Ad desk, step 6
File specs: what the print desk actually needs
Newsprint is absorbent paper printed at speed. Every spec on the sheet exists because of that one physical fact.
Print desks want a press-ready PDF built to print standards (the PDF/X family maintained by the Ghent Workgroup), at the exact dimensions of the unit you bought, in CMYK with newsprint-safe ink coverage. Send RGB, low-resolution, or wrong-size files and the desk converts them for you, which is how ads arrive muddy, cropped, or grey.
Source: Ghent Workgroup print PDF specifications, retrieved Jul 31, 2026. Print-PDF specifications published by the Ghent Workgroup; each paper's spec sheet names its accepted profile.
| Spec line | What it means | First-timer mistake it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 | A PDF locked to print rules: fonts embedded, colors defined | Fonts substituting; transparency collapsing at the press |
| CMYK only | Press inks, not screen colors | RGB blues arriving purple; vivid greens arriving olive |
| Total ink coverage (TAC) | Cap on all four inks stacked; newsprint caps low | Rich blacks turning to wet mud that ghosts the reverse page |
| 200-300 dpi at size | Enough pixels for print at final dimensions | Web logos printing as visible stair-steps |
| Exact unit dimensions | The columns-x-inches you bought, to the pica | The desk scaling your ad and squeezing the type |
Type that survives newsprint
Ink spreads on newsprint (the trade calls it dot gain), so fine details thicken and thin ones vanish. The safe pattern: body text 9 point or larger, no white type over photos or light tints, hairline rules avoided, and high contrast everywhere. This is also why black-and-white ads with bold type regularly outperform delicate color work on this stock; the design page builds on exactly this constraint.
Buying craft, not a published rate: press craft; the paper’s spec sheet states its own minimums and TAC figure.
Preflight
The five-minute check before you hit send
- Open the paper’s spec sheet and confirm your dimensions match the booked unit exactly.
- Export as the requested PDF/X flavor with fonts embedded.
- Confirm CMYK: no RGB objects, no spot colors unless you bought spot.
- Zoom to 300 percent: photos crisp, no stair-stepping on logos.
- Print it at home in greyscale. If it reads on your desk, it reads on newsprint.
The desk will preflight too, but their fix for a failing file near deadline is whatever is fastest, not whatever is best.