How to Compress your files

Most of us have run into problems transporting files for print at one point or another. Graphics files can be quite large, and a number of things can crop up. Luckily, many of these issues can be resolved by using a capable printer— and compressing your files.

For a little background on why fonts and FTP don’t go together, read this short explanation of fonts and resource forks

Here are some instructions on how to create zip files for Mac and Windows computers.

Mac

Mac users have it easy— the software is built-in.

  1. Create a new folder. InDesign users can choose File => Create Package… and skip to step 3
  2. Add your project’s files
  3. Right- or control-click the folder and choose “Create Archive…” (for Mac OS X 10.4) or “Compress…” (for Mac OS X 10.5)
  4. Check out the file upload section of our site to send the resulting .zip file.

Windows XP

Windows XP was released before zip files became popular, so it needs a little extra help. Luckily, there are a number of free software utilities to help you create zip files. A good choice is 7-Zip.

  1. First, Download 7-Zip. If asked wether to run or save, choose “run”
  2. If presented with a security warning, *choose
  3. Navigate to your project folder right click on the files. Choose 7-Zip=> Compress to “Filename.zip”. Take care to use .zip and not .7z
  4. Check out the file upload section of our site to send the resulting .zip file.