FAQs - General
Browse our FAQ section below for answers to a variety of questions
often posed when placing print jobs with Bishops.
General FAQs:
Can we talk to you for help and advice?
Our sales and technical staff will be only too happy to offer you the
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benefit of their knowledge and experience.
Please call us on 023 9233 4900.
Do you use an M.I.S. to manage your workflow?
Yes we use Optichrome's Optimus 2020 QS package - a Unix based
system with applications for estimating, job tracking, production
schedules and stock control. The system enables us to process and
track jobs with maximum speed and minimal hassle.
Can you obtain paper samples for me?
Yes, just tell us what you need. if you're not sure then we can provide
you with paper swatches for comparisons.
What about job samples?
We always keep samples in our current portfolio and would be happy
to show them to you. Chances are we have something close to what
you need.
What are your working hours?
We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except national holidays).
Can you cater for the individual as well as corporate clients?
We are just as happy to deal with someone who needs 500 single
colour business cards as well as the design agencies that need a
million full-colour brochures.
Do you use the Pantone colour matching system?
Yes indeed. We can print any colour from the Pantone swatch and
will mix colours to match any particular requirements that you have.
Can you print Pantone Hexachrome?
Unfortunately we do not support Hexachrome colour printing at
this stage.
Do you have ISDN facilities?
We no longer have an ISDN line but it's easy to upload your
artwork to our FTP site.
Reprographics FAQs:
What disc formats do you support?
We support CD, 3.5" Floppy, 100/250mb Zip, DVD-ROM/
DVD-RAM, Email & via our FTP site.
Can you accept both Mac and PC discs?
We can design and output from both platforms, though the
Mac takes the bulk of our work.
What do I need to give you when I supply a job?
You need to supply all font files that you've used, whether
Truetype or postscript. If postscript, remember to include
both the printer and the screen fonts. You must also
supply all images and graphics contained within the
documents itself, such as EPS, TIFF, JPG and DCS files
for example, that you've scanned into Photoshop or
created in Illustrator. We will also need up to date lasers
to check the job to once it has been output to plate.
Can you supply us with an imposition?
Yes, just let us know the number of pages and page size
and we'll work out the rest.
Can you use negative film as well as a positive?
Yes we can, but this process would need to be outsourced
by us. We do prefer that you supply your job to us in a
digital format as we can process the job more
efficiently through our digital Apogee workflow.
Do you use computer-to-plate (CTP) technology?
Yes. We have two Screen CTP B2 plate-setters.
Can you do high-end scans in house?
Yes, we have an A4 Epson 4490 Photo flatbed scanner.
Can you supply folder templates to us?
Yes, please see our Downloads page for more details.
Can you produce Cromalins or matchprints?
No, but we can produce high quality Sherpa 24m
proofs that are as good as a cromalin. As an
alternative we can provide you with 'wet proofs' hot
of the press.
Can I use files that I've copied from web pages
for my artwork for print?
Web graphics tend to be created at low resolution so
are largely unsuitable for print work. By all means use
them as positional guides, but you may need to
recreate the image to achieve a high quality result
when printed.
If I'm supplying my own scans or images, what
is the ideal resolution?
When submitting Photoshop files we require that the
correct format be chosen for final output.
Bitmap tiff: 1200dpi @100%
Greyscale tiff or eps 300dpi @100%
Duotone eps 300dpi @100%
CMYK tiff, eps or dcs 300dpi @100%
All other formats may be supplied, but where necessary
a charge may issued for conversions to correct formats.
Also, RGB files may look great on screen but do not
expect the same result when printing to CMYK as the
colour conversion isn't always successful.
What Mac and PC applications do you support?
This is a list of our most commonly used applications:
| Mac Format | |
| Application |
Version |
| Adobe Acrobat | Pro 9 |
| Adobe Illustrator | CS4 |
| Adobe InDesign | CS4 |
| Adobe Pagemaker | 7 |
| Adobe Photoshop | CS4 |
| Macromedia Freehand | MX |
| Microsoft Word | 2008 |
| Microsoft Excel | 2008 |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 2008 |
| Quark Xpress | 8 |
| Quark Xpress Passport | 7.31 |
| CorelDraw | 12 |
| PC Format | |
| Application | Version |
| Adobe Acrobat | 4 to 6 |
| Adobe Illustrator | CS |
| Adobe InDesign | CS |
| Adobe Pagemaker | 7 |
| Adobe Photoshop | CS |
| Microsoft Word | 2003 |
| Microsoft Excel | 2003 |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 2003 |
| Quark Xpress | 6 |
| Quark Xpress Passport | 4.1 |
| CorelDraw | 12 |
What is trapping?
Trapping can be applied to an object that is knocked out
of a background colour. It puts a slight bleed on the object
allowing it to be printed without a white halo showing
between the object and the background. Different
applications have different ways of applying and displaying
trap settings. There is usually a default setting, which is
adequate for most jobs; however, some complex or unusual
designs may need their trap settings edited in order to
achieve the required result.
How do I apply trapping to my text in Quark Xpress?
You simply highlight the text you want trapped, go to the
'View' menu and select 'Show trap information' from the list.
You can them apply whatever trapping value you need using
the 'Text' field at the bottom of the trapping palette.
Notice the default is .144pts. We actually use 0.05 as a
default. You can change the default trap by editing the
document preferences. If you edit the trapping preferences
without having a document open the default becomes global
and will apply to all new documents that you create.
If I supply you with a PDF, can you print from it?
We can print from your PDF's - this is our preferred method
of supplying files.. If you've applied any trapping to your
files before you create your PDF, please check that you've
set the traps correctly because Acrobat versions 5 and 6 can
display traps inconsistently.
Can I supply a job to you in Microsoft Word, Excel,
Powerpoint or Publisher?
If you are submitting files for these applications be aware
that internally they work on the RGB colour principal and do
not separate to either spot colour or CMYK without user
intervention. It is advised that you submit your file with
adequate time in your schedule for us to edit the files
sufficiently for output. It is also advised that if colour clarity
is of the utmost importance that wet proofs will be required.
For further information please give us a call and we will
happily discuss any reservations.
Are there issues with Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia
Freehand to watch out for?
We accept any Illustrator or Freehand file up to version MX or
CS. Make sure you design your file with the correct content for
file output, i.e. number of colours (CMYK, Spot etc.) and also
ensure any linked files are embedded or supplied externally.
Since the issue of Illustrator 9 we have only encountered one
problem with output: - If you require using Illustrators'
transparency effects be aware that the final job may only be
reproduced as a CMYK job. For instance, we cannot correctly
split multi spot Illustrator files to their individual component
colours.
What problems do you have with Adobe Indesign?
We have noticed some discrepancies in colour output from
Indesign when creating tint sets from custom colours. If this is
necessary create the tint colour as a new custom colour. Also
RGB designated colours may look great on screen but do not
expect the same result when printing to CMYK as the colour
conversion isn't always successful.
What can I do to minimize font problems?
Always ensure that you supply us with all the necessary fonts
used within your job. This includes fonts that you've used within
placed or embedded graphics, such as Illustrator or Freehand
eps's. Also, try to avoid using any menu stylizing within your
application. For example, when you stylize a font by
'emboldening' it from the Quark toolbar, Quark displays the text
as bold whether the font exists or not and when it prints it will
appear only as the unstylized base font. Always select the font
through the menu - that way you can only use the fonts that
you actually have as opposed to 'virtual' ones.
Pressroom FAQs:
What is the maximum sheet size that you can print?
B2 (720x520mm).
What is the minimum sheet size that you can print?
A5, although this is not the smallest job we can print, paper can
be trimmed to 10mm x 10mm should it be required.
Can you print on envelopes?
Yes, up to C3 size.
Can you print labels?
Yes, practically any size, but not reels. We can, however source
a supplier for continuous labels and handle the job for you.
Can you produce continuous stationery?
Yes we can, however, we do outsource it to a specialist printer.
Do you use digital presses?
Not at the moment, but we're keeping an eye on them for up to
date information.
Finishing & Despatch FAQs:
Can you do foil blocking?
Not in-house - we use specialists for this purpose.
Can you do forme cutting?
Yes. We have a Heidelberg Cylinder and BOBST SP76-E
especially for this task. We can also prepare a cutter guide for
you if required.
What other finishing can you do in-house?
Drilling, padding, collating, folding, cutting, binding (not
wirobinding), stapling and gluing.
Will you deliver to multiple destinations?
We will deliver your job to wherever you need it - mailing
houses, your customer or straight to your door.
Can you deliver overseas?
Yes, we can arrange an overseas shipment for you.
