The portfolio page provides a brief look into some of the strategic customer programs that we manage on an ongoing basis for DPD customers.

Portfolio...

DPD offers complimentary seminars designed to enhance the skills and expertise of our audiences. Seminar topics include: Preparing Files for Successful Printing, Practical PhotoShop Techniques, Practical QuarkXPress Techniques, The Future of Print, Business-to-Business Marketing, Direct Mail Marketing and Mailing Made Easy.

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DPD's bimonthly newsletter is designed to share ideas with customers on growing their business, improving performance, and presenting up-to-date information on topics such as postal issues, graphic design, human resources and marketing.

Recent issues:

• November 2008
  
• January 2009
  
• March 2009
  
• May 2009
  
• July 2009
  
• September 2009
  
• December 2009
  
• February 2010
  
• April 2010
  
• June 2010
  
• August 2010
  

Adobe
Check out all the graphics related products, resources and support offered from the second largest PC software company in the United States.

Gilbert Consulting
This Twin Cities based consulting firm provides expert training and support services to help graphic designers and communicators convey print and web messages effectively

GreenBiz.com
Use GreenBiz.com to learn how your company can save money by going green, or read about how other companies are embracing green strategies. Find out about upcoming green business events using the Calendar, or visit the Tools section for links to an assortment of tools, calculators, and guides to assist you in greening your business. Regardless of your industry or job function, you're sure to find something useful.

The New York Times DealBook
For up-to-date information on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, IPOs, investment banking, and the legal and regulatory issues that permeate every facet of business, check out DealBook from The New York Times.

Print Buyers Online
Print Buyers Online is an e-community for print buyers and individuals that influence the purchase of printing services. PBO helps print buyers save time and money on print projects by providing free, quality education, solutions and resources. In addition to providing valuable information, PBO also is a center to understand the needs and challenges of the print buying community.

Direct Marketing Association
The Direct Marketing Association is the oldest and largest trade association for users and suppliers in the direct, database and interactive marketing fields.

American Marketing Association
Designed to help marketers with information, insights and resources to use everyday for assistance with business challenges and professional development.

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
Membership organization promoting and developing the graphic design profession. AIGA provides a place for design professionals to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research, and advance education and ethical practice.

Bitstream
A major player in typeface technology. This site offers downloads of fonts and font management software.

There are several simple guidelines you can follow when creating and preparing electronic files for professional printing that can help eliminate common production delays and associated costs. The following information addresses some of the most frequently misunderstood file requirements and helps to avoid unexpected setbacks when submitting project files to your service provider.

Images & Fonts
• Images should be 300 dpi (dots per inch) at the final size in the layout.

• Text should be 400 dpi at the final size in the layout.

• Use TIFF or EPS file formats to achieve the best color quality and sharpness of image. Other file formats tend to remove some of the original images. Images originally taken with a digital camera usually appear in JPEG format and should be converted to a TIFF or EPS format. If your image is a photograph, we recommend an EPS file format.

• Try to avoid using images from the Internet or websites. These images usually appear in GIF, JPEG or PNG file formats, all of which remove color and resolution to achieve a low dpi to allow for rapid online transfer. Such images would appear fuzzy or dull if used for print.

• Make sure all photos are set in the proper mode (CMYK).

• Make sure your files are linked, not embedded, and that you send all layout, image and font files (both screen and printer fonts).

File Compression
When uploading electronic files to DPD via the "Drop Box" at www.dpd-info.com, or e-mailing files larger than 5 MB, be sure to compress the files prior to transfer. To do this, simply place all the files for your job into one folder. Then compress the folder as a .Zip file using WinZip or PK Zip if it is a Windows platform file, or use Stuffit for Macintosh files. If your files are extremely large, you may want to compress them into several archives. This will make it easier to upload the files.

• Save JPEGs at the highest quality compression level.

• When saving a file as a TIFF, do not turn on LZW compression if it is available.

• When saving files as EPS, make sure that preview is set to Macintosh or TIFF, 8-bits/pixel and set Encoding to Binary.

Creating Bleeds
• Creating a page that has a full bleed (ink all the way up to the edge of the sheet) requires printing the page on a larger size of paper and cutting to size. To set up your file to accommodate a bleed, be sure to extend the bleed area at least an 1/8 of an inch beyond all edges of the page that bleed. This will allow plenty of room for trimming and eliminate any of the paper's original color from showing at the edge.

• On projects that do not include bleeds, make sure to leave an area around all four sides of the page where there is no copy within at least a ¼ inch of the edges.

Our Direct Mail Quick Reference Kit is a convenient, easy to use, two-part reference guide that provides an excellent starting point for any direct mail campaign – and it's free!

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The Full Color Production Guide provides quick reference to information about the various options available to DPD customers for producing communication materials in brilliant, bold, beautiful full color!

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