Goal
The goal of this project is to introduce the file types used in design production and to create a consistent and efficient process to manage files for use in print and digital workflows.
Objective
Provide an overview of print production related file types.
Background Reading
Dabner, p 134–135, p 146–147
Lecture
The inclusion of the three letter extension on a file name is a good habit for Mac OS users. It allows for system recognition of digital files on severs, email, web or Windows OS. The following file types are commonly used in print and multimedia production. This list should not be considered complete or absolute due to near constant software updates and multiple authoring applications.
- Adobe Photoshop (.psd):Image manipulation and capture program. Native format. Default. Retain layers, color adjustments, type, and selections.
- Tagged Image File Format-TIFF (.tif):Photo images in layout programs. Compresses layers and other features. Very efficient for Imagesetters, but is not scalable. Select “IBM PC” Byte Order.
- Adobe Illustrator (.ai):Vector illustration program. Native format. Need fonts installed on system to open properly. Allows for TIFF and EPS file placement. A template file will have an “.ait” extension
- Encapsulated PostScript-EPS (.eps):Best for vector graphics or text. Scalable as continuous tone images, but file size may be two to three times larger than TIFF. Fonts used in EPS must be installed on system. Save with “ASCII” encoding for PC printing.
- Macromedia Freehand (.fh):Similar to Illustrator. Native format. Need fonts installed on system to open properly. Allows for TIFF and EPS file placement.
- InDesign (.indd) or Quark XPress (.qxd):Multipage text and image layout program. Native format. Allows for only TIFF and EPS file placement. Need fonts installed on system to open properly. Both allow for export of data to XML or HTML for further publishing options.
- Adobe Portable Document Format-PDF (.pdf):All inclusive file format that is cross-platform and adaptable for print or digital distribution.
- Microsoft Word (.doc) or Excel (.xls):Microsoft Word files created on PC or Mac can be opened on either platform. Good for word processing spell check and alphabetizing.
- Rich Text Format-RTF (.rtf):Plain text only. Little formatting available. Small and included with software and on several machines.
- SimpleText (.txt):Plain text only. Little formatting available. Small and included with software and on several machines.
- PostScript Type 1 (.t1):TrueOne fonts were developed by the Adobe Corporation to meet publishing demands. Also called PostScript fonts, the screen fonts are separate from the files the printer uses. Both are necessary to uses in applications and to print properly. Because PostScript is the language professional printers use for most output, these work best for professional work. You should use these whenever possible. These files are platform specific.
- OpenType (.otf):OpenType fonts are a recent addition to the font world. These files contain both Mac and PC Postscript data in a single file. They also have additional advanced typographic features for use in various software applications. Because of their recent introduction, few titles exist.
- TrueType (.tt or .dfont):TrueType fonts are usually system fonts that come as part of your computers software. Most fonts found on PC’s and free online are also this type of format. These will work on both Mac and PC, though professional printers often have difficulty using the file correctly. They should never be used.
- Adobe Photoshop Brushes (.abr): Loadable files to use in Photoshop for drawing and painting.
- Adobe Color file (.aco) Photoshop saveable color palette files.
- Scribus (.sla) open source version of InDesign
- GIMP (.xcf) open source version of Photoshop
- Inksacpe SVG (.svg) open source version of Illustrator
- Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) an open standard format for static and motion vector graphics, comparable to Adobe Illustrator and Flash, respectively.