Any files that can be read by a Mac computer, and most of them can be. Publisher files are not acceptable.

The outside (front) cover is "Page 1," the inside cover is "Page 2" and so on. The back cover is the last page number. Please keep in mind that booklets must always be produced in multiples of 4 (i.e. 4 pages, 8 pages, 12 pages, etc.).

We recommend saving as a .PDF

You may also send us files in the following formats: jpg, jpeg, psd, tif, tiff, eps, and ai

We prefer that you send .PDF and .EPS files with outlined fonts. These files are easier to handle and will likely speed up your turn-around time. Files should be CMYK. Be sure to add bleed (if necessary) and crop marks, and flatten your files before uploading.

When exporting from any program such as InDesign or Illustrator, use these settings to make sure your .PDF files export correctly:
Adobe PDF Preset is set to: Press Quality
Compatibility is set to: Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)
Compress Text and Line Art is set to: Off

Simply put,

RGB (Red, Green, Blue) refers to color when applied to video (the Web, TV).

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) refers to color when aplied to print (Ink)

Computer monitors emit color as RGB (red, green, blue) light. Although all colors of the visible spectrum can be produced by merging red, green and blue light, monitors are capable of displaying only a limited range of the visible spectrum.

Whereas monitors emit light, inked paper absorbs or reflects specific wavelengths. Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black pigments serve as filters, subtracting varying degrees of red, green and blue from white light to produce a selective range of colors.

Though both produce a color gamut that is only a subset of the visible spectrum, the range is not the same for both. Therefore, the same art displayed on a computer monitor may not match to that printed in a publication. Also, because the printing process uses CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) inks, digital art must be converted to CMYK color for print. CMYK color can also be referred to as Process Color.

There are two types of files:
Pixel based - Such as Photoshop files, photos, scans

Vector Based - Such as Adobe Illustrator files

Pixel Based Documents

Resolution is the term used to describe the number of dots, or pixels, used to display an image. Higher resolutions mean that more pixels are used to create the image, resulting in a crisper, cleaner image.

On computer monitors, numerous pixels or dots make up the entire screen, but each individual image is comprised of far fewer dots.

In printing, resolution is calculated by the dot per inch (DPI), and the more dots you can squeeze into a square inch, the sharper the resulting image will be. No less than 300 dpi is the preferred resolution for printing — at a lower dpi the image will be fuzzy, jagged and/or blurry.

Since so few dots make up an individual image on a computer screen and printed images require at least 300 dpi, an image that is taken off of a computer is rarely acceptable for print.

Vector Based Documents

There is no need to worry about the resolution of files created with vector applications such as Adobe Illustrator. Since the graphics are comprised of mathmatical coordinates, they are easily enlarged to any size without loosing sharpness.

Just be aware that bringing a vector graphic into a pixel based application like Photoshop will convert the graphic to pixels, so it can no longer be enlarged without losing sharpness.

The Pantone Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the
colors, different designers and printers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match perfectly.

Pantone colors are described by their allocated number (typically referred to as, for example, "PMS 130").
Anyone can purchase a Pantone book of color swatches for selecting colors and then communicating your
choices to a designer or printer.

When any image or element on a page touches the edge of the page while leaving no margin, it is said to bleed. It may bleed or extend off one or more sides. Photos, rules, clip art, and decorative text elements all can bleed off the page.

When this occurs, the image and/or elements that bleed must extend further than the cut line. Also remember to keep all text and anything else you do not want cut at a minimum of .125" away from the cut line.

Crop marks, also known as trim marks, are lines placed in the four corners of your artwork to show the printer where to trim the paper. They are placed outside the edges of the actual size of the piece so that they don't print on the live area.

Content. We must know what your site will actually contain in order to create a design and layout that makes sense for your individual site. Also helpful: take a look at other web sites and give us an idea of what you like / don't like so we can get a feeling for your tastes and preferences. Let us know which "bells and whistles" you want to include, or if you just want your site to be very simple.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you will need to purchase a domain name for your web site. It is preferable that you do this prior to beginning the site development. If you need help with this process, just ask — we will be happy to either assist you or if you prefer, we will even take care of it for you.

Much the same as for the above question on web site design — content. Unless we are doing the copy writing, we will need the text and any specific images you wish to include. Other images we can supply from our large library of stock photography.

If we are writing the copy, we need specific facts as well as an outline of the material that is to be covered.

Absolutely not — unless it is clearly designated "royalty free." Lawsuits can and do happen to those who
pirate copyrighted content and images. Also keep in mind that images that are copied off the web are almost always useless for print applications because the resolution is too low. The exception is any photo that is purchased from a stock photo site — you can buy them at the proper resolution and they are usually designated "royalty free."

In most instances we can produce a "photograph" from your description using a collection of other images to create a new photo. See our photo manipulation gallery for samples. We can also illustrate anything at all with a very realistic look. See our illustration gallery for samples.

We wish we had a standard answer for that — it would certainly make scheduling a breeze! But each project has its own time frame depending on complexity and processes. After you've told us what you need we will be able to give you an estimate on how long it will take.

We will never, ever print anything without you officially giving us the go-ahead to print. This is to avoid any
miscommunication that would result in the printing of incomplete work.

Though it used to be, it is not any more — in fact, in most cases it is less expensive! The reason for this has to do with printing procedures. Our printers are continuously running four color process jobs — to stop this work flow and prep the printers to run just two colors is not cost effective.

Computer monitors are viewed in the RGB color space, and printing is done in CMYK (for an explanation of these terrms, see Glossary and Explanations on this page).

Since it is possible to see colors in RGB that cannot be made in the CMYK color space, your monitor's RGB-to-CMYK translator just gets as close as possible, and that's as good as it can be. This is unavoidable and is something that everyone must put up with.

When your job is printed you will rarely notice a color shift, and it virtually impossible to detect in a color photograph. It is most likely to happen in instances where you've chosen a very rich, vibrant color for a
background or some other design element. Even then, it probably won't look bad, it just won't look exactly the same — and it may not be noticeable at all.

Any colors you use for fonts or other design elements that need to be an exact match should be chosen using the Pantone Color Matching System. (an explanation of this system can be found in Glossary and Explanations on this page).

The answer is simple. We do a large volume of printing (which instantaneously lowers the cost per piece on anything we print) and we have very low overhead costs. Rather than raising our prices to equal those of our competitors, we pass that price advantage on to our customers.

Our standard method of shipping is UPS Ground. Since we have several print facilities throughout the country it usually takes only a day or so to arrive. We also offer upgraded UPS services such as next day, second day, etc. at an additional cost.

Important: Please be aware that shipping time begins after printing time is completed — the number of days it will take to print varies with each individual job.

We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Eventually, yes. New customers are required to pay for all printing in advance; design work is 50% prior to
begining the job and the balance on delivery of final artwork.

After a customer with a good payment history has been steadily doing business with mellen & jayne for 6 months to a year (depending on volume) payments can be made on a 30 day net schedule.

Any credit customer who is continuously delinquent on payment will revert to new customer terms of payment.

That's probably the question we have the most difficulty answering because the truth seems so unbelievable, but we actually do just about everything within our industry. In additon to the list that will be added to the end of this segment, we are problem solvers who come up with solutions that frequently do not fit within a single definition.

An example of this: A Grand Opening was planned for a new home community and our client wanted many
sailboats floating in the large swimming pool — of course with the company and community logos on the sails. mellen & jayne researched and found the right boats (beautiful wood with splendid detail) at the right cost, made transfer prints of the logos and then ironed them onto each boat's sails. Oh yes, and then went on location to place them in the swimming pool.

So what do you call this? It cannot be defined as design nor printing, it is not research & development, it is not hand workmanship, nor just marketing, manufacturing, decor or staging. Perhaps it is a bit of all, combined with creative problem solving and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Basic services: graphic design, copy writing, marketing, advertising, brand identity, web design, illustration, photo manipulation, photography, franchise development and printing.

Our "official" hours of business are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST, though most days we are still in operation and available until 8:00 p.m.

We welcome visits but they are by appointment only. Please feel free to call and schedule an appointment.