How do I send a file to ULI over the internet using FTP?
Why would I want to?

Use your web browser to FTP files to us! Click here: http://ftp.unitedlitho.com Use the username and password of "guest" to log in. File names may not contain slashes ("/")

Advanced users: Get more information here.

To answer the second question first, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows you to upload files quickly and receive confirmation that they have been successfully retrieved. In contrast, attaching files to email is problematic for two reasons: there's no real confirmation that the file was actually delivered, and some mail servers will block attached files larger than a given size.

We always encourage the use of FTP to send large files for the simple reason that you'll know when the file is complete. (If you must email an electronic file, send it to DPP@unitedlitho.com. Note that email should not be used for files larger than 10MB.)

The steps involved in the FTP process (other than using the web browser link above) are different for Mac and PC users.

Note that regardless of the platform you're using, your uploaded files will be processed most quickly if you alert your Account Manager to their presence, so that he or she can notify the production department. You'll need to supply a laser print, via fax, of the file(s) being submitted. The laser(s) should be marked for color and the file name(s) noted to ensure that we retrieve the correct files. (It's helpful if your file name contains the job name and page number; e.g., "MyMagazinep57.sit.")

Please be aware that files uploaded to our computers are not secure. If you are interested in obtaining a personalized account that only you can access, your Account Manager will be glad to create one for you.

Mac users:

To send a file via FTP on the Mac, you'll first need to get FTP software. I recommend the freeware RBrowser, which is available for download here. If you are running OS X 10.2 ("Jaguar") try this older version.

When you run the program, choose "FTP Only":

Choose Go > New Site to access the Login Panel:

Now, enter the information you see here. The username and password are both "guest". Then click the connect button. It will attempt to open a connection to our computer using the guest account. If successful, you will see a window that resembles the following (there may be more or fewer files displayed). If you do not get this window within 30 seconds, contact your network administrator to make sure your internet connection is up, and that any firewall installed at your location is allowing you to make FTP connections. If everything seems to be functioning, give your ULI account manager a call to verify that our connection is up.

Gather the files you want to send and Stuff them—sending smaller files will take less time. Give your Stuffit archive a descriptive name, and simply drag the file from your desktop to this window. You should see the transfer begin automatically.

If your transfer is going very slowly, you might want to try again later. Remember that you're sharing the net with many other people, including others at your office browsing the web. If it's going to take too long, you might want to bail out and send us a disk. We do have a very fast, dedicated T-1 internet connection, but so do a lot of others!

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PC users:

You have to hand it to Microsoft: at least they made it pretty easy to make a FTP connection from within Internet Explorer on the PC (surprisingly, they haven't added the ability to upload to the Mac version of their browser). This method will also work if you are using Netscape's web browser.

Begin a connection here.

After a few moments, you should see a window that resembles the following (there may be more or fewer files displayed):

Gather the files you want to send and Zip them—sending smaller files will take less time. Give your Zip file a descriptive name, and simply drag the file from your desktop to this window. You should see the transfer begin automatically in the status area of the window.

If you would like to use a regular program instead of a web browser to upload, check out the freeware FileZilla.

If your transfer is going very slowly, you might want to try again later. Remember that you're sharing the net with many other people, including others at your office browsing the web. If it's going to take too long, you might want to bail out and send us a disk. We do have a very fast, dedicated T-1 internet connection, but so do a lot of others!

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