Display Ad Submission Guidelines Revised- 7-3-07

At Cecil Soil Magazine we pride ourselves in offering a professional-quality display ad for you at no additional cost. We encourage you to take advantage of this value-added service. However, we understand that some advertisers would prefer to design their ads themselves. In those cases, it helps us to stay on schedule if you adhere to the following guidelines which help ensure accurate and problem-free output of your ad. Ads that are not made to specification will be returned, and you will be asked to either provide new materials or allow us to create an ad for you.

Ad Size:
Please make sure that your ad fits the template size. If you submit a pdf file, please remove any margins, crop marks, or bleed zones (unless you have a full page premium ad). Your document size should be your ad size.

Ad Size

Ad Dimensions (W" x H")

Ad Dimensions with Bleed

Directory Ad - Horizontal
2.25 x 1.25
no bleed

Business Card - Horizontal

3.65 x 2
no bleed
1/8 Page - Horizontal
3.65 x 2.3
no bleed
1/6 Page - Vertical
2.45 x 4.8
no bleed
1/4 Page - Vertical
3.65 x 4.8
no bleed
1/4 Page - Horizontal
7.6 x 2.35
no bleed
1/3 Page - Vertical

2.45 x 9.75

no bleed
1/3 Page - Horizontal

7.6 x 3.15

no bleed
NEW! 1/3 Page - Square
5 x 4.75
no bleed
1/2 Page - Vertical
3.65 x 9.75
no bleed
1/2 Page - Vertical Premium:
Inside Front Cover
Inside Back Cover
Facing Front (pg 3 or 4)
Facing Back (pg 74)
3.65 x 10
no bleed
1/2 Page - Horizontal
7.6 x 4.8
no bleed
Full Page - nonbleed
7.6 x 9.75
no bleed
Full Page - Premium:
Outside Back Cover
Inside Front Cover
Inside Back Cover
Facing Front (pg 3 or 4)
Facing Back (pg 79)
7.6 x 10
8.5 x 11
Trimmed page size is 8.375" x 10.75". It is recommended that you allow a 'safe zone' of 7.6" x 10 " in which all critical ad content (such as text) is contained. Also, remember that your ad will not bleed past the inside edge (gutter).

Color Specifications:
Cecil Soil Magazine is printed using 4-color process. Specify all colors in your ad as CMYK process colors. Assign the correct color profile for Gloss, Coated Web Press. RGB must be converted to CMYK before printing. Make sure your files do not include any spot colors (such as Pantone 1234) or your ad may yield unexpected results.

File Formats:
Cecil Soil Magazine is created in a Macintosh environment using In Design CS2. In Design CS2 files from the PC or the Mac are welcome (Quark files —Mac version 6 or lower — also welcomed). Be sure to gather all fonts and linked images used in your file. Compress your collected folder into a ZIP or SIT file before submitting.

Freehand or Illustrator (version CS2 or lower): Send both the original file and an eps. Please include printer and screen fonts for any font in your ad or else convert type to paths (outlines) before you send it. Be sure to include any other graphics (such as imported TIFFs) placed in your ad.

Photoshop(version CS2 or lower): Submit either a Photoshop PDF or TIFF file at 300dpi. For color ads, be sure to use a 0%[C] 0%[M] 0%[Y] 100%[K] mix for any type smaller than 10pt.

Pagemaker and any Microsoft layout program: Please submit a PDF of your ad. Please note: Microsoft Publisher files will not be accepted under any circumstances. You must convert to a PDF.

*PDF (preferred format): Because of the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) nature of the PDF format, we'd prefer for you to submit this type of file. We experience far fewer surprises during output, and it just results in a more pleasant experience for everyone.

To create your PDF, first check to see that your images are the proper resolution (see "Image Formats"). Use the "PrintOptimized" settings in Distiller to avoid having your images downsampled, and be sure to embed the fonts in your file. Remember to include your bleeds, if applicable. Do not include registration or crop marks. Remember, unless you have bleed, your document size should be your ad size.

Image Formats:
Linked images (TIFFS, etc) need to be 300dpi at their final unstretched and unshrunk size. This does NOT include vector EPS files created by a vector program such as Illustrator or Freehand.

Your images should be saved with a CMYK color profile. RGB images will be converted to CMYK before printing. There are inherent color shifts in this process so it is preferred that you do this conversion yourself in the event that additional color adjustments are needed. We accept images in the following formats: TIF (or TIFF), JPG (or JPEG--saved at the "highest quality" setting), or EPS (if your image has clipping paths).

File Naming and Delivery Options:
Please name your file with your company name. If we receive ads from five different sources on the same day, all named "cecilsoil.pdf", things get a little confusing for our designers.

If your e-mail program supports attachments, that is the preferred method of transfer. Compress files using WinZip or StuffIt before you send them. If you are unable to send your ad by e-mail, or if the compressed file is larger than 4MB, we can provide a temporary ftp account to which you can upload your compressed file. Please contact us to make those arrangements. You may also mail or drop off your files to us on CD or DVD.

Where to Send Your Ad Materials:
Proofread your ad (double check spelling, address, phone number, etc) and chose one of the following delivery methods:

Email (preferred):
csmadvertising@zoominternet.net

Hand Delivery:
Cecil Soil Magazine
1149 Telegraph Road (Route 273)
(beside Horse Unlimited Saddlery)
Rising Sun, MD 21911

Mail Delivery:
Cecil Soil Magazine
P.O. Box 645
Rising Sun, MD 21911

FTP:
Please contact us to arrange a temporary account.

Best Case Scenario:
You'll earn a gold star if you send us:

  • A perfectly proofread ad...
  • exactly the dimensions listed on the template...
  • with embedded fonts and CMYK images of the required resolution...
  • in properly generated PDF format...
  • sent to us by email.

...and our designers will be eternally grateful!


Cecil Soil Magazine • PO Box 645, Rising Sun, MD 21911 • Phone 410-658-3244 • Fax 410-658-3242

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