Contacting a professor prior to applying

[beatsbydre]

So I am applying for PhD programs and I was looking at potential research advisers at different institutes. From current graduate students at my school, I got the idea that I should not be contacting professors before being admitted to the program unless I have a very specific question about their research. I came across this one professor and I am really interested in working with them and their website says the following:

"Students interested in joining the Imaging and Computing group for a Ph.D. thesis must formally apply to a graduate program. In addition, it helps if you signal your interest to in October or November of the year preceding the start date."

Does this mean that this professor is encouraging applicants to email them prior to applying? I don't want to jeopardize my chances of working with them and I don't want to annoy them so I was wondering what this forum thinks about email them. Sorry if the answer is in plain sight and I sound paranoid  I would still appreciate your input

[PsyDuck90]

It seems they are open to students reaching out, but I would do so in October or November, as the text stipulates. In the month and a half that you have, I would think it would be a good idea to read up on their research and formulate a good question to ask because that will also increase the likelihood of a response. 

Overall, reaching out to faculty may be discipline specific. In my field (Psychology), it's expected that you reach out to faculty prior to submitting applications.