large banner printing - add trim line?
donovan1 (55 points) | Fri, 2009-04-24 11:57do you print large banners? i'm looking for a software plugin or anything to add visible trim lines around banner edges in order to avoid opening pdfs and adding trim lines by force. we set trim lines in Illy and CorelDraw at 35 mm outside the banner edge, but sometimes we aren't able to do that, for example when the pdf contains bitmaps and too many fonts. we are using a AZON 3,2 m wide printer.
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haven't used corel draw in years, but i don't understand the problem you're having with setting crop marks in illustrator. having bitmaps or too many fonts shouldn't make crop marks impossible. why won't it work with bitmaps? and how many is "too many" fonts?
we have to use CorelDraw just because somebody else uses it.
too many fonts is when i don't have them all. if i open a pdf usually fonts get lost, so i try to replace them with same fonts installed on my system. bitmaps are a problem because you always have to watch which resolution they are when exporting the pdf again. even worse: shadows and gradients as bitmaps.
but that's not the professional way to print pdfs. pdfs should be printed without intervention.
we can't use crop lines because we weld banner edges after printing, so we need to print trim lines all around the banner edges, like a frame. our welding operator needs them in order to weld. regretably, our printer software PosterPrint doesn't have a feature to add trim lines.
Place in indesign with the document size set to the print size, in printing options, add crop marks.
Great solution - and this could be automated if lots of banners were produced to standard sizes. Just drop on your banner artwork and out comes a print-ready pdf with guidelines in place!
Shouldn't you TELL the artist DOING the banner that these are your requirements?
If I had to supply artwork to you I would ask you first HOW you want it.
But I have NEVER heard of a banner company putting "lines" to show where the "weld" needs to go. . . and I have done TONS of banners with piping without that. . . in fact wont you SEE the lines EVEN after its "welded"?
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
ireid, thats what the theory says. the problem is that we just receive pdf jobs from different sources, we are not in the position to tell everyone "please, add a line frame". after all, they don't know who exactly will print their artwork. in my opinion the welding machine should ba able to fold from the edge without any guideline, just by using crop marks.
I don't see how this makes any sense:
"they don't know who exactly will print their artwork."
so you're saying that you're a print broker who decides to choose DIFFERENT suppliers depending on the job and volume?
I am confused. . .
"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda
our beaureau communicates with the customers. then they send us the files and we just print banners on vinyl or mesh. they also choose where to order banner prints -- either from us or from other printing services. in other words, we get a lot of third-party files.
We do banners as well, so I feel your pain. We reinforce ours seams with 1" double sided seam tape rather than welding though.
The bottom line is that the advice about placing in InDesign is solid. Opening pdfs in Illy can be problematic, even if you have the fonts installed. Best bet? Tell the bureau who is providing you the print files that you need to receive artwork with the fonts outlined, so that there can't be any issues.
As far as a software plugin, I am not aware of one out there.
thanks pokie for the indesign tip. it works fine. the images and the fonts remain solid after placing.
mbennett2, seam tape could be a good idea but our boss probably thought it could increase printing costs.
i could tell other funny stories from the banner printing room ... one day.
Good responses on large banner printing :)
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