(Find banner ad specs for the e-newsletter or website here: Digital Advertising Specs

General Specifications

Printing Method: Web Offset

Binding: Saddle-stitched or perfect bound

Paper: Body stock—38 lb Advocate • Cover stock—70 lb Escanaba

Ink: SWOP standard and four-color process

Line Screen: 133 lines per inch

Printing Sequence: black, cyan, magenta, yellow

Inserts and Ridealongs: For specs and rates for inserts, postcards, gatefolds, Notemarks™,
belly bands, ride-along pieces or other custom ad projects, contact your sales representative.

Trim: Full page—7 3/4" x 10 3/4" • Spread—15 1/2" x 10 3/4"

Bleed: Full page—8" x 11" • Spread—15 3/4" x 11"

Critical ad content should be kept 1/4" from all trims. In Perfect bound publications spread ads should also keep critical content 1/4" from both sides of the gutter and allow 1/16" grind-off from each side of gutter. (total 1/8")

Ad Production Guidelines & Requirements

PDF FORMAT: Advertisers are encouraged to submit PDF and PDF/X1-A files provided that they are prepared for press-optimized printing in CMYK with fonts embedded. For an Acrobat Distiller job-options file and more information on creating acceptable PDF files, contact your Sales Representative. Please note: PDF files lack the ability to be edited or altered (i.e. phone number, address, etc.)

PREFERRED APPLICATIONS: Ad layouts should be created using either Adobe InDesign; QuarkXpress or Adobe Pagemaker. If submitting application files, provide all supporting graphics and fonts.

PROOFS: We minimally require a text and element proof to assist in preflighting digital ad files. For critical color match we require a digital halftone proof (i.e. Kodak Approval, Dupont Digital Waterproof, Fuji FirstProof, etc.). Accurate color reproduction cannot be guaranteed without an accompanying SWOP-certified proof.

COLOR MODE: You should convert colors to CMYK prior to submission because color shifts may occur. Ads received in RGB or spot color will be converted to CMYK. All colors are printed using 4-color process (CMYK) unless a Pantone ink is specifically ordered by the advertiser (see sales rep for additional charges).

COLOR TONE VALUES: To avoid over-saturation of ink, the total combined value of CMYK colors should not exceed 300% (i.e. C=100, M=100, Y=50, K=50). Any one color with a required value over 85% should be made solid.

PHOTO ELEMENTS: 300 dpi, .tif or .eps format. No JPEG compression.
—Scaled to the actual size used in document.
—Use the CMYK or grayscale color model, not RGB.
—Images with clipping paths should be saved as .eps.
—Windows metafile (.wmf) or 72-dpi images captured from the internet (.jpg or .gif) are not suitable for high-end printing.
—Photoshop duotones should be converted to CMYK unless a Pantone ink has been specified by the advertiser. (Contact sales rep for additional charges.)

LINE/ART TEXT: 600 dpi minimum; CMYK color model; .eps or .tif format with color preview. In Photoshop, black text should be created in black channel only to avoid registration problems.

FONTS: Postscript Type 1–include both screen and printer fonts. (TrueType fonts will not print correctly.) Avoid applying bold or italic—use a bold or italic typeface instead. If ads are submitted with incorrect versions, we may substitute with close Postscript matches, but type reflow may occur. On illustrations it is recommended to convert text to outline, however outline text cannot be altered.

LETTERING: Reproduce all reverse lettering with a minimum of colors. Type smaller than 8 point with fine serifs should be avoided.

NAMING CONVENTIONS: Add extensions to the names of Mac files (.tif, .qxd, .p65, etc.) Do not use characters such as /, %, #. Also, do not use periods in a file name except before the extension (.tif, .eps)

GATHERING FILES USED: Use the “PreFlight” (InDesign), “Collect for Output” (Quark), or “Save for Service Provider” (PageMaker) features for gathering all elements used in a file. Be sure to submit copies of the printer and screen fonts used in the document. The fonts will be used to process your job only.

MEDIA: CD (Mac or IBM) or FTP upload.

Contact your Sales Representative for instructions on uploading larger digital files via FTP. Files 1MB or less may be sent via e-mail to the email below.

Send all advertising contracts, insertion orders, materials, and correspondence to:
Bulk Transporter Magazine
Attn: Martine Ewing
4200 S Shepherd Dr, Ste 200
Houston TX 77098
Ph: 713-523-8124, 800-880-0368
Fax: 713-523-8384
martine.ewing@penton.com