
Requirements
Art intended for Money Mailer production should be created with Adobe InDesign CC. InDesign versions CS6, CS5.5, CS5, and CS4 are also accepted but not recommended.
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Resources
Templates Spec Sheets PDF Settings
Template Usage
Always use the official Money Mailer InDesign templates to ensure the best possible final printed product.
Booklet ads should always be designed with a horizontal orientation.
All of our booklet ad products have a required white margin around the outside of the ad image. To see the pink margin guidelines on the InDesign template select "Show Guides" under the View > Grids & Guides submenu.
Booklet Product Notes
- 2P: 2-sided inside page ad. There is a single line bottomstrip on front and back sides. The left side of the bottomstrip should have the franchise phone number and ad number / order number information. The right side of the bottomstrip is a locked layer with Money Mailer copyright information. Do not modify or turn off the locked layer.
- 3F: 2-sided front cover and inside front cover ad. The front cover artwork should be labeled with an "F" for front and the inside cover page should be labeled with a "B" for back. The front cover template does not have a bottomstrip and features a locked layer with the Money Mailer branding at the top. Do not modify or turn off the locked layer. The backside of the front cover should have a bottomstrip.
- 3B: 2-sided back cover and inside back cover ad. The back cover artwork should be labeled with a "B" for back and the inside back cover page should be labeled with an "F" for front. The back cover front template should have a bottomstrip. The back cover back template has a special bottomstrip. The left side features Money Mailer legal text on a locked layer. Do not modify or turn off the locked layer. The right side of the bottomstrip features a code that needs to be updated for production and mailing. The code is the franchise number + order number + zone name (i.e. 377-00-123-B17). Unique bookings and artwork need to be created featuring this code for each zone.
- In the future we hope to be able to add the copyright and back cover zone code automatically during production. For now they will need to be included on the PDFs you submit to Art Status. Be Careful! Altering or deleting these required elements could cause mailings to be delayed. If you have any questions about the requirements contact the Money Mailer Art Center.
Design Notes
- All artwork must be built using CMYK process color types (spot color types are not supported and should be converted to process).
- Type smaller than 6 points is not recommended due to legibility with online content.
- Do not use the registration color (rich black) under any circumstances. These colors may look black on your display, but contain additional colors and will not print as expected.
- All non-original artwork such as photographs, logos, etc. must be licensed with legal permission for use. This may be in the form of a photo CD or online subscription license agreement, or model/property/image release form (available on the InfoCenter.) Proof of legal permission may be required at any time.
File Naming
- PDF file names must be 64 characters or less in length.
- PDF file names must end with the ".pdf" extension (not case sensitive).
- PDF file names must contain a valid ad number immediately followed by a single character side indicator (i.e. Pizza Palace 013-00-1234B.pdf will match this PDF with the back of the Pizza Palace booking). The character indicates which side of the ad this PDF file will be used for (see list below). The indicator-character is not case sensitive.
- F = Frontside artwork
- B = Backside artwork
- If a PDF is uploaded without a side indicator it will fail.
- Be careful with file naming, as mistakes can cause files to be overwritten accidentally.
PDF Exporting
Only PDF files are accepted and the official MM Standard PDF Export Setting must be used to create your final PDFs for this workflow. Instructions for installing the preset are included in the download file.
PDF files may not be edited. If a change is needed, edit the native file, and then export a new PDF file.
PDF files may not be greater than 10 MB in size. Exceeding this limit is usually the result of poorly built or corrupt artwork, and may give unexpected results. Overly large PDFs can often be simplified by rasterizing complex vector components of the art.
Uploading and Verifying Final Art
Registered Money Mailer Independent Artists should upload final approved PDF files to Money Mailer production by uploading to the Art Status page of Money Mailer Online. If you are not a registered independent artist, please send your final files to the sales representative working on your account. Always carefully proof any PDF being delivered to Money Mailer production. This PDF is the sole source of reference used by Money Mailer production. Files are reviewed for technical compatibility with Money Mailer automated systems but not for content or accuracy.
PDF files must be uploaded into the correct order and named with an ad number that matches the booking or they will fail.
After uploading, it is necessary to verify all files have passed our automated PDF checking process.
All uploaded PDF files should also be visually proofed via Art Status once uploaded to verify art will print as expected. Also confirm the artwork is associated with the correct booking. Very important for versioned ads!
- On the Art Status page of MMO enter the order number in the search field and press the "Search" button.
- Click the order number line that appears below to expand the order and see a list of all the ads in that order.
- Click the "Upload Art Files" button in the upper right corner of the order section.
- A dialog box will appear that will allow you to upload your files either by dragging and dropping or clicking to select files from your computer.
- After the files have uploaded and processed, enable the "Show Ads with Passed/Approved Status" and "Show Thumbnails" checkboxes at the top of the page.
- Click on thumbnails to proof a full size image of each uploaded PDF.
- PDF files that pass our automated checking will show a green status of "PASSED" or "PROOF" in the "Art" column.
- PDF files that fail will show a red "FAILED" status in the "Art" column.
- Any failed files will show an error code number in the "Codes" column. Click the "Codes" column header for a list of descriptions of each error code.
- You will need to fix the issue, generate a new PDF and reupload until you get a green "PASSED" or "PROOF" status. Money Mailer will not accept or fix uploaded files that do not pass our automated processing.