Communications

Our department produces a wide range of print publications for CREC programs, services, and clients. We offer extensive editorial and design services, and we are happy to advise you about format, costs, mailing, or answer any other questions you may have about producing printed material.

CREC recently launched a complete rebranding effort to ensure that our marketing messages were impactful and streamlined. Please review the Publications Procedures below and Brand Guidelines to ensure that your publication is completed quickly and accurately.

Filling out a Project Request form is required for all publications projects

Publications Procedures

A guide to getting your projects produced on time and within budget, from concept to delivery, and all the steps in between.

1. Starting a project – submit a request
2. Submitting copy
3. The proof stage
4. The printing stage
5. Delivery
6. Helpful hints

1) Starting a project – submit a request

As soon as you're ready to start a project, please submit a Project Request form with all of the information. Please review the typical projects timeline below to ensure that you submit your request enough in advance of your desired deadline. The sooner we get your job onto the calendar, the more likely it is that we will meet your schedule. A member of the Communications team will review the form and contact you if we will be unable to accommodate you proposed deadline. They will provide a rough deadline for final text and an estimated delivery date.

Below is a table of typical projects and the estimated time for design, production, and printing. Please use this as a guide for ideas and scheduling:

Project Type and Samples (Click to Enlarge)	Minimum Time
AD	10 Days
WORKSHOP OR EVENT FLYERS	15 Days
POSTERS	15 Days
INVITATIONS	15 Days
POSTCARDS	15 Days
SCHEDULES, NEWSLETTERS, SMALL CALENDARS	30 Days
SMALL BROCHURES	20 Days
FANCY BROCHURES	30 Days
SMALL CATALOGS, INFO BOOKS	30 Days
LARGE CATALOGS	55 Days
BRANDING OR LOGOS	Varies

2) Submitting copy

If you have not submitted copy with your project request form, please do so via email to the person assigned to your project. Submitted copy should be in final form. Only minor adjustments can be made in the proofing process.

Communications project managers are responsible for determining the design of your publication. If you have specific design requests for your project, please include them along with your project request form or in addition to your copy. Design requests made after this stage can have a major impact on the production time for your publication.

Please follow CREC’s Brand Guide when writing your copy. If you have any style questions that are not answered in the Brand Guide, contact Joel DeJong at jdejong@crec.org or (860) 524-4097 or Tom Sullivan at tosullivan@crec.org or (860) 240-6625.  

Below is a summary of the most important do’s and don’ts when providing the Department of Communications with copy for your document

Formatting Directions:

• Arrange your file as one flowing Word document with little or no formatting.
• Place the information which will appear first in the completed piece first in your Word document.
• Use only one space between sentences.
• Use a comma before the last item in a list before the word “and”.
  Example: Please enter your name, address, email, and phone number.

3) The proof stage

• In general you will receive three PDF proofs. These include a preliminary proof (rough draft for you to make edits), a revised proof (with a more finished feeling and for review by the Director), and a final proof (for final print approval). Please make every effort to return the proofs to us promptly based on the agreed production schedule. If proofs are held up in your office, your delivery date could be postponed and rush charges may be incurred at the print stage.
• Important Note: Although the Department of Communications is able to take design requests at the beginning of a project, major changes to the design of a publication during the proofing stages will greatly impact the production time. These changes should be made as soon as possible, and only if absolutely necessary.
• Please follow these guidelines when reviewing your proofs:
  • Preliminary Proof – should be reviewed and edited by the content originator and expert. Any additional staff from your department who must proof the document should do so at this stage. The project requestor should submit ALL edits in a single response to the assigned project manager. 
  • Revise Proof – should be reviewed and edited by the division director or manager in charge of the project only.
  • Final Proof – this proof is for final approval only, and should have minimal or no required edits.
• Although we proofread most documents, YOU are responsible for accuracy. Review your proofs carefully. Be sure to fact check all information (including dates, spelling of names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, web addresses, and fax numbers).

4) The printing stage

Once the proof stage is complete and you are 100% happy with the project, we will ask you to sign off on it and we will send it to the printer. It is best not to make any changes after this point. Any changes at this stage can result in additional costs and can hold up a project.

If you require in-house printing using Communications' printers, the cost will be assessed at:
- Over 10 copies of 8.5 x 11 sized paper: 35 cents per side.
- Over 10 copies of 8.5 x 14 (legal) sized paper: 50 cents per side.
- Over 5 copies of 11x17 (poster) sized paper: 70 cents per side.

If your project involves a direct mailing, we will need to have a postage check covering the cost of the mailing in order for the job to be completed.

5) Delivery

Once printed, the project manager will contact you to let you know the project has been delivered. If all goes according to plan, this will be on or before your projected delivery date. The delivery date on your production schedule does not take mailing (or time at the mailhouse) into account.

Helpful Hints

• Each job should have one contact person responsible for gathering and funneling all information and is responsible for signing off on proofs.
• Incomplete copy, late copy, and/or missing information will delay your project’s projected delivery date--try to have copy as close to complete as possible.
• Files and copy sometimes need a lot of clean-up or editing, which takes extra time. Please let us know in advance if you need help writing your copy.
• We can help with images. We have a large and growing database of high quality photos that can be used for many different publications.
• We will be happy to advise on format, style, and paper.

Choosing Images for Publications

• High resolution images are essential to create high quality publications. High resolution images are around 5x7" at 300 pixels per inch. That equals 1500 x 2100 pixels total. A good rule of thumb is by looking at the file size. High resolution images are usually 1 megabyte (Mb) or greater.
• If you print the pictures out on regular paper, you can see their size and sharpness. If they aren't sharp, they aren't good candidates for publications.
• The Department of Communications has an extensive library of photos from professional image banks and from CREC programs and schools.

Publications Contacts

Joel DeJong - Graphic Design Specialist
jdejong@crec.org or (860) 524-4097

Tom Sullivan - Managing Director of Communications - Content and Media
tosullivan@crec.org or (860) 240-6625