Crossovers

Watch out for text and artwork elements that ‘cross over’ from one page to another in bound materials. Be mindful that not all of the finished pieces will line up exactly from page to page due to the mechanical nature of bindery equipment. It's important to design around these issues to ensure your project's success.

Crossovers in Perfect Binding

As a rule we generally advise against doing crossovers in perfect bound books as they do not lay flat. The binding creates a gap that makes it difficult to create a seamless crossover for images and text.
However, if you choose to do a crossover in a perfect bound format, these design tips can help make for a more successful finished piece:

1. For critical crossover inside front or inside back cover, push out the image 6mm away from the spine. For inside pages create an overlap for the image of at least 3/16" for larger books (100 pages or more). You can do this by shifting your image 3/16” to the outside of the page and overlapping the image in the center. Make sure this alteration is done on the live art area, not as a replacement of the bleed.

2. If an image crossover is needed, another option is to blend the image to a subtle pattern or solid color on the inside edge, so that any difference in overlap will be less noticeable.

3. Stay away from crossing over diagonal lines, letters, or geometric patterns. These images will be much more noticeable if they do not crossover properly.

4. Avoid centering an image or text over the spine gap. This is one of the biggest issues for crossover, as it is nearly impossible to get this right in a perfect bound book.

5. Make sure all text is within a safe margin of at least 1/8"-2/8" from your gutter. Copy outside those parameters runs the risk of being cut off in the binding.

6. Make a mockup and use binder clips as a perfect bound simulation. This can give you an idea of how a crossover will work with your current design, so you can make any necessary adjustments.

PUR Perfect Bound Crossovers

Deciding To Use Black or Rich Black

What is the difference between black and rich black?

When printing with black color, there are two types of black you can use.

• Black – 100 K: Can be used for body copy and barcodes
• Rich Black – 40C 40M 40Y 100K : should be used when printing blocks of black

CMYK vs RGB

Many of the colors you may use in RGB mode are not achievable using standard four-color process printing. It is always best to create your document from the start in CMYK color mode to get a better idea of how your colors will print. Some notable exceptions are tradeshow signs or large format prints, but the best way to know for sure is to check with us first.

Image Resolution

To ensure print quality, please make sure image resolutions are between 250 to 300 ppi (pixels per inch).

Large Format pieces can be a lower dpi/ppi as their viewable distance increases. For instance at ten feet as an optimal viewable distance, a 100 dpi image will appear similar to a higher dpi image.

Print Layout

How To Plan Your Print Layout

Trim Line: This is the finished size of the piece.

Live Area: Keep any important information within this area. The live area is smaller than the trim size to take into consideration the binding if the content is placed on the left or right of a spread so that you don’t lose any copy that is too close to the spine.

Bleed Area: The more bleed you can offer, the better. The minimum bleed for a printed piece is 0.125in (1/8in) but some specs require more than that (wide-format, for example, is 0.25 inches). Take special consideration to keep the bleed area in mind when working with an image in Photoshop that you are placing into InDesign for print preparation.

Crop Marks: Indicate to the bindery department where to cut the paper. Do not use bleed marks, as this sometimes confuses the cutter.

SDU scores BIG and WINS with a 10.6% direct response rate!

SunDance launches SunDance University with a bang! SDU is committed to bringing quality educational content on a variety of subjects. The goal of these classes is to provide clients with insights, ideas and inspiration to help drive their business to the next level. Topics will range from Marketing, Design, Printing (offset and digital), large format, fulfillment and integrating storefronts as an enterprise solution.

SunDance Visits Discovery Cove

SunDance acknowledges their single greatest asset to be their employees and rewarded them with a day off at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove. The day was filled with food, fun and more importantly the SunDance Family. Employees were treated to all the amenities Discovery Cove offers, including the dolphin experience. A day of relaxing and soaking up the sun was enjoyed by everyone.

“We are able to attract and retain employees because we recognize their value and continually work to create a 'family' culture. Furthermore, we attribute our success to their hard work, dedication and commitment to become Central Florida’s preferred provider for design, print, mail and large format needs.” JohnHenry Ruggieri, Managing Partner.

Continuous Improvement Employee Training Events

SunDance Hosts Continuous Improvement Employee Training Events

Sundance plotted a new course in 2015 to raise the bar and awareness of Continuous Improvement through Lean Manufacturing Techniques. One result of this course was the creation of the Continuous Improvement Team whose sole purpose is to receive feedback from employees, thoroughly vet all suggestions and feasibility while defining critical needs for implementation. All suggestions revolve around common themes of Lean Manufacturing – saving time and money. Employees receive recognition and awards for implemented suggestions at the company’s monthly meeting.

Additionally, SunDance hosted two training courses within the last month in partnership with FL Business & Manufacturing Solutions, Inc.(FLBMS) and Julie Song, FLBMS President. These courses focused on the production process and demonstrated how small changes can make a significant impact on the overall outcome. Employees gained a greater appreciation for “lean values” and also learned how to further identify continual improvement processes and how to apply them to their daily lives. SunDance’s clients enjoy perhaps the biggest benefit of lean manufacturing – TIME, these initiatives allow SunDance to be more efficient and turn both simple and complex jobs faster than the competition.

SunDance's Successful Expedition

SunDance was featured in the September 2016 issue of Sign Builder Illustrated. The article by Gregroy Sharpless showcased the world of SunDance’s Large Format division, along with some of the higher profile jobs, as well as gave a comprehensive overview of the company’s journey to becoming Orlando’s premiere Large Format print shop.

SunDance University - October 13th, 2016

SunDance University Courses

SunDance, continuing the tradition of education seminars intended to empower designers, buyers and marketers, has announced the latest installment. SunDance University will be held Thursday October 13th, 2016, 11am-3pm. This two class mini-course will focus on ways to expand your expertise and brand through new ideas and strategies. Join instructor Daniel Dejan from Sappi North America as he covers “Haptic Brain/Haptic Brand” demonstrating how to apply the fundamentals of neuroscience to marketing strategy, and “Special Effects & Finishing” a study of the tactile and interactive design covering the latest in print effects and finishing. SDU Students can stay for both classes with a complimentary lunch in between.

Spots are limited, so signup today at SunDanceSDU.com. Signup before Sept. 30th for your chance to win an Apple Watch!