Large-Publication Guidelines

This guide is meant to assist and support clients—and anyone working under their direction and supervision—throughout the publication process.

The Publications department works with a variety of graphic designers, including CCA faculty members and students enrolled in the Sputnik design studio program, a free, educational design service of the college whose projects are undertaken at the discretion of the director of publications.

Direction and control of publication design are maintained by project managers throughout the entire production process.

The Publications department also provides editing and proofreading support, a requirement for all print materials that represent the college.

To ensure a consistent image and accuracy of information, all printed material must be coordinated with Publications project managers, either directly or in collaboration with an academic program or administrative department.

Please review our policies and procedures to better understand the wide gamut of responsibilities the Publications team assumes in its ongoing commitment to market the college's programs.

Our department is responsible for overseeing the use of CCA’s identity and maintaining the design standards of the college’s publications, as well as approving any printing costs and/or design fees.

Objectives

As you conceptualize a project for publication, you should have a clear understanding of certain vital aspects that will affect key production decisions (see below).

Projects are best planned one semester prior to project's release date. (For example, if your publication is intended to promote an event in April, start planning in October or November. Obviously more involved projects require earlier planning.)

As with most projects, it's best to submit your project to the Publications department as early in the semester as possible (consider planning ahead a semester, too). Doing so will ensure the project gets on the production schedule and stays on time.

At the initial planning meeting, please be prepared to discuss:

• How many publication projects will your program propose this semester/year?
• What type(s) of publication(s) do you require (e.g., exhibition catalogs, books, postcards)?
• Will the publication(s) address student work, interviews, or sponsored studios?
• What format is most fitting for your publication(s)? What type of binding?
• Are there any design concerns or restrictions (i.e., should the colors or logos match prior pieces?)
• Who is your audience and what is the mood or message you wish to convey?
• Does the publication have a title?
• Who is responsible for generating text, gathering images, and managing details and deadlines?
• Are additional approvals required (aside from the client’s) for any materials used, or can you approve final content? (Examples of content that requires approval: credit lines, bios, interview content, as well as donor lists, department heads, or associated firms.)
• What is the desire print run? If a larger publication, do you seek distribution? Will any copies be reserved for donors or affiliates? (We typically seek bids that cover a range in print runs to ensure the most product for the cost.)
• What is your budget? Remember to also factor taxes, postage, and mail-house processing fees.
• Will CCA mail the publication(s)? If yes, will it be mailed through the CCA mail room or via our preferred mail house? Do you have a mailing list? (If you're uncertain or need to request one, contact the Advancement Office at 510.594.3784.

Production Schedule

After your initial meeting with the director of publications, the project manager will estimate a budget and assign a production schedule for the publication. A sample schedule appears below (actual deadlines will be customized, and possibly expanded, for your particular project).

The deadline for clients to deliver all copy (final, approved text and images along with copyright permissions) is mutually agreed upon in the Publication Letter of Agreement, signed by the client and the director of publications.

The date on the letter is always at the beginning of the semester. Mailing lists and quantities will need to be confirmed. You can request an Excel mailing list from the Advancement Office (allow at least three to four weeks lead time). Contact Barbara Jones for how to request a list.

Weeks 1–2 Set a date for an initial meeting with the designers.

Week 3 Designer or design team presents idea in class to classmates only.

Week 4 The design team presents to you, preferably in person, a preliminary mockup.

Weeks 5–6 Design revisions, usually communicated via PDF.

Week 7 Final design direction is approved and implemented.

Week 8 Proofing process begins:

• Round 1: Client reviews and makes final corrections.
• Round 2: Editor reviews and makes corrections.
• Round 3: Project manager reviews, and design team makes changes. The client does not contact the designers directly. All communication must go through the project manager.

Weeks 9–10 Corrections are made in layout, and the editor does a final proofing.

Week 11 Files are prepared by designers and checked by the project manager.

Weeks 12–14 Final proofing and printing.

Weeks 15–16 Project sent to the printer. Delivery date is given (if the project is printed abroad, delivery time is longer).

Weeks 17–18 Client distributes the piece either directly or through a mail house. The mail house generally takes about a week to process the publication for mailing, and then mail delivery usually takes one to two additional weeks.

Submission Requirements

The clients should supply the project manager with the information and materials listed below for all projects publication proposals. If the client fails to meet deadlines or if does not provide text or images that reflect the stated specifications below, possible consequences are delays, increased costs, or even cancellation of the publication.

• Basic project summary and budget: In order to monitor and control production quality and efficiency, project managers will determine how best to use money provided for publications. Project managers do not, however, monitor where the money for publication projects comes from. That is the role of the Advancement Office or the client and academic program involved.
• All text for publication: Text for colophon (see the sample colophon included in this guide), title page, table of contents, acknowledgments, student name list, author bios, introduction, other frontmatter, complete text (including project descriptions and essays by outside contributors), notes, and references should be delivered as Microsoft Word documents using a common and consistent font throughout. Preface by the program chair or other selected representative may be submitted once the project and design have been reviewed. Do not embed images in Word files.

Word files should be named according to the following convention:

Chapter or article: chapter 1
Description of piece: Jim Jenning essay
Date: 08/08/2008
Project name: 5x2
File extension: document file type (i.e., .doc, .txt, .rtf, .pdf)
File name: chap1_jennings_080808_5x2.doc

All text transcribed from live conversation (interviews, for instance), text written about particular people (bios), artist project descriptions, and the like, must be approved by the interviewee, the subject of the bio or description, and/or the person(s) responsible for the project before final text is submitted to the project manager.

All text supplied to project managers should be final and ready for copyediting. Once the manuscript has been turned in for editing, we cannot accept revised chapters, sections of chapters, or any other substantial modifications.

See digital image guidelines for image size, format, and required file-naming conventions.

Copyright Permissions

Images and art must be provided to project managers along with appropriate approval for use from all holders of copyrights by the date in the Publication Letter of Agreement (remember, this is a mutually agreed upon date that is always due at the beginning of a semester.)

It is the responsibility of the client to determine the necessity for and obtain any and all permissions required for copyrighted text or art to be included in the publication. The client assumes all responsibility for ensuring that the publication does not infringe on any copyrights. This guide includes a sample permission letter and art log to help you request and track permissions. If you have not received digital files of the sample permission letter and art log, please contact the project manager to have them emailed to you.

Editing & Proofreading

The Publications editor / content manager provides editorial support for all print projects the Communications Office manages. All submitted text must be copyedited before it is sent to a designer for layout.

Copyediting ranges from light to heavy, depending on the manuscript.

• Light editing involves correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, number treatment, word usage, and other such concerns.
• Moderate editing entails revising text to avoid repetition, improve transitions, and enhance overall readability, tone, and logic.
• Heavy editing involves all of the above plus more substantive changes, such as reshaping the manuscript through judicious cuts and reorganization for readability. The editor may request additional information and/or rewriting by the author.

The editor will make every effort to assure that each final text is entirely accurate, but it is the responsibility of the submitting party to thoroughly fact check the document, including all dates, name spellings, titles of exhibitions, books, films, performances, etc.

The editor will contact the author directly with editorial queries or if the text requires substantial editing. Text often goes back and forth several times between the editor and the author before it is sent to the designer. The editor must sign off on the final version of every text before it is submitted for design.

Recommended Style Guides

In addition to the CCA style guide, editorial decisions are based on the latest editions of the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

Mailing

If you plan to mail a printed piece, remember to account for postal fees in your budget. The CCA mailroom meters the daily mail for the entire college, so large mailings create an unreasonable strain on its limited resources.

All postage and processing fees for large mailings are charged to the corresponding department. Publications can arrange for your mailing, but all costs are a part of the project's budget. The assistant director of publications can assist you with these arrangements.

For additional information regarding the postage fee billing, you may email Purchasing Manager Jackie Craddock or call x3612.

If the mailing exceeds 500 pieces, the CCA mailroom is not an option. Publications recommends using Business Services Network, located in Hayward. Be sure to add 5–7 business days into your schedule for the mail house to sort and process the mailing.

Nonprofit bulk mail is the least expensive method. Cost per standard envelope is $0.21–$0.33, as opposed to $0.42 for USPS first-class postage. To save costs, larger mailings should be sent this way whenever possible.

Bulk-rate delivery time averages only 3–5 days longer, during nonpeak times of year, than first class. You should plan to have your project at the mail house 4–7 weeks prior to your event: Figure on 5–7 days to process, 10–12 days in postal transit, then the arrival of the piece in people's mailboxes 2–3 weeks in advance of your event.

During peak business times, such as the winter holidays, nonprofit bulk-rate mailings can take up to 24 business days.

Requirements:

• printed CCA indicia (permit #271) on each piece
• minimum 250-piece mailing

First-class bulk mail is an option for time-sensitive mailings (CCA's Business Office must preapprove all first-class mailings).

Requirements:

• printed CCA indicia (permit #271) on each piece
• minimum 500-piece mailing

Art Submission Guidelines

Art files must be submitted to the project manager on CD or DVD. Art should be submitted as individual files (not in Adobe Illustrator layers). All text and art must be reviewed by the authors and/or client prior to submission for design. Scanned book images or low-resolution images copied directly from the Internet will not be accepted because of their poor reproduction quality.

Each image must have an accompanying complete caption (along with a signed permission request from an authorized source for all material secured by copywrite protection. (See Sample Permission Request).

Note: it is the client's responsibility to ensure all artwork used in the publication honors the copyright, a time-consuming yet essential part of the publication process.

• Continuous tone images: any image with color or any gradation of black that will print in color or duotone should be submitted as 300 dpi, at 110 percent of book height or width (whichever is greater), in TIF or CMYK format (not RGB or grayscale).
• Continuous tone images that will print in one color only should be submitted as 300 dpi, at 110 percent of book height or width (whichever is greater), in TIF format or grayscale.
• Line art with no gradation of black should be submitted as 1200 dpi at 110 percent of book height or width (whichever is greater), in EPS (preferred) or TIF format.
• Picture Viewer files are not acceptable; use TIF instead.

When you submit your images you should include a completed copy of the art log (see example) and thumbnails of all art. (In Adobe Photoshop go to File/ Automate/Contact sheet. Be sure to check “Use File Name as Caption” box.)

How to Name Files

What's in a name? Everything. And for the Publications team, how a file is named can afford as much information as the image itself.

Always use the Publications file-naming convention to communicate your priorities to the design team. Well organized art files greatly facilitates the design process:

• Prioritize each image file by assigning it a value of 1, 2, or 3 (1 being most vital to be include; 3 meaning okay to omit if necessary).
• Indicate the size preference of each image file using A, B, or C (A indicates image should be printed large; C instructs to print small).
• Provide a one-word summary of the image file’s subject.

Here's an example of a complete image file name:

5x2_03_ellis_house_2C.tif

In the above example, the image is part of a project named "5x2"; it is the third image associated with that project; source is "Ellis" (you); the subject is a house; it's a medium-level priority image that can be printed small; and it is a TIF file.

Please contact the Publications department if you have questions regarding submitting files for your project.

Sample Documents

Art Log
Colophon
Permission Request

Guidelines

Mailing
Hiring Freelancers

Contact

Erin Lampe
Director of Publications
elampe@cca.edu

Meghan Ryan
Assistant Director of Publications
megryan@cca.edu