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I cobbled together a certificate type document in Word and printed it out here at home to see how it looks. I had to snag a logo off the web, so it's far from ideal, but I think it's passable. Now I'm thinking of bringing the file to the local CVS kiosk to have it printed on photo paper. I figure it's a cheap enough experiment. And yes, I understand I'll have to check a box that says I own the copyright to all the material, but it's for one recipient, so I'll take the chance. So, a couple of questions.
1. Am I better off bringing the file as a Word .doc or as a .pdf or does it even matter?
2. I put it together and printed it on a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. I'm going to have to print it as either a 4x6, 5x7, 6x8, 8x10. Is it likely to look better or worse shrunk down if I choose a smaller size?
Thanks.
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I know that "real" printers want pdf's. In fact, had a printer say:
"When someone casually mentions 'Oh, and, it's a Word doc', we go on high alert. It's like we're air traffic controllers handling a line of Boeings, and suddenly a handmade plane shows up. We know there'll be color and maybe even formatting problems, and things can even move on the page from what the client expected."
But with a CVS kiosk you won't get to be too picky. So I'd take both formats, on two different drives, just to save a trip back home if one format or drive doesn't work.
Good luck!
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PDF
Size going down shouldn't be a problem for resolution, but readability is another thing.
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Pdf is going to be your best bet to make sure the layout is locked in how you want it.
With a word doc, opening it on a different machine, different OS, different version of word, there are lots of ways the formatting can go wonky.
To be sure it looks good at the smaller size, shrink it down and print one at home first. Depending on your printer, somewhere in the print dialogue should be a % size option that you can change. Print it a 50% size and see how it looks.
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Dik2 wrote:
I think they want a jpg
This. Doubtful they take a PDF.
Id just send it over the web to the store thru their interface and pickup later.
Be advised the "photo" paper is glossy. Im pretty sure they have paper options...
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Thanks for the replies, all. Good idea to try to print smaller here first to check readability, etc. It's just black and white, but it's a good sized logo; white type on black background.
I'll try converting to .jpg, just to make sure I have all options covered.
I thought of the 'order online, pick up in store' option, but if they balk at the possible copyright infringement aspect, I might be sol.
I don't (think I'll) mind glossy. But we shall see.
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Why not send it from the CVS website? They will tell you when It will be ready!
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Rolando wrote:
Why not send it from the CVS website? They will tell you when It will be ready!
Yep, I decided to do just that this morning as jdc had suggested. I did convert the .pdf to .jpg, but I should have seen if they'd accept the .pdf. Oh well. Next time. Picked it up a few hours ago. It's far from beautiful, but I didn't expect a whole lot. And it's fine for my purposes. It was a whopping $.21 for the 4x6 (after coupon and tax), so I guess I could have splurged and tried a 5x7. It'll be fine. Thanks.
