Specifications for Health IT Publications

AHRQ Publishing and Communications Guideline

Ink Colors

Health IT publications print in black ink and Pantone 202 (red). Photos may print in full process color or black and white. Screens of black or Pantone 202 ink may also be used in the publcations.

Bleed

Inks may bleed off all four edges.

Sample products

Design Elements

Health IT circles: The health IT circles should be used in each publication. The circles print in a graduated screen from 90 percent of Pantone 202 to 30 percent of Pantone 202. The circles may be either staggered or aligned rows. The circles are always the same size within the groupings.

Sample circles

Photos

Health IT circles with photos: Photos may be used where appropriate and should relate to the publication topic. Photos can print in full process color or black and white. Photos should always appear in circles. Three circular photos are often used together as a design element. The three photos shown in the sample below can be used for all health IT publications, or more specific photos may used that better relate to the publication's topic.

Sample circle photos

Fonts

• Front cover title: 25-point Futura Bold.
• Front cover subtitle: 21-point Garamond.
• Body text: 11-point Garamond with 13.5-point leading.
• Level 1 heads: 14-point Garamond Bold with 16-point leading.
• Level 2 heads: 14-point Garamond Semibold Italic with 16-point leading.
• Run-in heads: 11-point Garamond Bold.

Bullets

Round.

Hyphenation

Should be turned off.

Sample fonts and sizes

Branding

HHS and AHRQ branding logos must be placed at the bottom of the front cover. The HHS/AHRQ logos must not be stretched, cropped, or modified in any way. The branding logo should fit proportionally with the design elements on the front cover. Use black or white (reversed out) for color. The Health IT block must also be added to the right of the branding. A sample is shown below.

Front cover branding logo

AHRQ logo, publication number, and date must appear at bottom of back cover.

All AHRQ publications being printed for distribution from the AHRQ Clearinghouse must bear an AHRQ publication number and a date. These items normally appear at the bottom of cover four or on the last page of fact sheets and marketing materials. The AHRQ logo and publication number may be flush right or left depending on the design. The AHRQ editor will provide publication numbers to contractors. A sample of a flush left back cover is shown below.

Back cover logo

Submitting Files to AHRQ

For draft materials going to AHRQ for content review or layout, provide Word® 2007 documents (do not provide PDF files).

For print-ready proofs to go to the Government Printing Office (GPO), provide AHRQ source files in Quark Xpress or Adobe InDesign. Include fonts, logos, and any picture files (TIFs, EPS, or JPGs) with the source files.

In addition to the electronic files, a full-size color printout of each page including bleeds and crop marks and a folding dummy are required.

GPO also requires that a completed Form 952 accompany print files. This form is downloadable from the GPO Web site at http://www.gpo.gov

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