Electronic File Printing
Central Reproduction offers full color and black and white printing directly from electronic files. We encourage customers to use this method of document submission whenever possible – not only to save time and effort, but to ensure the highest quality printing of your document.
There are several different ways to send your file to Central Reproduction, which are described below. Please note that in all cases of electronic document submission, you do not need to bring or mail a job ticket to the office. We will gladly fill out a ticket for you.
E-mail File Attachment
The best way to submit your document electronically is to send an e-mail with the attached file to the Central Reproduction Manager at laumann@loyno.edu. This allows us to easily review and prepare your file before printing, and facilitates more reliable job management and output.
The file should first be converted to Adobe PDF format, which will secure the integrity of the image. This is very important for full color documents, especially more sophisticated ones created with graphic design software (Publisher, InDesign, Illustrator, Quark, etc.).
For black and white text-only documents, such as exams, you may send a Word or WordPerfect file. However, a PDF if still encouraged – otherwise, your file’s formatting and fonts could get altered during the transfer.
In the text of your email, please include all job specifications:
- number of prints
- stock details (size, color, paper or cover weight, etc.)
- single- or double-sided
- finishing options (stapling, cutting, folding, etc.)
- due date and time (please be specific)
- account number and contact info
NOTE: If the size of your file exceeds the limits of e-mail, you will need to use one of the options described below:
Send Your File Over The Network
Users may “print” files directly to Central Reproduction’s digital color or black and white printers. This method is preferable if your file is too large to send by e-mail, or if you are unable to convert the document to a PDF.
To use this service, you must have the applicable software driver installed on your University computer. (Contact the Central Reproduction Manager to request the print driver. It’s free, uses very little disk space, and can usually be installed remotely.)
Instructions for network printing:
- Open the document on your University computer. You do not have to convert it to a PDF. However, your image should be fixed in a sized document (i.e. do not send a jpeg, tif, etc.).
- Click on File, then click on Print.
- From the printer destination drop-down menu, select either the Central Repro black and white printer (look for “4110” in the title) or the Central Repro color printer (look for “Fiery” or “X12” in the title).
- Select the page range, but select only one copy (which should be the default).
- Click OK or Print to send the document. It will be sent as a print file to the Hold Queue of our server.
- Call or e-mail Central Reproduction with printing instructions (according to those listed above in the E-mail File Attachment section).
Other Electronic Options
Users are also welcome to submit digital files (PDFs only) to Central Reproduction via the following methods:
- Bring a flash drive or CD to the office
- E-mail a link to a PDF on a Website
- E-mail a link to a PDF uploaded to an online file hosting service, such as YouSendIt.com
Helpful Guidelines For Electronic Document Files
Envision the finished product. Determine the desired result, then design your document accordingly. If you have any questions about the best and easiest way to achieve this with a specific job, contact the Central Reproduction Manager.
Know your margins. Our printers will print only to 1/8-inch from the page edge. If your document requires a color background edge bleed, the image should be at least ten percent smaller than the paper stock, and should have cut lines.
If your document is to be folded (as with programs or brochures), remember to acknowledge both the margins of the whole page and the margins of each folded panel.
If your document is to be cut (as with postcards or handbills), remember that the space between the images (where the cuts will be, also called the “gutter”) should be twice the width of the margins against the edge of the page.
Design economically. You can significantly reduce your costs – especially with full color printing – by creating a multiple (2-up, 4-up, etc.) layout for your document, which can then be cut to yield smaller pieces.
For documents with non-bleed full color backgrounds, it is generally best to design with ¼-inch white (blank) margins against the edge of the page, which means the gutters should be ½-inch wide.
Click here to view a properly designed 4-up on a letter size page (Adobe PDF).
Beware of registration. When designing a double-sided document, always allow for slight variances in alignment between front and back images. This is especially important when the document needs to be cut or folded.
Double-sided printing on heavyweight stock requires that you either (A) send a PDF to Central Reproduction (E-mail or see also Other Electronic Options) or (B) if using the network, send each page individually to our server.
Loyola’s Office of Publications and Marketing Communications offers copy editing, media buying, digital photography, design, and print production management services to create the best print and online publications possible to meet specific needs. These services are supplied at no cost to colleges and departments. For more information, visit the Publications Web Page.
