General File Setup

TEMPLATES: In most cases, for our standard displays, we have graphic templates, which can be requested from your account representative and sent via email to you and/or your artist or design firm. Templates contain all necessary panel sizes and are sent as PDF files that can be viewed and printed from Adobe Acrobat. Templates may also be opened and edited in Adobe Illustrator which will allow your artist to place your artwork directly into the template for artwork submission. If you do not have Illustrator and are working in Photoshop, please use the template for reference only. Do not place the template into Photoshop.

LAYOUT SCALE:
All layouts should be 100% scale if possible. 50% scale is fine if your layout exceeds 227.5" wide or high, but please be sure and notate this scale in the Illustrator file.

RESOLUTION & PLACED IMAGES: All raster artwork should have a minimum resolution of 85dpi and a maximum resolution of 150dpi at 100 % scale. When raster images are placed into an Illustrator layout, images should be linked and never embedded. Linked raster mages should also be included with artwork submission. This way if we need to color correct or cleanup he image in any way, we will have the necessary linked file to work with.

A note regarding resolution! Do not try to add dpi or resolution to an image, which is too low in resolution, by adding pixels to the image size in Photoshop. This is called interpolation, and will only result in degradation of clarity and blurry low quality print.

LAYERS: If submitting Photoshop files, it is strongly recommended that you provide us with both a layered psd or tif file as well as a flattened version saved as a psd or tiff file. The layered file will make any necessary changes, cleanup or color matching possible if required. LZW compression of tiff files is encouraged.

ILLUSTRATOR EFFECTS & FILTERS:
Using effects and filters on vector elements Illustrator such as Drop Shadows and Transparency is discouraged because it vastly increases the complexity and size of the file making the file very difficult to manipulate and save. This type of work should be done in Photoshop and then placed into Illustrator as a linked file.

GRADIENTS:
Gradients, which are created in Photoshop and then placed in an Illustrator layout, will produce much smoother transition of color when printed in large format than a gradient created within a vector program. Vector gradients may look fine when printed at 8.5" x 11" but will band and segment when printed at large format sizes.

FONTS:
Convert all type to outlines if submitting Illustrator file. Rasterize type if submitting Photoshop file.

COLOR SPACE:
CMYK is preferred because our printers are all CMYK printers. We can of course print RGB files, but when printed on a CMYK printer, your prints color may differ from what you initially viewed on your computer monitor during the layout stages, as some RGB colors are not attainable in CMYK. When your files are all created in CMYK you will get the best on-screen indication of how your files will actually look when printed. Duotones should be converted to CMYK. Our working color space in Illustrator and Photoshop is U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2.

BLEED:
The best way to determine if bleed is required for any specific graphic is to request the appropriate graphic template from your account rep. This template will include bleed specs. If a template is not available for you graphics, use this rule. If your graphics ARE printed on FABRIC, please include 2-4" bleed on all sides. If your graphics are printed ON ANY OTHER MATERIAL, you probably DO NOT NEED TO INCLUDE BLEED AT ALL! Fabric graphics require bleed because of the sewing and finishing involved after printing.

COLOR HARDCOPY OF ARTWORK:
Please include a color hardcopy of your graphics along with your disks when submitting artwork. Even if the quality of the print is not great, this printed point of reference is vital to ensure that your files are opening and printing correctly. Without it, we are in the dark!

COLOR MATCHING SERVICE:
Custom Color matching is an optional service we can provide. This service is particularly helpful if your design includes Pantone colors which must be as accurate as possible within the CMYK color space.

Please keep in mind that some Pantone colors are simply impossible to achieve in CMYK, but we will certainly match it as closely as possible. If you have a Solid Color to Process color Pantone swatch book, this may be helpful in determining how closely we may be able to match specific PMS color.

We cannot at this time print true metallic colors.

The charge for this service is as follows:
First color or screen is an additional charge of $45. Each additional color is $25 per color or screen. Example: 2 colors to be color matched = $70; 3 colors = $95

What is the charge for?
The charge is for the time involved to complete the procedure for each color to be exactly matched to each Pantone specified. It involves time & materials for the artist to provide the service.

DESIGN & LAYOUT SERVICES:
Our artists can create your graphics from concept to finish, we can make requested changes, or adjust or rework an existing graphic to suit your large-scale product. All design and layout work is billed at $85.00 per hour. The artist assigned to the project can of course provide an estimate of time required before work has begun.

DIGITAL PROOFS:
The artist assigned to your project will prepare proofs in the form of pdf files that will be emailed to you for your review and approval before we print anything. Nothing will be printed before we receive your approval, so it is vital that you monitor your email and look for these proofs. This digital service is free of charge and helps us assure that placement, sizes and quantities are accurate. This type of proof however cannot be used for an indication of clarity or color, because they are fairly low in resolution and will be viewed in the RGB colorspace.

PRINT PROOFS:
If you have special concerns regarding color or image clarity, you may want to purchase Print Proofs when your order is placed. This type of proofing consists of a 10%-25% scale version of your artwork printed on the same printer that your full size version will be printed on. This will provide and overall indication of color accuracy. We will also print a section at 100% scale which will give you a good indication of clarity. The charge for this service is $45 per proof because of time and materials used in producing them.