK Conversions

BAUER MEDIA (NZ) will only accept print-ready files where all elements are in the CMYK
colour space, but there are many different “flavours” of CMYK. When converting an image to CMYK, you are
allowing for different print characteristics such as dot-gain, paper stock, colour gamut and grey balance. One CMYK
size does not fit all!
All BAUER MEDIA (NZ) magazines adhere to the 3DAPv3 printer profiles for target CMYK colour space. These profiles
are based on international print standards, and should be used for separation and proofing of ALL advertising material
submitted to BAUER MEDIA (NZ). For more information, free downloads and installation instructions, visit www.3dap.
com.au
To convert an image to CMYK in Photoshop, go to Edit/Convert to Profile, then select the relevant 3DAPv3 profile
for Destination Space.
If the image is in CMYK already and you are having problems with too much ink weight, convert it to RGB first (Image/
Mode/RGB) then back to CMYK using the Convert to Profile method as above.

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 Supplying a DPS as single pages

BAUER MEDIA (NZ) will only accept single page PDFs

This also applies to ads that span more than one page, such as a Double Page Spread (DPS). When supplying files for a
DPS, export each page as a separate PDF and submit the two files separately.
Follow the instructions in EXPORT ADOBE PDF DIALOG BOX, GENERAL TAB (p12), make sure to un-check the
Spreads check-box and only select one page at the time from the Range field.
Repeat for each page in the document.

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 Perfect Bound (Double Imaged) Specifications

In some instances it may be necessary to incorporate double imaging into a DPS that is set to run in perfect
bound publications. In the example below double imaging has been applied to the PDF file so that double
page spreads appear OK visually in the finished magazine.

Not to scale

Type must be designed to clear the spine by a minimum of 10mm each side of the spine (total 20mm)
due to this space being optically lost in the spine of the magazine and therefore, must be in addition to any word or letter
space already present. Any critical image crossover should be double imaged across the gutter.
Double image allowance is 3mm each side of the centre and is incorporated into the overall image of each page. It is to
be included within the trim, not additional to the trim size, i.e. the spread will carry a 6mm common image through the
centre.
BAUER MEDIA (NZ) cannot take responsibility for any optical loss of an image in the gutter of a double page spread
without the supply of double imaged PDF files.

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 BAUER MEDIA (NZ) PDF Export settings

How to create press ready PDF files for BAUER MEDIA (NZ).
BAUER MEDIA (NZ) follows the 3DAP recommendation that all PDF files should be produced to the
international PDF/X-1a standard. PDF/X-1a specifies what features a PDF can and can’t contain in order
to be a reliable file interchange format between advertisers, publishers and printers.
For instance, PDF/X-1a stipulates that all fonts must be embedded. It also forbids the use of embedded
movies, something that isn’t needed for print and will likely cause problems in the reproduction workflow.
These are just a few examples of what PDF/X-1a allows or disallows.
Most layout programs have a built in function for creating PDF/X-1a compliant files. The example below
uses Adobe InDesign CS5. For other programs, please consult the application help and/or support options on
how to create a PDF/X-1a compliant file.

Export indesign layout to pdf

Make sure your InDesign document is set up to the correct magazine specifications (trim size, bleed, image resolution,
ink weight etc).
To make the final PDF for submission to BAUER MEDIA (NZ), go to the File menu and select Export...

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 Export Adobe PDF dialog box, General Tab

Set the Adobe PDF Preset to Press Quality, and then set Standard to PDF/X-1a:2003.
Change the page range to only export single pages, one at a time. Please note that this also applies for double page
spreads, each side of the spread needs to be supplied as a single, individual PDF.

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 Marks and Bleeds Tab

Click on the Marks and Bleeds section in the list on the left side of the dialog box.
Add Crop Marks and Page Information.
Set the Offset to 5 mm.
Set the Bleed to 5mm in all directions.

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 Advanced Tab

Click on Advanced section in the list.

Set Transparency Flattener to High Resolution.
All the settings are done, click Export to save the PDF and then submit it to BAUER MEDIA (NZ). It is also highly
recommended that you submit a hardcopy 3DAPv3 proof as a colour reference when printing on the press. For more
information about compliant proofing requirements, go to www.3dap.com.au
Click on Save Preset... to save these settings as a preset for future PDF exports.

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 BAUER MEDIA (NZ) Image resolution
guide
Images with a resolution that is too low for quality print reproduction is one of the most common
problems in files BAUER MEDIA (NZ) receives. As a general rule, the optimal effective image resolution is
300dpi. If the resolution is too low, the image can appear jagged, pixelated or blurry in print.
The majority of images from websites are low resolution and are therefore not suited for print.

Effective resolution

The effective resolution of an image depends on the scaling in the layout program. Even if the image is 300dpi in
Photoshop, if you scale it up in InDesign the effective resolution will be lower as a result.
To quickly check the effective resolution in InDesign, select the image with the white selection arrow, then look at the
Effective ppi field in the Info panel (Window/Info). If it’s less than 300, you need to reduce the scale factor in InDesign
or source a higher resolution image.
The screenshot above shows a 300dpi image placed at 100% in InDesign, and the effective resolution is therefore perfect at
300dpi.

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 Effective resolution too low

In this example, the same 300dpi image has been placed in InDesign and scaled up to 230%. As a result, the effective
resolution has dropped to 130dpi. This is too low for quality reproduction and the PDF will fail the BAUER MEDIA (NZ)
preflight.
To fix this problem, a higher resolution image needs to be placed. If no other image can be sourced, the image needs to
be artificially scaled up in Photoshop to get around the preflight check. Please refer to the Photoshop artificial upscaling
section (p18).
Note that this will lead to compromised poor print reproduction.

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 Low resolution images are sometimes good enough?

In this example a low resolution image (72dpi in Photoshop) has been placed in InDesign and scaled down
to 20%. Because of this reduction in size, the effective resolution is still well above 300dpi and the image will pass the
BAUER MEDIA (NZ) preflight check.
This is just to illustrate that it is the interaction between Photoshop resolution and InDesign scaling that determines the final
effective resolution and print quality.

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 Photoshop artificial upscaling

In order to artificially scale up an image that is too small (effective resolution less than 300dpi), go to Image/Image size
in Photoshop. First make sure Resample Image is ticked, then change the Pixel dimensions or Document Size width/height
values to the required size. There are many different ways of working out what values you need to enter, but this is not
covered in this guide. Consult the Photoshop help menu for more information.

IMPORTANT NOTE!!! Upscaling the image in Photoshop will still result in poor print reproduction as no
new image information is added in the process. The original image data is just stretched to a bigger size, so
any pixelation due to a low resolution original will still be visible. The process above is a work around to get
low resolution images to pass the BAUER MEDIA (NZ) preflight, it will not improve image quality therefore
hindering a good printed result.

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 Summary of Common faults in preflight

Following is a summary of common preflight faults (and fixes) in PDFs intended for magazine printing.
Faults, Warnings and Notes in QuickCut and QP Web
There are three levels of user feedback in Quickcut and QP Web

• A red cross indicates a Fault. There is a problem in the PDF that BAUER MEDIA (NZ) will not accept.
The problem must be fixed before the file can go through to BAUER MEDIA (NZ) .
• A yellow exclamation mark indicates a Warning. There is a problem in the PDF that could cause
problems in the print reproduction. BAUER MEDIA (NZ) will accept the file, but the user should review the
warning information carefully as the problem might affect the intended print appearance.
• A blue head indicates a Note. This is for information only and BAUER MEDIA (NZ) will accept the file. The
note will highlight specifications that should be taken into consideration when designing the ad.
• A white hand over a warning (or note). This indicates a potential problem that will be automatically fixed. The
user must accept this fix before being able to submit the PDF for inclusion in BAUER MEDIA (NZ) magazines.
Because the fix is altering the file, a careful review by the user of the before/after previews are highly
recommended before accepting and submitting the fixed file.

PDF VERSION

Problem: PDF versions newer than 1.3 have features that can cause unpredictable results when being output for
final print. Version 1.3 contains all elements that are necessary for magazine printing and is generally regarded as the
safest way of submitting files for print.
Solution: Re-make the PDF to version 1.3. See PDF Export settings on p11 for details on how to do this in Adobe
InDesign.
Produced using PDFwriter
Problem: PDFWriter is a quick way of making a PDF that is only suited for text documents. It should not be used for
professional quality reproduction.
Solution: Re-make PDF by exporting directly to PDF, or print to PostScript/Distiller. See PDF Export settings on p11
for a guide to exporting out of InDesign.
Security
Problem: Security features within the PDF locks users out of certain actions like editing or printing the content
without entering a password.
Solution: Re-make the PDF with security turned off. See PDF Export settings on p11 for details on how to do this in
Adobe InDesign.
JBIG2 Compression
Problem: The PDF contains elements that use compression methods introduced after version 1.3. This can result in
some RIPs being unable to process the file for final print.
Solution: Re-make the PDF as version 1.3. See PDF Export settings on p11 for details on how to do this in Adobe
InDesign.

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 Summary of Common faults in preflight

Transparency
Problem: PDFs should not contain transparent elements because they can cause unexpected results when printed.
Different RIPs interpret transparency differently, so the printed result will vary between different printers. Note that it’s
ok to use transparency effects in the layout program, but they must be flattened when the PDF is produced.
Solution: Re-make the PDF as version 1.3. See PDF Export settings on p11 for details on how to do this in Adobe
InDesign.
Object Level Compression
Problem: The PDF is of a newer version than 1.3 and contains compression technology that might not be
supported in some print RIPs and workflows, causing the PDF to be unreadable.
Solution: Re-make the PDF as version 1.3. See PDF Export settings on p11 for details on how to do this in Adobe
InDesign.
Unknown Objects
Problem: The PDF is of a newer version than 1.3 and contains elements that aren’t supported in some print RIPs
and workflows, causing the PDF to be unreadable.
Solution: Re-make the PDF as version 1.3. See PDF Export settings on p11 for details on how to do this in Adobe
InDesign.
Quickcut Destination
Problem: Ad sizes and file requirements differ between magazines, therefore the Quickcut preflight needs to know
what the intended destination of the files is. For example: Metro, Full page ad. If the file is managed via Quickcut or
QP Web, the booking information is included with the file. For all other delivery methods, this data is missing and
the preflight doesn’t know what specifications to check against.
Solution: Supply file via Quickcut or QP Web, ensuring MediaLink tickets and associated Booking Ref numbers
are utilised. For manual checks, select the correct destination in QuickPrint.
Media Box smaller than the Bleed or Trim Box
Problem: The Media Box specifies the “paper size” in a PDF, and therefore needs to be big enough to hold all
other page content (including bleed and trim areas). If the Media Box is too small, unintended cropping of the page
might occur in some RIPs.
Solution: Re-make the PDF to the PDF/X-1a standard. See PDF Export settings for details on how to do this in
Adobe InDesign.
Multipage PDF
Problem: BAUER MEDIA (NZ) requires all files to be supplied as single pages. Each PDF must only contain one
page. For ads spanning more than one page, like a double page spread, separate PDFs for each page must be
supplied.
Solution: Re-make the PDF as individual pages. See page 9.
Unequal page sizes/orientations
Problem: In some instances a PDF may contain pages with different orientation (portrait and landscape). BAUER
MEDIA (NZ) requires all ads to be supplied as single pages, so this error will lead to the Multipage error as well, see
above.
Solution: Re-make the PDF as individual pages. See page 9.
RGB or LAB colour used
Problem: The PDF contains images or other page elements that are not print ready CMYK values. The conversion
from RGB (or LAB) to CMYK often changes the colour appearance of the image.
BAUER MEDIA (NZ)requires this conversion to be carried out by the ad creator to avoid unexpected colour
appearance in print.
Solution: Convert images to CMYK in Photoshop before placing into the layout program.
See www.3dap.com au for more info about separation profiles and how to apply them. It’s also possible to convert
all elements to CMYK as part of the PDF export, see PDF Export settings for more info.

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 Summary of Common faults in preflight

Spot colours used

Problem: Spot colours (Pantone and other special inks) are generally not allowed in magazine ads. All elements
should be CMYK only, no spots.
Solution: Convert all spot colour to CMYK in the layout program, Illustrator or Photoshop, depending on where
the spot colour originated. Most layout programs have a function to convert all spot colours to CMYK when creating
the PDF, see your programs support documentation for more information.
Transfer Function used

Undercolour Removal Function Set

Black Generation Function Set
Transfer Fucntion Set
Halftone / Custom Screen Set
Halftone Phase Used

Problem: Images can sometimes contain instructions to the rip to change the image data when making the
printing plates. These are all older functions that are no longer recommended and might not be supported by all
RIPs leading to variations in print results. BAUER MEDIA (NZ) requires all images to be in a final state to avoid
unintended surprises in print reproduction.
Solution: Re-save the image without the functions included and consult the Photoshop documentation for advice if
required.
Image resolution
Problem: Low resolution images lead to poor quality print reproduction. If the resolution is too low, it often
indicates that the wrong image was used in the layout program.
Solution: Place a new, higher resolution image in the layout program. See the Image Resolution Guide on p15-
17 for more info.
Overprinting White text or vectors
Problem: Light coloured or completely white elements have been set to overprint. Overprint is used to ensure dark
objects over a coloured background won’t be affected by registration problems in print. Overprinting white might
look OK on screen, but when the PDF is printed the text will disappear.
Solution: Ensure the affected elements are not set to overprint in the layout program then re-make the PDF. For
Adobe InDesign users the overprint control can be found under Window/Attributes.
Make sure the box is unticked.
Font not embedded
Problem: A font that is used in the PDF is not embedded in the file, and can therefore not be rendered correctly in
the RIP. BAUER MEDIA (NZ) requires that all fonts are embedded in the PDF.
Solution: Re-make the PDF to the PDF/X-1a standard. See PDF Export settings for details on how to do this in
Adobe InDesign.
Multiple Master font used
Problem: Multiple Master fonts are a type of font that is not handled well by older RIPs, and can therefore cause
unexpected text reproduction in print.
Solution: Choose a different font type, or outline the font in the layout program.
Type3 font used
Problem: Type3 fonts are not handled well by older RIPs, and can therefore cause unexpected text reproduction in
print.
Solution: Choose a different font type, or outline the font in the layout program.

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