HOW TO PREPARE YOUR FILE

After reading the following if you are still unsure whether you have it correct, please fill free to e-mail or call us.

TYPES OR MEDIA WE ACCEPT

MAC & PC – Zip 100 and 250 , Jaz 1 and 2 gig and ftp for files under 100 megabytes. You may use either Stuffit or WinZip when calculating file size for transfer to our ftp site. Adobe PDF's are also acceptable.

SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

Illustrator, Freehand, Corel Draw, Canvas, Quark Xpress, In-design, Pagemaker, Photoshop, Painter, Word, and many other graphics and presentation programs can be used for making files for output. If you are using another program please save as an .eps, .tif or .pdf we will always do our best to find a way to output your file.

COLOR OUTPUT

We can output from many applications either MAC or PC. Our printers are six colors which give us a wide gamut range.

RESOLUTION

This is a complex issue that we will here make simple. Files that are 100% Vector files (discussed below) will not have a definite resolution size. Raster files on the other hand will. There are two issues to discuss with raster files:
Input resolution- is the pixels per inch needed to obtain a quality print.
Output resolution- is the dot per inch printed from the physical printer.
The easiest way to answer this is that we need 150 ppi (input) to produce either a 600 dpi or 720 dpi (output) poster or banner. This should be determined before you start your project. As you are working on you project take time to view it at 100% magnification in order to be sure you are happy with the clarity of the image. (100% magnification is not the same as fit screen.)

Vector based programs

Canvas, Corel Draw, Freehand, Illustrator and some other programs are vector-based programs, which have the ability to import raster images. Vector artwork is a mathematical rendering of elements, which can include text, circles, boxes and any combination of curves. Vector artwork can be scaled without loss of detail. Therefore if your file is completely vector (without raster images imported) there will be no resolution concerns. We ask that you make all text into curves or send the fonts.

Raster based Programs

Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Painter, Photodeluxe are raster imaging programs. The correct resolution (discussed above) must be determined first when dealing with photos or artwork constructed in programs like Photoshop. You cannot add resolution to an image without losing detail in these programs. This is very important especially when planning to print large format images.
To output at our high quality mode you will need a least 150dpi of input resolution. A 24" x 36" print at 150dpi is between a 40-60 megabytes.
You may be able to increase the size slightly in Photoshop, as long as the image is very clear and crisp. Caution: Be sure to view your file at 100% in order to assess whether it is up to your standards
File Formats
Raster file formats are: TIF, BMP, JPG, PSD, and Photoshop EPS (not the same as Illustrator EPS). They may be left in RGB color mode if you are using our ftp site this will decrease the file size. If you are using Photoshop and you wish to match color as close as possible it is a good idea to convert it to CMYK color mode and imbed your color profile. This will allow for a more accurate preview of the color shift when converted to CMYK.
JPG file format (not recommended) can result in major detail loss. Even a high resolution JPG files will result in loss of clarity.
PSD (Photoshop file) please flattened and save as a TIF. This will allow us to go direct to print without opening in Photoshop, allowing us to return your printed product sooner.
Vector flle formats are: AI, CDR, CNV, FH and EPS. Vector file EPS' are preferred as we will have less issues with these than the native file formats. Of course, you may send both.

Page Layout Issues

Quark Xpress, In-Design and Pagemaker: Customers sometimes supply jobs with missing files or fonts, it only holds up your job. Be sure to provide all fonts needed to print your document. Check your job carefully. We will not be responsible for missing links. All Illustrator EPS files placed into the program should have the fonts embedded Illustrator 8 and up gives this option. We prefer you to convert all type to outlines. If your output is larger than the page layout programs's largest page size, just scale the page down by 25% or 50%. Please note this on your Order Form (If you want to print a 48"x72", set up the page as a 24" x 36", we will scale it up - just make sure the raster files placed into it have enough resolution to be scaled up.)
Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand, Corel Draw and Canvas: Please include all fonts or converted to curves (outlines or paths. Picture placed into the document should be converted to a cmyk before being placed into your output document. These programs allow your file to be saved as an EPS with all fonts and placed images embedded. This format works well for us. If you plan to make an EPS, please make a thin border around the page size to show where the image starts and ends. Sometimes the EPS will not show the white margin space between the edge of the document's page and the first piece of artwork. Caution: Corel Draw frequently has problems with the different lens effects, they are not very postscript friendly, please consult a technician before sending in the file to avoid problems outputting.
Excel, Word: Include any fonts that you are using in your document. These programs are not the typical page layout programs and do not warn us of any missing fonts. The program just does it's own substitution. The colors chosen in these programs are not normally accurate, please provide a color proof for us to determine what your desired output should resemble.
Acrobat Acrobat PDF : If you are using Adobe Acrobat Distiller, make sure no bitmap compression is used for the best quality images and do not have Downsampling turned on. Include ALL fonts. Do not allow font substitution. High Quality JPEG or Zip 8 bit compression may be used to decrease file size.

File Transfer Issues

When sending your file to our ftp site please WinZip or Stuff your file to help us quickly transfer your file to our system. This will allow us to keep on schedule and produce your Job ASAP.