- Internal mail and couriers
- Setting up page size in Powerpoint
- File types we accept
- Converting files to PDF
- MAC files and issues
- Printing timelines
- Urgent jobs or quick turnaround times
- What is offset printing?
- Resolution explained
- Branding
- Jobdesk
- Posters with transparent images and fills
- How to give us changes
- Playing DVDs on computers
Internal mail and couriers
We can send you work via the Monash internal mail system, which gets picked up at 8:30am from us. It is usually delivered by early afternoon on the same day, or the next day.
We can also send work via our courier, which will incur an additional charge of $20. Please let us know in advance if you require these services, and provide a complete delivery address including contact number.
Or you may organise your own courier if you wish to do so. Pickup address is Level 3, Building 15, Monash University Clayton campus. For the most updated parking and location information, couriers are advised to go to the Traffic Office located next to the roundabout after the Wellington Road entrance.
Setting up page size in Microsoft Powerpoint
Set up your page before starting any work as Powerpoint will stretch the old size to fit the new (along with any images and text).
As a general rule, set up your file to about half of your final poster size (eg. if you require your poster to be 90cm x 90cm, set your file to be 45cm x 45cm). Make sure it is the same aspect ratio (eg. square posters should be square).
Setting page size to A3
In Microsoft Powerpoint, click on File then Page Setup. Select A3 from the pull-down menu (or enter size in cm). Click Ok.
Font sizes
It generally doesn't matter what font size your poster has because we scale the whole poster at printing to fit your final print size. Your poster will 'look' the same, just be bigger.
File types we accept (PC)
Please tell us if your files have been made on a Mac computer (see MAC files and issues).
Posters - Powerpoint (preferred), PDF, Corel Draw, TIF, JPG (not Word files).
We also accept Word files (not for posters), and industry standard program files such as Photoshop, Indesign and Illustrator. We don't accept Quark files. If you are able to, send JPG or image files alone and not embedded in a Word file (also, it is better to File>Insert the image rather than copy and paste as we then cannot extract it easily). Please contact us if you are unsure before starting your work.
Converting files to PDF
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer (this is not the free Adobe Reader).
From your program, go to File then Print. From your list of printers, choose Adobe PDF.
If you are sending a PDF for high quality printing, click Properties. Choose High Quality Print from the 'Default Settings' pull-down menu (otherwise, leave it on Standard).
We use PCs, and files from Macintosh computers can sometimes behave unexpectedly, so please let us know if yours is a Mac file (we do have a Mac which we can open it on). It is safest to send us high quality PDF files (see Converting files to PDF).
Printing timelines
Please contact us to discuss your timelines. We will try to accomodate your needs as much as possible.
Poster printing turnaround time is usually 4-5 working days (dependent on workload) although we always aim to get them out earlier or as quickly as possible (this includes providing you with the proof). We can also design your poster for you, which takes 10 working days from receiving all the necessary files (although, again, we aim to get them out as quickly as possible).
Offset printing times are usually 10 working days from proof approval. Please contact us to discuss your needs.
Please contact us before submitting print jobs as print timelines will depend on workload.
See below for urgent jobs.
Urgent jobs or quick turnaround times
If you require urgent jobs or a fast turnaround times, we recommend that you give us a call after submitting your job in jobdesk to make sure your job has been received and gets urgent attention.
Urgent fees are now be in place. Any job request deemed by Multimedia management to be urgent will be charged at an initial flag fall of $105.00 upfront and for $105.00 for every hour after that. These are generally jobs that require timelines for other job requests to be interrupted and modified unreasonably. This will be discussed with the client before addititonal charges are applied. Please view Charging Outline 2011 - Multimedia (32kb pdf)
What is offset printing?
Offset printing is a high-quality printing technique using large presses, where an "inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate first to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface"* (eg. paper). It uses a minimum of 4 inks - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK). Other pre-mixed coloured inks (such as Pantone colours) can also be added to the press as additional 'Spot Colours'.
The printer separates each colour and makes a lithographic 'plate', then aligns the plates at the printing stage and prints each colour separately in a particular order. Printing can be done on a wide variety of paper textures and is a very high-quality printing method.
The setup process is complex but once the plates are made, thousands of copies can be printed quickly and cost effectively. This is why offset printing is very cost efficive in large-volume print runs but will generally be very expensive for smaller print volumes. Multimedia will generally decide on the suitability and need of offset printing on a job-by-job basis.
*(Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offset_printing).
Generally bright flourescent colours, especially green and blue, will print duller than on screen, as these colours don't exist in normal inks (CMYK).
Resolution explained
DPI stands for ‘dots per inch’. Resolution is the amount of dots per inch any given image has. The more dots there are, the higher the amount of detail that can be shown in the image and therefore the better quality it is. Dots cannot be ‘created’ out of thin air (although some programs can make-up pixels using information of existing ones; this is called interpolation but doesn't improve quality of an image), so the higher the resolution of an image, the more things you can do with it!
If an image has a high number of dots per inch, then it is a high resolution image (left). Generally, images that have resolution of 300dpi or more are considered high resolution images. This means that in every measured inch of an image, there are 300 dots or pixels.
Computer screens have a resolution of 72dpi. Most digital cameras shoot at 72dpi as well. This means that for every measured inch of an image, there are only 72 dots or pixels. This is considered low resolution (right).
Sometimes, when a picture of a certain size on the screen is printed, it comes out much smaller. This is because screens display at 72dpi, so every 72 pixels is 1 inch in real size. However, printers print at 300dpi, so an inch is every 300 pixels. A photo that is 432 pixels wide will be 6 inches wide on screen (432 pixels divided by 72 pixels). However when this same image is printed, it will come out only 1.4 inches (432 pixels divided by 300 pixels). If it is printed any bigger (stretched), it will come out looking pixelated (tiny squares) or fuzzy (see above right image).
Working out image size and resolution
The quickest way to see the resolution or size of an image is to right click on your image file (from its folder location), then click Properties. Click on the Summary tab and then Advanced (if it isn't in Advanced option already). You will be able to see the image's height and width in pixels, as well as the resolution. Divide the pixel width/height by 300 to find the size of the image (in inches) when printed (or by 72 for screen size). An A4 sized image will be about 8 x 11 inches. Multiply by 2.5 to get the approximate size in cm.
A4 = 21cm x 29.7cm
Minimum image size requirements
Images for brochure covers need to be at least 2400 pixels wide or 3300 pixels high.
All images need to be at least 750 pixels wide to be used in A4 publications.
Branding
Monash University has a set of specific guidelines for marketing and other published materials which unify and define Monash on a national and international level. All material relating to Monash University and using the logo must be branded following these guidelines. This includes both the visual and written style. For further information and templates, contact Advancement or see Graphic design and branding section.
- Monash Editorial Style Guide - Describes the preferred Monash University writing style and terminology
- Brand guidelines - Brand guidelines, specifications and publication hints (Authcate login required)
Jobdesk
Jobdesk is an online job tracking database system and our preferred way of handling job requests. It can be used for sharing files, communication between you and the technicians and keeping track of the job progress. You use your Authcate details to access jobdesk - from there you are able to check current jobs and submit new ones.
Jobdesk works best with Internet Explorer 6. It also 'times out' after about 15 minutes of idle time, so if you are typing a large message it's best to write it in a program like Word first and then copy the text into jobdesk to avoid losing information.
It is better not to write messages in closed jobs as they don't appear on our job queue. Email us or submit another job if your job has been closed.
Jobdesk user guide
Download the Jobdesk User Guide (JobdeskUserGuide_10-06.pdf - 538 kb).
Go to Multimedia jobdesk page to submit a new job.
Posters with transparent images and fills
Please try to avoid using transparent images and fills as they frequently don't print properly. Instead, use a lighter coloured fill to mimick the look.
How to give us changes
Small amount of changes can be written into jobdesk or supplied in a word file (unformatted - eg no bold, underlined or ALL CAPS text). Poster changes can be made to Powerpoint file and uploaded to jobdesk (save as different name to avoid confusion). Please write changes clearly (eg. Page 3, paragraph 1, change ... to ....).
You may also bring in hard copies of the text with changes written out clearly.
Larger amount of changes can be supplied as a separate word file with Track Changes turned on so that we can see what has been changed from original text. This is useful so we don't have to spend unnecessary time going through text or re-making Editorial Style changes to text if we have to copy and paste text again. To turn on Track Changes in Word, click on Tools then Track Changes.
Playing DVDs on computers
Multimedia recommends that in all important circumstances DVDs should be played on DVD players and not on computers. Although some software is reliable there are many factors that could attribute to why a DVD may not play correctly on a computer, even if you've used the program on another computer with previous success.
We cannot guarantee any success with this practice and recommend that you always test a disc on the device prior to use (eg. before lectures or demonstrations).
