Part 1 of 3: Understanding Job Jackets
Page 3

Output Specifications

This information would typically be defined by the output provider's production manager or prepress operator. Output specifications include:

• Image Color Space. You can allow specific spaces by choosing from this menu; available options are 1-Bit, Grayscale, RGB, CMYK, LAB, and Indexed. Click the  button to the right of the menu to allow more than one type of image color space. Any space that is not specifically allowed (unless you choose "Any") will return an error when the layout is checked.
• Picture Format. You can allow specific picture file formats by choosing from this menu; available options are BMP, DCS 1, DCS 2, EPS, JPEG, PDF, PICT, Scitex CT, TIFF, WMF, and GIF. Click the + button to the right of the menu to allow more than one type of picture file format. Any format that is not specifically allowed (unless you choose "Any") will return an error when the layout is checked.
• Minimum Image Resolution. This field defines the minimum resolution of images that can be used in a layout. Any image with a lower resolution will return an error when the layout is evaluated.
• Maximum Image Resolution. This field defines the maximum resolution of images that can be used in a layout. Any image with a higher resolution will return an error when the layout is evaluated.
• Ink Density. This field defines the maximum ink coverage that can be used in layout elements, between 90% and 400%. Any element with higher total ink coverage will return an error when the layout is checked.
• Trapping Amount. This field defines the trapping value that should be applied, between 0 and 36 pt.
• Overprint Settings. You can use this menu to disallow overprinting (None), or to allow overprinting for Black Only.
• Output Method. This menu defines the type of output that will be created; the three available options are EPS, PDF, and Print.
• Output Style. This menu includes output styles that you have imported into the job jacket; it lists only those options matching the selected output method. For example, if Print is selected in the Output Method menu, only print output styles will be available in the Output Style menu.
• Halftone Frequency. This field defines the line screen that will be used when the job is output.
• PDF/X Compliance. If your output method is PDF, you can also specify PDF/X verification in this menu. You can choose either PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-3 verification.

Rules and Rule Sets

Rules are specific, user-defined guidelines for a design, such as "You can't apply faux italic text formatting" or "You can't use spot colors" or "You can't create a line weight smaller than 0.25 pt.".

Once rules are created in a job jacket, you can combine them into specific groupings as rule sets. A rule set can be any combination that makes sense to you, such as "Text Checks" or "Look for Missing Pictures."

When you evaluate a layout based on settings in the job jacket, the layout is checked against user-defined rule sets, as well as choices in the different resources described above.

Ticket Templates

In addition to the various resources described above, every job jacket also contains one or more job-ticket templates, which in turn contain information about the layouts in a QuarkXPress project. Job tickets (and ticket templates) can contain a number of different resources, including assets (style sheets, colors, etc.), output styles, and color setups. Job tickets (and ticket templates) also describe the layouts that exist (or will exist) in a QuarkXPress project file.

Layouts

A layout in a ticket template is just that — a QuarkXPress layout. The layout resource combines other job-jacket resources into a single unit, from which you can create a new project.

Note: If you create a new project based on a ticket template,
each layout resource in the ticket template will create a separate
layout in the resulting project file.

If you've added all the other resources to your project, you have everything you need to define a layout:

• Description. Use this text field to enter any description you want for the specific layout.
• Job Description. This menu lists any item defined in the job-jacket Job Description resources.
• Medium Type. A layout can be either a Print layout or a Web layout.
• Source Color Configuration. This menu lists any source setups that are included in the job-jacket resources.
• Proof Output. When the defined medium type is Print, this menu lists any output setups that are included in the job-jacket resources.
• Proof Rendering Intent. When the defined medium type is Print, this menu lists the four possible rendering intents (Perceptual, Relative Colorimetric, Saturation, and Absolute Colorimetric), and a fifth option to use the intents that are Defined By Sources.
• Layout Specifications. When the defined medium type is Print, this menu lists any layout specification that is defined in the job jacket.
• Rule Sets. This menu lists any rule sets that are defined in the job jacket. You can apply more than one rule set by clicking the + button to the right of the menu, or remove current rule sets by clicking the – button.
• Output Specifications. When the defined medium type is Print, this menu lists any output specification that is defined in the job jacket. You can use the + and – buttons to apply multiple output specifications.
• Instructions. You can type any text you like in this field.

Note: If you do not define a page size in the layout specification,
creating a new project from the ticket template opens the
New Project dialog box. This might arise in the early stages of a
design when you haven't yet decided on the trim size, but want
to take advantage of other resources in the job jacket.

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