FAQ

Company

What type of products and services does Priority Press provide?

Priority Press is a full service commercial printer offering a wide range of products and services. To see a full listing and description of what Priority can offer you, check out out the Services area of this website.

How many people are employed at Priority Press?

Priority Press has over 50 talented, knowledgeable and dedicated employees on its team. If you are interested in employment at Priority Press, please see the Careers section of this website.

How big is Priority Press’ facility?

The main production facility located in Indianapolis, Indiana is over 50,000 square feet.

Where is Priority Press located?

Priority Press is located in Indianapolis, Indiana in the Speedway area. The plant has quick access to I-465 and is just minutes from downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis International Airport, and an international FedEx hub. For more detail or directions, please see Directions on this website.

Products and Services

What kind of printing does Priority Press produce?

Priority Press is a full service commercial printer. We participate in all areas of print from the initial concept to the delivery of your completed project.

Priority has more printing capabilities under one roof than most commercial printers. The company offers CAD design, digital prepress production, digital printing, offset printing with 1 color to 6 color plus aqueous coating, 1 over 1 perfecting, letterpress printing, foiling stamping, embossing, thermography, die cutting, complete bindery services, mailing services and inventory fulfillment services.

Please see Services for a full list of our services, products and equipment.

Does Priority Press print digitally from my file?

Priority Press can print color outputs from digital files by use of digital color machines. Depending on the quantity of your project, digital outputs could be a cheaper alternative to offset printing. For quick turnaround, this is also a more cost effective solution.

Please speak with your Priority Press Printing Consultant to determine if it would be more cost effective to run your small quantity project on a digital color machine.

What are the comparative advantages of producing my project on a digital output device versus producing them on an offset press?

The advantages of digital printing are generally best realized on runs of 1000 pieces or less and where a fast turnaround is needed. If the project includes photos or halftone screens the copy quality would be lower than that achieved by the offset printing process. On longer runs or where multiple colors are desired, as well as when screens or halftones require higher quality, offset printing would be the best alternative. The only disadvantage of the offset printing process would be the longer production time requirements.

What is the minimum quantity Priority Press prints?

Priority Press produces projects of all quantities. Determining if your project is best completed on an offset press, and which press, is a function not only of quantity, put also of quality and customer end needs.

Generally speaking however, we find the value equation to best support offset press runs of 1,000 or more. Under 1,000 pieces, a high quality, color digital output device may be the most cost effective option.

How does Priority Press define short to medium runs?

That range for Priority Press is 1,000 to 500,000.

What kind of computer platforms and software programs does Priority Press support?

Priority Press supports both the Windows® and Macintosh® operating systems and many software programs on both platforms. Priority uses the most current software available. The most common applications include Adobe, Quark, InDesign and Microsoft Publisher. However, Priority can work with any file you provide.

Does Priority Press produce corporate identity merchandise i.e. T-shirts, promotional items?

Priority Press can provide all types of specialty items and corporate identity merchandise as part of the Advertising Specialty Institute, ASI. While we may not personally produce the item you need, priority will work within our strategic alliance network to have them produced for you. If you need printing on non-paper items, let us know and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Does Priority Press deliver?

Priority Press delivers throughout North America. Additionally, we have multiple delivery vehicles which provide daily service to the greater Indianapolis metro area and greater region.

Getting Started with Us

What is the pricing at Priority Press?

Priority Press does not have a standard list of prices because there are many variables that contribute to the cost of a printed project. Two one-color letterheads could have two completely different prices due to the type of paper they are using, the resolution needed to print the job or even if the ink bleeds off the page. Please contact your Priority Press Printing Consultant to discuss your specific project needs and the best alternative to meet those needs.

How do I start my project with Priority Press?

The first step to starting a project is to contact your Priority Press Printing Consultant. For more complex projects Priority can set up a meeting to discuss the project specifics.

If your project has already been created, please provide a printed or digital sample so that Priority can give you an accurate cost estimate. Please see the Customer Service Center for a list of information we will need to know in order provide a cost estimate.

Once your estimate is signed off including quantities, Priority will begin working with your digital files. Any changes made after the estimate is signed off (for example, adding another color, changing the quantity, changing the size, adding a page) will result in a new estimate. Priority cannot start working on your project without a finalized signed estimate.

How do I get an estimate from Priority Press?

There are two ways to get an estimate from Priority Press. The first and fastest way to get an estimate is to contact one of our knowledgeable Printing Consultants by phone, fax, or email. If you do not have the contact information for one of our consultants, feel free to contact Rob Straka, Contact Us/Sales. Rob will be happy to serve you.

The other way to get an estimate is by completing the Estimate Request Form on this website.

The quote I received is more expensive than I expected. How can I lower costs?

There are several ways to lower costs. Sometimes changing the size slightly, the kind of paper used, or changing the ink colors can make a big difference in the price.

If you will be printing several items that have images in the same place and type changes each run (such as business cards, data sheets, and newsletters) a popular cost-effective method is to create master shells. The master shells have the information that does not change each press run. For example, most business card shells have the company name and logo with the rest of the card blank. Each time a business card order is placed, the personal information is then imprinted on the shells. It is much less expensive to print thousands of shells with the colored logo and later print small quantities with one color type, than it is to imprint all the colors each time your project goes to press.

Once the master shells are approved, Priority Press creates a template on our computers. The template has all the text information such as correct font, size and placement. Setting up a template will ensure that your files look consistent each time they are run.

Overall however, there are many ways to minimize the cost of your print project. One of our Printing Consultant will be happy to discuss with you all your options.

How long will it take to complete my project?

That depends on the work involved to complete your project. From final proof sign-off, Priority’s normal turnaround time is 4 working days, but there are many things that may effect this timeline and it could be much longer. When faster completion is necessary, Priority will do everything possible to meet your deadline.

The biggest influences on how soon Priority can produce your project are incomplete files, and how many changes are requested in the proofing stages. These delays are easily avoidable. When sending Priority Press your files, please make sure they are complete and final. Every time a change is made (even the really little ones) it adds extra time to your project. Once the job is printed, the ink needs to dry overnight before your project can be folded or trimmed. With certain types of paper and large blocks of solid color, the ink might need longer to dry. If your project has any special die cuts, foiling, or embossing, it will take additional time because this adds more steps needed for completion.

Let us know when you need your completed project and we'll let you know if it can be done. Priority can go to great lengths to meet even your most demanding deadline.

How long does it take to fill out the Priority Press Estimate Request Form?

The entire process takes about 15 minutes and goes much faster if you have the following information about your job on hand: stock weight and size, ink colors, bleeds, final size, number of pages, and any bindery or fulfillment work that the job will need. If you do not know some of this information, we recommend you contact a Priority Press Printing Consultant which can help you finalize your project's details.

Prepress

I have created a brochure on my computer. Can Priority Press use my digital files or will Priority have to recreate them?

Most likely, Priority Press will be able to work with your digital file without having to recreate the file from scratch. We have a wide variety of software we support and have both Windows® and Macintosh® workstations. Our graphic designers are also technical experts and well versed in most software and hardware issues.

On the rare occasion that Priority does need to recreate a file, it is either due to the printing limitations of the software it was created in, or due to the lack of technical details in the file. There are several steps to making files ready for the press.

A document may look correct on your monitor and print out on your desktop printer, however this does not mean that the file is ready to run on a commercial press. Images need to be saved in the correct formats, with high enough resolutions and accurate colors. Your project may require trapping. If the job is being folded, the panels may need to be adjusted. We have included a section of this web site dedicated to discussing all the various elements required to create a file ready for the press. If you are creating your own files, we highly suggest you look at our Customer Resources [link] section of this website for assistance, or contact one of our Printing Consultants.

What file format should I use when submitting my electronic document for printing?

PDF (Portable Document Format) is the most common and preferred file format for submitting digital documents. PDF is an Adobe file format. With the installation of a PDF print driver on your computer, virtually any program can generate a PDF file suitable for printing. Commercial grade and free PDF print drivers are available online for download from various sources.

What can I do before taking a file to the Priority Press to minimize problems and delay?

The best way to minimize delay in providing your project is to provide all the required information to Priority, as delays are most commonly a result of missing information.

When you send Priority your file, please include in your submission all the graphic files you are using in your project and all fonts you are using (printer and screen). Don't forget the fonts that were used in creating the graphic files, too.

If you can’t locate those files, don’t worry. Priority Press can assist you in whatever need you may have as an additional value-added service.

At what resolution should I save my photos and graphics?

Resolution should be set to 350 dpi.

Pictures and graphics pulled from the internet are often low resolution, typically 72 dpi or 96 dpi. Avoid these graphics, as they will appear pixilated and blocky when printed.

Also note that you should save all photos in CMYK mode, not RGB mode when possible. Images saved in RGB mode may not print properly. If you are unable to save your image in CYMK mode, please let us know.

How do I send Priority Press my digital files?

Priority Press accepts files by e-mail, FTP, CD or DVD. Please send a printout or .pdf file of the final version of your project you would like printed. Please be sure to clearly mark your company name, the name of the file you would like printed, and accurate contact information.

If you are sending multiple digital files electronically, please compress them using WinZip™ for Windows® files or StuffIt™ for Mac® files.

E-Mail: You can send small files to Priority Press via e-mail by attaching your files to the message you send to us. Please e-mail all digital files to: prepress@prioritygroupinc.com.

If you are reordering a job and do not need to send new digital files, please e-mail your request to your Priority Press Printing Consultant.

FTP: FTP (file transfer protocol) is more reliable and much faster than sending e-mail attachments and will allow much larger files to be transferred. You can access the Priority Press FTP site by clicking here [link].

Disk or CD: You can give your Printing Consultant your files personally or we can arrange to have our driver pick up the files.

I sent Priority Press my completed digital file. Then I was told I needed to send the missing fonts and images of my document. Why are they missing?

Page layout programs such as QuarkXpress®, InDesign™, and Publisher® save the page layout information. They save where the images go and the text information. They do not save the actual image in the file unless you specify to embed the images. Please do not embed images. Priority Press needs the images to check the quality, color and resolution.

Fonts are located on your computer. The page layout program accesses these fonts from your hard drive, then displays what they look like in the document. It does not save the actual font into the page layout file. If you send us your page layout file and forget to send the fonts, the type will default to another font that is on our system. Always send all fonts and all images used in your final documents as well as a printed copy of what the file looks like so we can double-check for accuracy.

For more technical details about creating print-ready files, please refer to our Technical Tips page located in the Customer Resources section or click here [link] for direct access.

I sent Priority Press my completed project on disk. Then I was told there were problems with my files. They printed fine on my printer. What’s wrong?

There are several steps to creating files ready for offset printing as opposed to a desktop printer. If a document is missing information or not created accurately, it can cause problems and delays in printing. A document may look correct on your monitor, and may print out correctly on your desktop printer, but that file may not perform properly when printing color separations to produce plates for a press.

Priority Press has included a section of this website that explains the most common issues you need to be aware of when creating files ready for press. If you are creating your own files, please look at our Technical Tips page located in the Customer Resources section or click here [link] for direct access. If you have questions about your specific project, please contact your Priority Press Printing Consultant for additional help.

What is a "proof"?

A proof is a way of ensuring that Priority Press has set-up your file accurately and that everything is positioned according to your requirements. Typically, Priority will produce a proof which will be sent to you online or printed on paper which can be viewed at our plant or delivered to you for your review.

On multiple color jobs, we can produce a color proof on our high quality color printer to show how the different colors will appear.

When do I see a proof?

The normal turnaround time for proofs is 1-2 working days. Depending on the complexity of your project, you may see several proofs before we print the final version.

TYPES OF PROOFS

E-Mail: A .pdf file of your project sent to you via e-mail. This file is shown in color on your monitor. This is when all changes are made to the file. Please keep in mind that your monitor may not show accurate color.

Matchprint Color Contract Proof: This is a full color digital printout of your project, primarily used when your project is complex or has a wide range of colors. This proof is given when the .pdf proof has been approved but before your project goes to plate. Our Epson® 9800 is color calibrated with our Kodak Matchprint system to produce accurate color printouts. Keep in mind, if you are using a Pantone® color, the accuracy may be slightly off depending on the hue.

Why do the printed colors look different from the colors on my screen?

In short, printers and monitors produce colors in different ways.

Monitors use the RGB (red, green, blue) color model, which usually supports a wider spectrum of colors. Printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color model, which can reproduce most—but not all—of the colors in the RGB color model. Depending on the equipment used, CMYK generally matches 85–90% of the colors in the RGB model.

When a color is selected from the RGB model that is out of the range of the CMYK model, the application chooses what it thinks is the closest color that will match. Programs like Adobe Photoshop will allow you to choose which color will be replaced. Others may not.

Is white considered a printing color?

White is not typically considered a printing color because white is the default color of paper. As a result, white is typically recognized as the absence of any ink. However, when using colored paper, white ink may be used if any text or graphic requires it.

What is the Pantone Matching System?

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a color reproduction standard in which colors all across the spectrum are each identified by a unique, independent number. The use of PMS allows Priority Press to precisely match colors and maintain color consistency throughout the printing process.

However, please be aware that color will appear differently depending upon the paper it is printed on. For instance, PMS 185 looks very different on a coated paper versus an uncoated paper. So that you receive the color look you desire, please speak with your Priority Press Printing Consultant to help ensure all the correct variables are addressed for your printed project.

If you are not currently a Priority Press customer, please submit inquiries or contact us by clicking here, or by telephone at 888.955.PRINT.