Printing Acronyms, what the heck, what do they mean?

Two acronyms used a great deal these days are FTP, which stands for “File Transfer Protocol” and PDF, or “Portable Document Format.” Both describe convenient ways to transfer files, and if you design or buy printing you should be acquainted with the features and benefits of each. For transferring “live” files - that is, actual files intended to be used for a printing project - File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the better choice. There are two reasons for this. First, FTP allows the accurate transfer of virtually any size file in the program in which it was created. Second, those files can be manipulated by the technicians who receive them, allowing them to set trapping, make last minute alterations, etc. just as if the files had been received on disk. To use FTP, you need to (a) download the appropriate free software and (b) get the address and password of the company to which you are sending files. Both of these are easy, “one time” procedures. For help, call Chromatic at 818-242-5785, or me directly at 818-335-1930 or visit our web site at www.chromaticinc.com. For transferring “view only” files - that is files which need to be seen but not necessarily used for printing, Portable Document Format (PDF) is the better choice. This is because PDF files can easily be sent as simple attachments to normal e-mails. A great drawback of PDF files, however, is that they cannot be altered by the technicians receiving them, and thus are not ideal for use as “live” printing files. On the other hand, PDF’s are perfect for designers who wish to show ink coverage or other specifications of an upcoming project to estimators and sales reps. PDFs are also ideal for use as “soft proofs” a printing company can e-mail to a client to show how alterations look before a formal hard proof is produced. PDF is an Adobe product, and the “Read Only” version - along with extensive information about Portable Document Format - is available free at www.adobe.com.