Preparing Final-Files

Outline:

• Exporting a PDF
• Reversing a PDF
• Preparing Image Files
  • Preparing Monochrome File
  • Preparing Grayscale Files
  • Preparing Illustrator Files
• Preparing an InDesign Package
  • Check the Package for Errors
  • Select Packaging Options
  • Extra Packaging Duties
• Using FTP
  • Set Up an FTP Connection
  • Upload Files via FTP

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After you're done lettering, you'll need to prepare all of your assets to send to your client. This guide will walk you through how to perform some common operations.

NOTE: Prepress duties are not considered a part of the letterer's duties. Prepress work should be compensated separately from lettering work. Prepress duties include:

• Preparing PDFs to send to the printer
• Calculating signatures and adjusting the book layout to compensate for color inserts
• Converting spot colors

The work of letterers and prepress professionals has been blurred over the years. Know that it is additional work that you should be compensated for. Publishers should have trained in-house staff to perform these duties.

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Exporting a PDF

To export a PDF so that a proofreader can provide corrections, follow these steps:

1. Select File > Export..., or press command + E
2. Provide a file name and destination, and make sure the Format is set as Adobe PDF (Print)
3. Select the Adobe PDF Preset for proofing.
   • Ask your client if they have a PDF preset that they'd like you to use for proofs. If they don't, you can use this one.
4. Click Export.

Some tips for PDFs:

• If your client is having issues opening your PDF because it's so large (1GB+), you can cut down on the size of the final PDF by reducing the size of the image files. If you're working on monochrome art, you can do this by converting all the images to flattened bitmaps. See Preparing Image Files for more information.
• Make sure you and your client are both viewing the PDF in Acrobat or Adobe Reader. There are a number of visual quirks that will appear in other PDF viewers, such as extra lines and malformed outlines.
• Working in manga, you might be asked to reverse the page order of a PDF, which can be done after exporting from InDesign. See below for more information

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Reversing a PDF

Reversing a PDF in Acrobat

You might be asked to reverse the page order of a PDF, for a variety of reasons. To do that in Adobe Acrobat, do the following:

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat
2. Press command + J to open the JavaScript Debugger dialog
3. In the View: section, make sure that the dropdown has Console selected.
4. Copy this line, and then paste it into the text box in the View: section:

for (i = this.numPages - 1; i >= 0; i--) this.movePage(i); 

4. Press command + enter to run the script. Undefined should show up on the next line underneath the script.

   

5. The pages should now be reversed!

Note: Adobe Reader (the free version of Acrobat) doesn't allow users to use scripts, so this method won't work

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Preparing Image Files

Depending on the project, you'll come across a variety of types of image files. It's important to prepare them correctly for both quality and posterity.

NOTE: InDesign will only package files that are linked to the InDesign file (see the full list in the Links panel). These files should be the final, press-ready images. If you have any additional, layered files, you will have to manually add them to the final package folder.

Some of these topics would be considered prepress work, so if you're ever uncomfortable doing these things without more pay or training, then let your client know.

When working in print, always check with your client to see which pages should be monochrome, grayscale, and color. It can vary from project to project.

Here are some of the image types that you'll come across:

• Monochrome (.tif, .psd)
• Grayscale (.tif, .psd)
• Illustrator (.eps, .ai)

Preparing Monochrome Files

The majority of images in a chapter of manga will be monochrome, which means the art only has black and white pixels. They can look a number of ways depending on the project and publisher:

• Flattened Bitmap files (.tif)
• Layered Grayscale files (.tif, .psd)
• Embedded into an Illustrator file (.eps, .ai)
  • See the section on handling Illustrator files for instructions on how to unembed art

Retouching the art will be much easier on Grayscale files (see the guide on retouching for more information). Keep a backup of the layered files, and be sure to submit them in a separate folder.

This may vary from client to client, but all monochrome art should be submitted as flattened bitmap files. You can find instructions on how to batch convert files here.

Preparing Grayscale Files

Some art files will intentionally have gray values, either because it was previously color artwork, or because it's an interstitial page with graphic design elements.

If an art file doesn't have any gray values, then it should be submitted as a flattened, Bitmap file. See the preparing monochrome files for more information.

Color to Grayscale

If you have a .tif or .psd file that has color plates, and the page is being printed in black and white, you'll need to convert it to be Grayscale like this:

1. Open the art file in Photoshop
2. Check for spot colors by opening the Channels panel. If you see spot color (i.e., anything other than CMYK, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black), select that channel and choose Merge Spot Channel from the panel menu.
3. Convert the image to Grayscale by selecting Image > Mode > Grayscale. Click OK'.

Illustrator to Grayscale

If you have an Illustrator file that you need to convert to Grayscale, you can either:

• Convert all the colors in the file to be Grayscale by selecting everything in the file and then navigating to Edit > Edit Colors > Convert to Grayscale...
• Export the file as a Grayscale image by selecting File > Export > Export As..., providing a file name and destination, selecting TIFF (tif) as the format, and clicking Export. In the next dialogue, make sure that Color Mode is set to Grayscale and the Resolution is set to 300 ppi or higher, selecting LZW Compression, and clicking OK.

In some cases, it might be useful to link to the image files directly in the InDesign file. The links can be found in the Links panel in Illustrator. From there, you can select an image to find its location on your hard drive. If the image is embedded, you can select Unembed... from the panel menu, and then you can select a new place to save the file.

Preparing Illustrator Files

If you're given Illustrator files (.ai or .eps), make sure to include any linked images and assets in your final submission. It might make sense to export any Illustrator files to TIFF files by selecting File > Export > Export As... providing a file name and destination, selecting TIFF (tif) as the format, and clicking Export.

If you're working on files intended for print and need to remove color plates, see the section on converting illustrator files to Grayscale for guidance.

Preparing an InDesign Package

When you're ready to submit your work in InDesign to your client, you'll need to package it all into a folder. InDesign has a function built specifically for this purpose, and you can find it in File > Package...

This process will create a copy of your InDesign project that will work seamlessly on other people's computers.

Check the Package for Errors

The first dialogue you'll get when Packaging will give you a summary of what all is contained in your InDesign file. Click through all of the tabs to make sure there are no missing links or font files.

For more information on preparing font files and resolving issues, see the guide on exporting fonts.

Once you're satisfied with the state of the package, select Package...

Select Packaging Options

The second dialogue will give you a number of options for you to consider.

• The final package folder's name and location
• Copy Fonts
  • This option should be checked in most cases. It will copy all of the files for fonts that were used in the InDesign document, into a separate folder in the package. Refer to the guide on font licenses for concerns about font licensing restrictions.
• Copy Linked Graphics
  • This option should be checked. It copies all of the linked image files into a folder in the package.
• Update Graphic Links In Package
  • This option should be checked if Copy Linked Graphics was checked. It updates the links' locations in the exported InDesign document.
• Use Document Hyphenation Exceptions Only
  • This option will prevent text from being reflown when the document is opened on a different computer. It is recommended, but not mandatory.
• Include Fonts and Links From Hidden and Non-Printing Content
  • This option isn't recommended unless it's necessary.
• Include IDML
  • This option should be checked. An IDML is a backwards-compatible version of your InDesign file, so that it can be opened in other versions of InDesign.
• Include PDF(Print)
  • Check with your client on whether or not they prefer you to include a PDF in your package. It may not be necessary.
  • TIP: You can select one of your saved PDF presets here

When you're satisfied with your export options, select Package.

Extra Packaging Duties

Make sure to review the package once it's exported. Here are some things you may want to do before uploading

• Double-check that all the font files are included in the Document fonts folder. See the guide on exporting fonts for more information
• Double-check that all the linked assets are included in the Links folder
• Including layered image files that aren't linked in the InDesign file. See Preparing Image Files for more information.
• Compress the whole folder into a .zip to prevent corruption

Using FTP

Some clients use an FTP server to manage files with their freelancers. If you're familiar with cloud-based services like Google Drive and Dropbox, using an FTP server is the predecessor to their functionality.

Set Up an FTP Connection

The first thing you need to do is install software to connect with FTP. In the same way that Chrome and Firefox connect to servers with HTTP, this software will connect to servers with FTP.

The most common FTP softwares are below. Feel free to use either one, but Cyberduck has a more intuitive UI:

• Cyberduck
• FileZilla

You should be given login instructions, which, at the very least, should include a URL, username, and password. For the sake of this example, we'll be using:

• Protocol: FTP-SSL
• Port: 21
• Server: ftp.example.com
• Username: example
• Password: example

If any of these pieces of information are missing, check with your client for help!

To set up the connection in Cyberduck, follow these steps:

1. With Cyberduck, select the Open Connection button in the top left corner. Alternatively, press command + O
2. Select the Protocol from the first dropdown. We're using FTP-SSL, so we should select FTP-SSL (Explicit AUTH TLS)
3. Paste in the Port, Server, Username, and Password into the other fields.
4. Press Connect
   • optionally, select Add to Keychain to save this information for later

If you encounter any weird errors, always defer to your client for help.

Download Files via FTP

1. Open your FTP client (most likely Cyberduck or FileZilla).
2. With the FTP connection open, navigate to the folder where the files are located. If you're using Cyberduck, this should be similar to how you navigate on your own computer.
   • If you don't know what folder the files are under, stop and ask your client.
3. Drag and drop the files onto your own computer. Optionally, you can right-click on the folder's name, and select Download To...

Upload Files via FTP

1. With your files already zipped and ready to upload, open Cyberduck.
2. With the FTP connection open, navigate to the folder where you need to upload the files. If you're using Cyberduck, this should be similar to how you navigate on your own computer.
   • If you don't know which folder to upload to, stop and ask your client.
3. Drag and drop your files into the correct folder. Optionally, you can right-click on the folder's name, and select Upload...