Camera Ready Artwork
*A digital file is usually considered camera-ready or print ready if it meets a variety of specifications:

1. It is created with a software program commonly used in the printing industry, such as InDesign (Adobe), Illustrator (Adobe), Quark XPress (Quark, Inc), etc. and exported or saved in a commonly used file format, such as EPS, PDF and sometimes TIFF. High resolution PDFs are preferred. JPEG images are usually considered not camera-ready, as the compression used in the JPEG format deteriorates the quality of the image.
2. The digital file uses the correct color structure. If printing a (full) color document, all graphics should be converted to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). If it is a spot color document, the color(s) to be used by the printer must be specified in the digital file.
3. If it is a spot coated, UV or aqueous document, a separate layer must be created and saved as a separate document. The layers to be used by the printer must be accompany the full color digital file.
   
4. The layout is created at the correct and final size to be printed, and the document size in the desktop publishing program matches the size of the final printed piece.
5. Text or graphics that are intended to bleed off the page of the final printed piece should be extended off the document boundary in the digital file. The amount varies depending on location, but is usually 1/8 inch in the US, and 3mm in metric systems.
6. Fonts used in the digital file are converted to vector graphics (usually defined by the software as "convert to paths" or "outline text"), or alternatively, the fonts are included in the final digital package sent to the printer.
7. Raster or image files are originally created at high resolution settings, such as 300 DPI (dots per inch). This ensures a high quality image. Images saved from Internet web pages are usually low-resolution, 72 dots per inch JPG or GIF files and are not considered camera-ready.

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