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JPGs Can Save Worry, Time, Space, and Money
Here’s the scenario . . . You are working on a new design for a big project. Let’s say it’s a viewbook to promote the organization’s products or services. Time is of the essence and you know as soon as you have final sign off, you’ll need to get the project to us, the printer, pronto.
Instead of burning a CD or using a flash drive, you’d like to FTP the project to us, but the file size is way too large. Is it too large out of necessity? Or are there some tricks of the trade that won’t compromise quality, and might even save you time and money?
One reason your file size might be unduly cumbersome is the difference between using TIFs and JPGs for images. (What are TIFs and JPGs? See our winter 2009 newsletter, archived online.) TIFs have traditionally been considered the best choice for image quality since they are saved with no compression at all, resulting in very large file sizes. This is a particularly good thing if you are scanning an original print, working with a piece of fine art, and/or manipulating or reworking the image multiple times.
The downside of TIFs is they are often oversized with regard to practicality. They can slow down the process of working within a document; they make the document file size bigger and, thus, more time-consuming when saving, emailing, or uploading PDFs; and they take up a lot of room when archiving files for storage. Plus, the compression in JPGs nowadays is much better at preserving color and quality in images, without having the bulkiness of TIFs.
The added bonus is that digital cameras have improved over the years, too, saving images automatically at higher JPG quality (usually at least 72 dpi and about 40 inches wide, depending on the camera, if not 300 dpi and 10 inches). (What does “dpi” mean? See “PrinterSpeak” in this newsletter.) In many cases, you can download the digital image right off your camera without making any adjustments to the JPG other than changing it to CMYK before dropping it into your document. (See a discussion about CMYK in our fall 2008 newsletter, archived online.)
Another way to control file sizes for easier FTP'ing is to “zip” your project. Zipping can also be known as packaging, gathering, archiving, and stuffing.
The basic way to zip is as follows:
(1) Create a folder on your computer desktop with the name of your project. (Note: Be sure to use a descriptive name that clearly identifies the project as yours. For instance, instead of “viewbook,” call it “Acme Company Viewbook” or something similar.)
(2) Gather all of the items that go with your project and copy them into the folder — the original file you created, the fonts you used, the graphic images you included, and a PDF, if possible (so that we can see the formatted file exactly as you see it, for proofing purposes).
(3) Control click on the folder and select the option that says, “Create Archive” of folder. It will appear on your desktop as a “.zip” folder.
(4) Now you are ready to upload!
In addition to reducing the size of a file for quicker and easier uploading, zipping can be a safer way for your file to travel. It preserves the integrity of your fonts and keeps all the supporting documents together in one folder. It also allows you to upload all the pieces of a job at once, rather than having to click on each item to upload it individually.
If you ever have any questions about zipping, we hope you will feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to assist you.
