Artwork Guidelines

Adobe Illustrator files are the preferred format for graphics. They allow the greatest flexibility for scaling graphics to any size without loss of quality. Scans should be CMYK and saved as an .eps. Resolution of the scan should be 300dpi at 25% of final output size. (For CorelDRAW* see accepted file format notes.) NOTE:  If you include your text in your Photoshop file, your resolution will need to be higher than this in order to assure that the text looks as clean as possible. Flatten or rasterize text whenever possible.

All files need to be setup at 25% (1:4 scale) of actual size (for example, a 16” x 32” sign should be laid out in a 4” x 8” document). Files with bleeds need to have a minimum bleed size of 3/4”. Photoshop files need to be 300dpi at 25% of actual size. Any art scans placed within a layout aplication, such as InDesign or Quark, should be placed in the document as an .eps at 70-100% scale.

All Adobe Illustrator, and CorelDRAW files must have the fonts converted to outlines or paths. All fonts used in an InDesign or Quark document must be provided, both screen and printer fonts.

We require a .pdf of the final artwork to ensure that the final digital output matches your original file. If you need the output color to be extreamly accurate, we require you to supply us with specific PMS colors.

(.jpg, .bmp, . gif) These are formats usually formated for web design. These can only be accepted if the resolution is at least 150-300dpi and in CMYK color. NOTE: If you are taking an image from a website it WILL NOT WORK. Photos from websites are formatted from the originals to be as small as possible so web pages can load quickly. These files are too small for print.

If you are taking pictures from a digital camera to send to us for output, your camera settings must be at “High” or “Best” resolution. Digital photos under 5MP usually do not work for large format output. If you have a small digital file, DO NOT open the photo in a photo editing program and change the resolution (dpi) to make the photo larger. There is no way to ADD resolution to a photo that has already been taken, all that happens is you take a bad photo and make it larger in size. Please retake the photo or find an alternative. If your digital camera does not take photos at a print acceptable resolution, then you must use a traditional film camera and either scan the photo or send us the developed glossy print to scan. We DO NOT print from or accept layouts for print in the following formats, except for importing text into an actual design program: MS Publisher, MS Word, MS Powerpoint, MS Excel.

Accepted Formats Illustrator CS (.ai, .eps, .pdf)

- Convert ALL fonts to outlines

- Outline ALL strokes

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Photoshop CS (.psd, .tif, .eps)

- Save as CMYK Acrobat (.pdf)

- Embed ALL fonts and images upon export- Set image export to 300dpi

CorelDRAW* (.cdr, .eps, .ai, .ps)

- We DO NOT take native .cdr files!

- Files must be exported/saved in an industry standard format (.eps, .ai, or .ps) before sending

- Convert ALL fonts to outlines

- Outline ALL Strokes

QuarkXpress (.qxd)

- Include ALL fonts and placed images

All turnaround times quoted begin when we receive the Print Proof Approvals and end at the ship date and are measured in business days (excluding holidays).  The Print Proof Approval allows us to send your order to production.

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Any delay in artwork submission or proof approvals may postpone production and may extend our quoted turnaround times.

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Please note that Mockup Approvals are not Print Proof Approvals.