File Specifications

PDF files

Please supply your PDF files according to the following specifications for best results:

• All pages in a single PDF file, with the pages in order
• Single pages (not double-page spreads)
• Files should be optimised as much as possible to reduce file size (roughly 150dpi)
• Cropped to exact art size (no need for crop marks/bleed etc, as it is not a traditional print process)
• Output to PDF version 1.3 (for optimum compatibility)
• Embedded fonts (not subset, please avoid CID Type H encoded fonts)
• Objects with transparency need to be flattened (high resolution is preferred for best quality)
• Smooth shade is not currently supported

Important
If you would like to have the editions you are going to publish as Flash available by iPad at a later date, please take note of these additional recommendations:

• The colour space of the PDFs must be Apple RGB (otherwise certain colours are rendered incorrectly).
• Overprints have been known to cause problems – make sure these are turned off (this can be done at the same stage as flattening transparencies).
• Keep complex vector shapes to a minimum.

Video

Please provide video files in Flash 8 FLV or Flash 9 F4V format. For best results, use resolutions up to 640 x 480 (or up to 720p for F4V). If you cannot supply FLV or F4V files, we will convert these files to these formats, with default play controls when you hover over the video (videos will auto play when the reader turns to that page).

Flash

Flash files will be presented on a layer above your existing pages, so therefore, please bear in mind the following notes:

• We accept Flash files in AS 3.0. We will need .swf and .fla files supplied.
• Please design your files so that a single .swf file is needed to play the animation, and not multiple .swfs and/or .as files
• We do not support animations created using SWiSH
• Please make sure there is no white space around the edge of the Flash animation
• Please note that your animation will be sitting inside another Flash application and, as such, the background colour defined in the property inspector will turn transparent, showing the PDF content underneath your Flash files. To avoid this, put a single-colour object on the lowest layer of your Flash file to form a canvas.
• Please set your Flash files to a frame rate of 24fps
• Avoid any ActionScript that can affect the host application, such as _level0, _root, and _parent references, or global functions like setTimeinterval
• There should be no links in the animation we are given, unless this is necessary, as these links will not be picked up in the statistics package. We will normally create the links overlaying the Flash content, so that they can be tracked
• There is no file size limit on animations. However, for loading purposes, the files should be as small as possible
• Images should be set to lossless compression instead of photo compression
• Filenames for Flash animation files (SWFs) should not include special characters such as brackets, question marks, commas and spaces. Underscore characters are OK to use
• In case we need to edit your FLA file, please use one of the following options when dealing with fonts:
  • Add the font in the FLA library and then use the reference of the font in the scene and not the font directly
  • Provide the fonts along with the FLA file
  • Convert the fonts to vector shapes, so that there are no non-system fonts within the Flash file

Please note that, when embedded in a larger Flash program such as the Yudu reader, the behaviour of SWF animations can vary from stand-alone behaviour, and may sometimes produce unexpected results. In addition, the behaviour of the animation can be affected by the version of Flash Player being used to view it. Many users accept regular Flash Player updates and so are always on the latest version, but this cannot be relied upon.

If you're embedding custom interactive content, we therefore recommend carefully testing the animation's behaviour within the edition, including with different versions of Flash Player – as a minimum, with the latest version and with version 10.0. Our support staff can provide guidance on doing this if you require.

Should your custom animation not behave as intended once embedded, please let us know the following details and we'll be happy to help resolve any issues: