Simon & Schuster Jackets (Final) checklist

The checklist for all jackets including covers and PLC files at Final Files stage. Allowing CMYK, PANTONEs and special finishes set as spot colours.

Document is named correctly

This check is making sure that the InDesign document is named in the agreed way that identifies its contents.

ARTICLE HERE

Document name uses regular characters

This check makes sure all characters that are used in the document name are 'safe' and do not need to be replaced to work with older file back up systems and transfers.

For example, a forward slash (/) or a colon (:) indicates a folder in file paths and can cause problems transferring and backing up files. An ampersand (&) or a less-than sign (<) will mean different things in coding languages. A comma (,) or full stop (.) can also mean things to an operating system. Even a space cannot translate to a web URL and therefore is not truly safe to use.

It is much more simple to list the characters that can be used rather than to provide a long complex list of which ones are disallowed.

With this check characters in InDesign file names should be taken from Uppercase letters (A-Z), lowercase letters (a-z), numerals (0-9), regular dash (-), underscore (_).

Typically a dash replaces a space separating words and an underscore separates parts of the name such as page numbers and document identifiers e.g. COV for cover.

Note: If this check does not fit your own file naming standards, remember that GreenLight is highly customisable and we can cater for your file naming standards in a ‘client check’.

Fonts are all active

This check makes sure that all fonts that are referenced in the document are currently active on the Mac and available to be used by InDesign.

To see a list of missing fonts choose InDesign Type menu > Find/Replace Font

Fonts listed with a warning symbol alongside are missing:

InDesign’s Find Font dialog showing missing fonts in the document

To activate fonts on your Mac we recommend using professional font management tools such as Extensis Suitcase, or Font Book, which is a free font management tool that comes with your Mac.

Fix this problem by finding and activating the fonts used in InDesign or in some cases by substituting for other fonts.

Adobe InDesign Font help
Apple FontBook help

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Fonts are not Type 1 PostScript

This check flags up when Adobe PostScript Type 1 fonts are used in the InDesign document.

PostScript Type 1 fonts, as their name suggests, were intended for print production using Adobe PostScript. They are an old font format which have largely been superseded by the later OpenType format as PostScript Type 1 fonts are not supported in digital and web publishing.

Adobe announced they were stopping supporting PostScript Type 1 fonts in any new software released after 2021.

Note that Type 1 fonts will no longer appear in InDesign's Font menus and must instead be replaced using Type > Find/Replace Font:

InDesign's Find/Replace Font dialog showing missing Type 1 fonts

PostScript Type 1 fonts show their Type as ‘Type 1’ and warning signs alongside their name in Find/Replace Font’s dialog.

Fix this problem by finding and activating a different font format in InDesign or in some cases by substituting for other fonts.

Adobe InDesign Font help
Apple FontBook help

Links are present and up to date

This check makes sure all InDesign links are OK. No image links can be missing or modified.

‘Links’ are made to the original files of images that have been placed into the InDesign document; they might also, less commonly, be text files.

Icons are shown under the Status column in the Links Panel. (InDesign Window menu > Links) to indicate a problem.

= Missing Link

Links can go missing if renamed, moved or your computer is disconnected from them if held remotely e.g. on a file server.

= Modified Link

Links become modified if edited outside of InDesign e.g. resized or colour adjusted in Photoshop.

Fix this problem by selecting the link(s) in InDesign's Links panel and from the panel menu choosing Update in the case of a Modified image or Relink if missing.

Relinking to a missing image in InDesign using the Links panel

Adobe links and embedded graphics help

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Images are 300ppi (exceptions allowed)

This check is to make sure that pixel image links are placed at a size so they output at a minimum of 300ppi. This check also allows the GreenLight user to allow exceptions to this rule.

‘Links’ are made to the original files of images that have been placed into the InDesign document; they might also, less commonly, be text files.

When placing pixel images onto an InDesign page their original resolution (how many pixels the image has over a given measurement) becomes their Actual PPI.

Scaling the image up or down on the InDesign page does not alter the original linked image but does affect the PPI when outputting. The resulting resolution is referred to as the Effective PPI. Increasing the scale of an image causes the Effective PPI to go down; decreasing the scale causes the Effective PPI to go up.

GreenLight dialog indicating an image has been detected with a resolution below the required 300ppi

An image’s resolution decreases as it is scaled up, which means a ‘high res’ image can effectively become low resolution. Aside from file size issues, having too many pixels is rarely a problem. Having too few, however, can mean a loss of definition and image quality.

There may be times when an image is so good or unique that it needs to be used despite having a low effective resolution. Also a soft image e.g. a natural landscape and clouds can often be output at a lower resolution but still with good image quality. In either case, or when you simply don’t have an alternative, you can Mark as OK when prompted by GreenLight.

Tip: It is possible to switch on an Effective PPI column in InDesign's Links panel menu (InDesign Window menu > Links). From the Links panel menu select Panel Options:

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The Panel Options dialog is accessed from the Links panel menu

In the Panel Options dialog under the Show Column heading click the checkbox for Effective PPI and click OK.

The Effective PPI checkbox in the Panel Options dialog selected

In the Links panel a new column appears indicating the Effective PPI of pixel images. You may need to adjust the widths of the columns or panel itself to see all the information.

InDesign's Links panel with Effective PPI column added

Adobe links and graphics help

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CMYK images using document profile

This check flags CMYK images that have been placed into InDesign with an attached colour profile and are not set to 'Use Document Default’.

By default when placing CMYK images into InDesign the attached colour profiles are ignored and InDesign document CMYK colour profiles are used instead. This prevents changes to the CMYK colour numbers when outputting to PDF or printing, and so helps maintain consistent colour.

Unless you are intentionally using different CMYK colour profiles, it is recommended that the colour profiles are set to ‘Use Document Default’. If not, you can fix this problem by selecting the image and choosing Object>Image Colour Settings:

InDesign’s Image Colour Settings dialog with Use Document Default option selected

For some versions of InDesign you may also want to change the way that image colour profiles are associated when placing CMYK images: using InDesign’s File menu > Place, choose a CMYK image and select ‘Show Import Options’. Click ‘Colour’, then choose the profile option ‘Use Document Default’ and click OK, which sets the default for subsequent placing of CMYK files.

Setting default Profile options when placing CMYK images into InDesign

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Adobe InDesign Image Placing help

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No GIF images used

This check reports when the file format of any placed images is GIF.

GIF, pronounced with a hard G (Graphics Interchange Format) images are a mostly obsolete file format.

Although they can contain transparency they can’t handle partial transparency. Each pixel is either a solid colour or transparent.

GIF cannot display more than 256 colors and cannot be colour managed. For this reason, it is less effective for displaying photographs online (use JPEG instead) and is not recommended for commercial printing. If the image has flat colour or includes type, use the PNG format instead.

GreenLight’s dialog warning of the presence of a GIF image

Fix this problem by using a more current format of the same image or using an alternative image.

Tip: It is possible to switch on a file types (a.k.a Format) column in the Links Panel. (InDesign Window menu > Links). First choose Panel Options from the Links panel menu.

The Panel Options dialog is accessed from the Links panel menu

In the Panel Options dialog under the Show Column heading click the checkbox for Format and click OK.

The Format checkbox in the Panel Options dialog selected

In the Links panel a new column appears indicating the Format of images. You may need to adjust the widths of the columns or panel itself to see all the information

InDesign's Links panel with Format column added

Adobe Importing File Formats help

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No PNG images used

This check reports when the file format of any placed image is PNG.

PNG (Portable Network Graphic) is a modern version of the GIF which is intended for use as a screen image, typically on the web.

PNGs can contain transparency including different amounts of transparency but do not support layers, CMYK colour information or Colour Profiles.

GreenLight’s dialog warning of the presence of a PNG image

Fix this problem by using a PSD version of the same image or using an alternative image.

Tip: It is possible to switch on a file types (a.k.a Format) column in the Links Panel. (InDesign Window menu > Links). First choose Panel Options from the Links panel menu.

The Panel Options dialog is accessed from the Links panel menu

In the Panel Options dialog under the Show Column heading click the checkbox for Format and click OK.

The Format checkbox in the Panel Options dialog selected

In the Links panel a new column appears indicating the Format of images. You may need to adjust the widths of the columns or panel itself to see all the information.

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InDesign's Links panel with Format column added

Adobe Importing File Formats help

Printing objects are inside bleed

This check ensures that all objects that are set to print are on the page or within the bleed area. Any printing objects that are completely outside the bleed area are flagged.

The ‘pasteboard’ is an area outside of the InDesign page which can be used to hold objects whilst working on page layouts.

Selected frame on pasteboard with Attributes panel confirming set to print – i.e. 'Nonprinting' is OFF

When files are ready to output having objects hanging around on the pasteboard can cause problems and confusion. Also it means the file will be larger and more complex than it needs to be. Extra image links, swatches and fonts might be used and word counts and text extraction could be affected.

However, in some cases, notes or other objects may need to be retained for future users. In this instance selected objects can be set to non-printing in the InDesign Attributes panel (InDesign Window menu > Output > Attributes):

InDesign's Attributes panel with 'Nonprinting' option selected

Another way is to make their layer non-printing. Choose InDesign Window menu > Layers and double click the layer name to see the Layer Options dialog. Make sure the layer is visible, uncheck Print Layer and click OK. Everything on the layer will become non-printing as a result:

Setting a 'Notes' layer to be nonprinting using the Layer Options dialog

This check looks at the position of the objects that are not set to non-printing and verifies that all printing items are wholly or partially on the spread or within the bleed area. Printing objects that are only on the pasteboard and outside of the bleed area are flagged.

Fix this problem by setting objects to non-printing, moving objects within the bleed area or deleting them.

A GreenLight tool is available to remove all pasteboard objects at once (GreenLight Tools menu > Print production tools panel > Delete pasteboard objects).

InDesign's different page areas with bleed denoted in red

Adobe InDesign help on setting bleed

Text is not overset

This GreenLight check looks for 'overset text' sometimes called 'overmatter' - text that is contained inside the InDesign document but does not appear on the page.

Overset text is usually caused if the entered passage of text is either too long or too big to fit within its text frame. InDesign shows a small red plus to indicate overset text, but that can be easily missed and without this check could mean looking at every page in turn.

A small red plus (circled) in InDesign indicates the presence of overset text

GreenLight will take you to place on the page where overset text can be found and highlight it:

GreenLight's check indicating the selected frame has overset text

Fix overset text by enlarging the text frame, threading the overset frame to another frame, most likely on another page, or by reducing the type size or spacing applied to text or editing the text.

Tip: To see and edit overset text without altering the layout of flow of text on the page, place your text cursor into the story then use InDesign’s Story Editor (Edit > Edit in Story Editor).

The Story Editor window provides a quick and easy way of seeing and editing overset text

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Correct bleed for jackets and covers

This check makes sure the correct amount of bleed is applied for your cover, jacket and PLCs.

The bleed area is set and altered in the InDesign File menu > Document Setup dialog.

Covers and jackets are usually trimmed down from the larger sheet that they are printed on as part of the production process. This process can have a tolerance of a few millimetres and so a bleed area on all sides – of e.g. 5mm – is a requirement to prevent any unsightly errors.

A PLC (a printed laminated cover or paper laminated case, depending on who you ask!) is a hardcover book with the printed cover glued onto it.

A FLEXI is similar but with a more flexible medium weight case.

The wider overlaps required when gluing mean the correct amount of bleed for a PLC or FLEXI file is set at 15mm.

This check looks at the name of the document and then accordingly checks for a 5mm bleed or a 15mm for PLC or FLEXI documents.

InDesign page areas with bleed denoted in red

Adobe InDesign Margins help

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Spots are layered and overprint

This check is making sure that the spot colours used in InDesign are matching the expectations required by Simon & Schuster test here.

ARTICLE HERE

ISBN artwork matches stated ISBN

This check confirms that a ISBN on cover artwork matches the ISBN stated in the GreenLight Book Cover Panel and document name.

For GreenLight Custom Users this GreenLight check determines whether the ISBN stated on the book’s cover artwork matches the information in the GreenLight Book Cover Panel.

Book Info is now shown in a new GreenLight Book Cover Panel on the pasteboard to the left of the first spread.
Book Info is initially set using the same GreenLight menu > Add / Amend Book Info command.

Data in the Book Info Panel is live and can be amending directly in the panel or with the Add / Amend Book Info command

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Artwork price matches stated price

This check confirms that a price on cover artwork matches the price stated in the GreenLight Book Cover Panel.

For GreenLight Custom Users this recently added GreenLight check determines whether the price stated on the book’s cover artwork matches the information in the Book Info Panel.

Book Info is now shown in a new Book Info Panel on the pasteboard to the left of the first spread.
Book Info is initially set using the same GreenLight menu > Add / Amend Book Info command.

Data in the Book Info Panel is live and can be amending directly in the panel or with the Add / Amend Book Info command

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