How to prepare your document for plotting

General Guidelines:

• Master and Print Copies: Always maintain a Master Copy and a Print Copy of your document. This ensures that any changes made during preparation for printing do not affect the original file.
• Maximum Plotting Width: The maximum plotting width for your document is 36 inches.

Adobe Illustrator Instructions:

Step 1: Crop the Artboard to the Correct Size

1. Select the Artboard Tool.
2. Adjust the Artboard size to match the dimensions of the area you intend to print.

Step 2: Convert Text to Outlines

1. Select all text by navigating to Select → All or pressing Ctrl + A.
2. Go to Type → Create Outlines to convert the text.

Step 3: Flatten All Layers

1. Open the Layers window (Window → Layers).
2. Click on the dropdown menu at the top right of the Layers window.
3. Choose Flatten Artwork to flatten all layers.

Step 4: Embed All Images

1. Open the Links window (Window → Links).
2. Select all images that are not embedded.
3. In the dropdown menu at the top right of the Links window, choose Embed Image.
4. If images are already embedded, this option will not be available.

Step 5: Rasterize All Vectors

1. Select all vector elements in the document.
2. Navigate to Object → Rasterize to rasterize the vectors.

Step 6: Save as PDF

1. Go to File → Save As.
2. Save as type → Adobe PDF
3. Click save to save the file as a PDF.

Adobe InDesign Instructions:

Step 1: Flatten All Layers

1. Open the Layers window (Window Layers).
2. Click the dropdown menu at the top right of the Layers window.
3. Select Merge Layers to flatten them.

Step 2: Embed All Images

1. Open the Links window (Window → Links).
2. Select all images that are not embedded.
3. In the dropdown menu at the top right of the Links window, select Embed Image.
4. If images are already embedded, this option will be unavailable.

Step 3: Save as PDF

1. Go to File → Adobe PDF Presets.
2. Choose High Quality Print to save your file as a PDF.

Adobe Photoshop Instructions:

Step 1: Flatten All Layers

1. Open the Layers menu choose Flatten Image.

Step 2: Save as PDF

1. Go to File → Save a Copy.
2. Choose Photoshop PDF as the Save as Type.
3. Click Save.