For your convinience, we have divided the "Printing Options" section of the web site into the following five headings (Choose One):

1. Proofing Options
2. Paper Options
3. Ink Options & Four Color Process
4. Coating Options
5. Folding Options

1. Proofing Options [GO BACK UP]
While we do our best to ensure that every project is done right, only you know your project well enough to make sure all the elements are in place. Different types of proofs are available and discussed below so you can choose the proof that fits your needs best. We urge you to take the proofing phase seriously and check every document carefully. Once you have signed off on a final proof, you are giving us authorization to proceed with printing. After you have given us the approval to proceed, we will not
reprint your job for any error you did not notice.

Included in the price of all items is proof of your job for approval before we send the job to press.

SCP offers three proofing options: fax, email by PDF, or mail.

Electronic Proofs
Electronic proofs are digital facsimiles of your project sent to you online. They are not intended to be accurate for color. In fact, we can safely say that the color won’t match the printed piece you receive. If accurate colors are important you to we can print you a color proof on our Epson printer that is 80% color correct.

We offer the electronic PDF proof option:
PDF: PDFs (Portable Document Format) are files created in Adobe Acrobat Distiller and readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader. PDFs are rapidly becoming the industry standard for file transfer and are our preferred format. Color fidelity of PDF files is affected by monitor calibration, lighting and use of Pantone® colors (Pantone® colors do not always appear as true on your screen). Therefore the color you see on screen may not appear as they do in print. However, PDFs provide a reasonable means for checking the accuracy of your files for print. If color accuracy is imperative for you project, you will want to select a hard copy proof. However, please be aware that there is an extra charge for a hard copy proof. Adobe Acrobat runs on both IBM and Macintosh platforms and can be downloaded for free from www.adobe.com/products/Acrobat/main.html.

Hard Copy Proofs
There are a variety of technologies used for producing hard copy.

Fax: We can fax you a copy of your order. You can proof for errors, copy placement and page layout. At times the clarity may be questionable on a fax proof. They are not good for any color proofing.
Mail: If you would like a color proof of your order, we can mail you a copy off of our color copier. The colors will not be exact to what will be printed and the black copy doesn’t print as well as it does on the black and white printer. You will need to proof for errors, copy placement and layout.

Full Color Proofs: Epson proofs for this level of proofing. Epson proofs are more accurate for color than PDF which are viewed on your monitor. These proofs are especially useful for CMYK images, such as photographs, but are less accurate for illustrations, solids and specific Pantone® colors. SCP does not guarantee that Epson proofs will match press sheet color. We only recommend them as an approximation for how your final job will print. They are about 80% accurate.

Delivery of Proofs
Electronic proofs (PDF) are accessible to you online. They will be emailed to you. We will need your email address.

Hard copy proofs will be sent to you by mail or UPS.

Mail or email us back your approved proofs as soon as possible so that we can begin printing. If you have corrections, you have two options: 1) you may make the corrections yourself and send us new files. If you want to see another proof, we can prepare one for you. Production for your job will not begin until we receive written sign off on the proof.

Tips for Selecting Your Proofing Option
PDF proofs accurately render document layout, but are not necessarily dependable for judging color accuracy. Monitor calibration, lighting and the use of Pantone® colors can affect the color fidelity of PDFs.

Epson proofs offer a level of color fidelity consistent with "pleasing color" and are suitable for most color projects. Epson color accuracy and resolution are better than PDF and are 80% accurate.

Proofs will not match a specialty Pantone® color when that Pantone® color falls outside of the CMYK gamut. This means that certain Pantone® colors will never be completely accurate when converted to CMYK. If you need to have your PMS colors matched accurately, the job will need to be printed with Pantone® spot colors, not CMYK. This is usually more expensive and requires a Custom quote.

What To Look For On A Proof:
Attention to detail is the key to successful proofing. This checklist will help you make sure your checking your proofs thoroughly.

Is any type dirty or broken?
Are photos positioned, cropped and scaled correctly?
Folds correctly?
Are text and graphics in the right places?
Is the trim size correct?
Are borders correct?
Are elements appropriately aligned, especially at the tops and bottoms of sections or pages?
Are there any typos?
Is the pagination correct?
Are colors correct?
Are screen values correct?

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2. Paper Options [GO BACK UP]
The paper you use is a critical factor in the appearance of your printed projects. For most of our products, SCP has limited paper options to those most popular for the usage. However, for most products, we still offer a choice between a number of paper options. The information below is included to help you understand your alternatives.

About Papers
There are three factors that effect key differences between papers: finish, weight and opacity.

Finish
Finish refers to the texture, feel and appearance of a paper. Paper finishes are delineated as follows:

• Coated - A paper with a waxy finish (shiny or matte) on both sides.
• Uncoated - A paper with an untreated surface that is dull and unreflective.
• Coated One Side - A cover stock that is shiny on one side and dull on the reverse side.
• Wove - A smooth uncoated surface.
• Laid - A paper that is manufactured with textured lines on its surface. This finish is used mostly for business stationery elements, like letterhead, envelopes and business cards.

Linen
Similar to a laid finish, this paper has textured lines on the surface of the sheet, but they are finer and more regular than those that appear on a laid finish stock. This paper is also used frequently for business stationery.

Laser
A paper which is guaranteed to be compatible with laser printers.

Weight
The weight of a paper refers to its thickness and is measured in pounds. The higher the number, the thicker the paper. For paper weight, the "#" symbol means pounds.

Opacity
The opacity of paper is determined by its thickness, ingredients and ink absorbency. Opacity is important because it affects how much printing will show through on the reverse side of a sheet. If a paper is not opaque enough, images printed on the other side of the sheet may show through and make reading text impossible. Paper with a high degree of opacity is better able to prevent dark images from showing through a page. Opacity is expressed in terms of percentage reflectance. Complete opacity is 100% and complete transparency is 0%.

There are generally three types of papers for three distinct purposes: text papers, bond or writing papers and cover papers.

Text
Also known as book or offset papers, text paper can have a coated or uncoated finish. These thinner, lightweight papers are often used for publication interiors, sell sheets and letterheads. Below is a brief description of some of the most common text weights, from lightest to heaviest:
50# - Standard light weight paper, equivalent to 20# bond.
60# - One grade heavier than standard, equivalent to 24# bond.
70# - Equivalent to 28# bond.
80#
100#

Bond or Writing
Bond or writing papers are used for letterhead and must be able to run through office copy machines and laser printers. The most commonly recognized bond or writing stocks are:
20# - A standard weight paper, equivalent to 50# text.
24# - The preferred weight for most business papers like letterheads, equivalent to 60# text.
28# - Heavier paper less frequently used because its thickness can pose problems feeding through laser printers. However, the durability of this stock makes its ideal for outer envelopes.

Cover
Cover stocks are heavy in weight, rigid and not easily folded. These papers are generally used for publication covers, business cards and postcards. They can have coated or uncoated finishes. Common weights for cover stocks include:

• 65# - A lightweight, uncoated cover stock.
• 80# - The next weight heavier than 65#.
• 88# - Heavier than 80#, but still considered a lightweight cover paper.
• 100# - Mid-weight cover paper.
• 120# - Sturdy cover paper considered a heavyweight.
• 12 pt. - A heavyweight coated cover alternative.

Generally, glossy papers are used for brochures, product sheets, catalogs, posters, postcards and four-color business cards. Uncoated stock is best for letterhead, envelopes, business cards, newsletters and any document that needs to be fed through a laser printer.

Paper Descriptions
Following are the papers specifically offered for the standard printing products available from us:

80# and 100# gloss text
Standard glossy paper stock with a shiny finish that provides an excellent opaque base for rich process color printing. The most popular stocks for brochures, product sheets, flyers, posters, etc.

80# and 100# matte text
Finely coated, non-gloss finished paper with excellent opaque base for easy to read, crisp typography. This paper is often used for brochures, newsletters, book pages, flyers, etc.

80#, 100# and 120# gloss cover
Eye-catching, heavier glossy paper stock used for rack cards, business card and covers.

24# Strathmore Writing, Wove, Bright White
Strathmore writing is America's most frequently specified

25% cotton business paper
Professionals choose cotton paper for is distinct feel and strength. Use this paper for letterhead and envelopes.

80# Cover, Strathmore Writing, Wove, Bright White
Match your letterhead and envelopes with the cover stock for your business cards.

60# Cougar Opaque offset white
Another alternative for stationery elements, Cougar has a long-standing reputation for high quality reproduction and excellent printability. Its superior opacity and extremely bright white color makes inks appear to jump off the page.

80# cover, Cougar Opaque white, smooth
Match your letterhead and envelopes with the cover stock for business cards.

24# and 28# White Wove
A standard commercial grade paper stock often used for envelopes. 24# is used for most envelopes, but 28# is used for larger envelopes and greater durability.

12 pt. C2S Coated
A basic white, coated cover stock sturdy enough to stand up to the wear and tear of postcards.

Note: If you require a paper option not included on this list for your project, we can probably meet your needs. Please send us a Custom quote.

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3. Ink Options
& Four Color Process [GO BACK UP]
Four color process is a system where a color image is divided into four color values that are transferred to printing plates and printed sequentially on a printing press. The four colors are cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K). Using these four colors at different values the press recreates the original image with inks.

CMYK vs. RGB
No, we're not speaking in acronyms! Most computers give you the option of creating files in one of two color spaces: CMYK or RGB. CMYK stands for the four colors used for four-color process printing (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). RGB is the color space typically used on computer monitors and stands for red (R), green (G) and blue (B). RGB are the primary colors of light. Because CMYK is expressly designed for the four-color printing process, we recommend you create your documents in this color space rather than RGB.

If you send us an RGB file, we can convert it to CMYK. However, this standard value conversion may not yield the result you are looking for. RGB looks good on a computer monitor but tends not to produce the same results when printing. CMYK is a better approximation of how colors will look in print.
Please note that while we print every project in keeping with "pleasing color" standards, we make no guarantee that the color you see on your computer monitor or your color printer will approximate your finished piece printed via the CMYK process. Wide variation in color spaces, technologies and calibrations of different monitors and printers may preclude an exact match.

Converting RGB Files to CMYK
There are colors you may see in RGB that cannot be made with CMYK. They are considered by the translator as "out of the CMYK color gamut" and the translator comes as close as possible to matching the original. While this may be less noticeable in an image, it is more noticeable for colors used in type or solid color areas. Therefore, we recommend you select colors for fonts or other design elements in the layout using CMYK definitions. This will give you a better idea of how your printed pieces will look.
Following is a list of several common design and publishing programs with instructions on how to make sure you are working in the CMYK color space.

Microsoft Publisher 2000 - Microsoft Publisher defaults to RGB. To convert or start a document in a CMYK color space use the following menu options: Tools/Commercial Printing Tools/Color Printing and select Process colors (CMYK). Please note that all images incorporated into a layout need to be linked, not embedded, in order to maintain the CMYK color space within the image. You can accomplish this by following these menu options: Tools/Commercial Printing Tools/Graphics Manager and highlight the embedded image. Click Link and click Browse to locate the original file and link to it. Don't forget to send us both the images and the layout file.

Adobe Photoshop 6 - For an existing file, select the following menu options: Image/Mode/CMYK. When starting a new file, select CMYK for the mode before clicking OK.

QuarkExpress 4.1 - Use the following menu options to convert or create files with CMYK: Edit/Edit Colors/Show Colors in Use/Highlight Color and click Edit. Change model to CMYK and deselect Spot color.

Adobe Illustrator 9 - For an existing file, select the following menu options: Edit/Select All and then Filter/Colors/Convert to CMYK. For a new file, select File/New and select CMYK color for the Color Mode.

Corel Draw 9 - Select each object you want to convert. Select the Fill tool and click Fill Color Dialog. Make sure the Color model is CMYK. For each object with an outline, select the Outline tool and click the Outline Color Dialog. Make sure the Color model is CMYK.

Adobe InDesign 1.5.2 - For new or existing documents, use the following menu options:

Window/Swatches and Window/Color
Double click color in Swatches Change color mode to CMYK and color type to Process. Any colors created in the document that are not in the Swatches palette need to be changed to the CMYK color space as well. Select each object you want to convert and make sure the Color palette reflects the CMYK percentages. Click the top right arrow in the palette to change to CMYK if necessary.

Adobe PageMaker 6.5 - Use the following menu options: Window/Show Colors. Double click "Colors" in palette and select Model to be CMYK and Type to be Process. Please note that PageMaker does not successfully represent CMYK color on the monitor.

More Information
For some additional resources to help you understand color, CMYK and RGB, visit http://80211-planet.webopedia.com/TERM/C/CMYK.html.

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4. Coating Options [GO BACK UP]
Coating is often applied to glossy papers to protect the ink from fingerprints, smudging or scratches in areas with heavy ink coverage. Sometimes coatings are also used for aesthetic purposes when you want a super shiny surface to your inks.

SCP offers two types of optional coatings on certain jobs when you use a glossy paper stock: aqueous coating and varnish.

Aqueous Coating
Like its name suggests, aqueous coating is water-based. Aqueous coating is more environmentally friendly than other coatings and is used for an overall coating.

Varnish
Varnish is essentially ink without pigment. It is applied as an ink color on the press.
SCP chooses which coating to use on your project depending on the design, area of coverage, usage and press. All you need to do is indicate that you want to have coating added on your project by clicking on the Yes button in the Coating Options section of the product estimate page.

Coating Tips
Dried inks show fingerprints and scuffing, especially in dark solid areas.
Use coatings to avoid fingerprinting, scuffing, smudging or cracking on glossy paper stock.
Some coatings deepen the ink color they cover, yellow with age and/or may discolor white paper.
You cannot glue or foil stamp over some coatings.

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5. Folding Options [GO BACK UP]
Folding your print materials at the printer can save you time and effort in the long run. SCP offers a variety of folding options for brochures and newsletters. If you choose to have a job folded, the fees are additional.

Half Fold
(for 8-1/2" x 11", 8-1/2" x 14" and 11" x 17" projects)

Tri Fold
(for 8-1/2" x 11", 8-1/2" x 14" projects)

Z Fold
(for 8-1/2" x 11", 8-1/2" x 14" projects)

Accordion Fold
(for 11" x 17" projects)

Half & Half Fold
(for 8-1/2" x 11" and 11" x 17" projects)

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