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Making NADA ads for Norwegian newspapers

This page describes briefly how to proceed to produce newspaper ads that are acceptable in NADAexpress. Detailed information about the standard modular grids and rules for color management are found on separate pages.

As explained elsewhere, NADAexpress preflights all ads prior to distribution. Ads with prohibitive errors cannot be distributed, while ads that get warnings are will be distributed if the creator/sender finds the condition described in the warning as being under control and allows the ad to be sent.

NADA ads have to be PDF files, consisting of one page only. A series of ads for separate pages in the same newspaper must be preflighted and distributed separately. NADAexpress has functionality well suited for such cases.

The PDF files are very often created using Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress, or possibly by Adobe Acrobat Distiller. However, any method or means of producing the PDF is OK as long as the PDF itself fulfills the technical requirements.

Colors

The ad may be in color or in grey (sometimes called «black and white»). For color ads, the DeviceCMYK color space must be used. Other color spaces, such as all kinds of RGB, or ICC based colors, or CIE based colors, are not allowed in newspaper ads. Any spot color used must have an alternative definition in DeviceCMYK.

Ads that use any kinds of not allowed color spaces may be converted into DeviceCMYK using the color conversion functionality in NADAexpress. This functionality is well integrated into the preflight+sending-cycle, so that the color converting of ads that initially get preflighting color errors may be done on the fly.

You may also handle all color matters manually by using Adobe Photoshop for color conversion into CMYK of every image and graphic used, plus using CMYK values for every color specified explicitly. A third alternative is, of course, to let the program in which you create the ad perform any required color conversion when it exports the ad into PDF.

Note that ICC profiles should not be included in the PDF file.

Fonts

All the fonts used in the ad must be embedded in the PDF file. Fonts must be either PostScript fonts (aka. Type1 fonts), which are recommended, or TrueType fonts. CID fonts are also OK, the Type1 flavor of which is recommended. Type 3 fonts and Multiple Master fonts are not allowed.

Images must have sufficient resolution - but not more

A resolution of 200 ppi is recommended for color or grey halftone images. For lineart, a resolution of approximately 800 ppi is recommended.

Transparency

Real transparency is allowed. No need to flatten transparency.

Size of ad

Most newspapers use a 5 column modular grid on text pages and 6 column modular grid on advertising pages. Ads should be made to exact measure - no «white margin».

Newspaper ads shall be without bleed and shall have no printer's marks.

Too old, too complicated, and too fancy PDF is not allowed

The recommended PDF version is v1.6, but anything from v1.3 upwards is acceptable. No PDF version is "too new" by itself, but many of the constructs introduced in the newer PDF versions are not allowed. The PDF file can contain neither Acrobat Forms nor Annotations nor Watermarks nor other strangenesses.