DIGITAL AD SPECIFICATIONS

The Seattle Times Company accepts PDF files to the specs below. If you need help please contact The Seattle Times' Digital Ad Reception (DAR) department at 206/464-2340.

Black and White Ads

Technical Specs
Screens must be output at 100-line screen with a minimum image resolution of 200 dpi with standard screen angles.

Halftones
Resolution of 200 dpi or higher.
Highlight Dot — 5%
Midtone Dot — 35%
Shadow Dot — 85%

Note: Dot gain compensation should be set to 30%. Black screens less than 20% or greater than 80% are not recommended.

Four-Color Ads

Technical Specs
All spot colors must be converted to CMYK. Use a 100-line screen ruling with a minimum image resolution of 300 dpi and standard screen angles.

Color Dot Aimpoints
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
Highlight 5 2 2 0
Midtone 36 28 28 10
Shadow 60 50 50 80

Note: Dot gain compensation should be set to 30%. It is not recommended to exceed 220% for total ink coverage. Trapping is recommended at .25 pt to .30 pt.

Font Size Recommendations
Fonts should be 7 pt or higher. Reverse type must be 10 pt SanSerif or higher. Type should be no smaller than 7 pt.

QUICK REFERENCE FOR ACROBAT DISTILLER SETTINGS

After opening the "Jobs Option" window and setting it to Press Optimized, follow these tab settings:

General

  • Set "Compatibility" resolution to 1200 dpi
  • Set "Line Screen" to 100 for newsprint and Pacific Northwest magazine

Compression

For color or grayscale bitmap images:

  • Set "Bicubic Downsampling" field to 250 dpi
  • Set "Compression" field to zip
  • Set "Quality" field to medium

For monochrome bitmap images:

  • Set "Bicubic Downsampling" screen to 1200 dpi
  • Set "Compression" field to CCITT Group 4
  • Check the "Compress Text and Line Art" box

Fonts

  • Check the "Embed All Fonts" box
  • Leave all other fields unchecked

Note: When creating your PDF, do not use multi-master fonts, type 3 or bitmap fonts. They conflict with our production system.

Advanced

  • Check the "Process DCS" box
  • Leave all other fields unchecked

Color

  • Check the "Leave Color Unchanged" box
  • Check the "Resize page and center artwork for EPS Files" box
  • Leave all other fields unchecked
  • For ad size requirements, deadlines and mechanical information, please see ad specifications in our rate books.

Note: True Type fonts will be converted to Type 1.

For technical support or questions about sending your ad digitally to The Seattle Times Company, contact the Digital Ad Reception department at 206/464-2340.

Digital Ad Submission Home