FAQs/
Recommended Design Formats

File Formats

We support both IBM based "PC" files and Mac native files.

** Important note for Adobe InDesign users

Because Adobe InDesign is intended to be used primarily for mass print communication and not for large format graphics, we HIGHLY recommend that files not be submitted in it’s native format. We strongly recommend that the export to *.eps or *.pdf features be utilized for submission of your large format graphic. Exporting each page of your Adobe InDesign document as a separate file will greatly reduce the likelihood of font incompatibility and/or questionable output.

 If Adobe InDesign must be used, please be aware that additional setup time, cost and production time may be incurred if not set up properly.

Please follow these important steps when submitting Adobe InDesign Files.

• Document setup for each separate graphic must be in proportion to final output.

• Set up document to be .25 inches larger in length and width for production bleed.

• When utilizing any plug-in, outside of the basic application, it must be included with art for installation on our systems.

• When collecting for output, all fonts must be included with artwork, including printer and screen fonts. If both files for each font are not included it will likely cause delays in production.

• When collecting for output, all images must include artwork, with correct imbedding names. If high-resolution art is not included, the thumbnail image resident in the file will be used with unreliable visual results.

Important note on using bitmapped images and logos:

• In the graphic art industry there are two types of artwork that can be used within a file, "vector art" and "bitmap images". Usually however, files can and will contain both types of art. Keep in mind that large format output usually requires substantial enlargement of the graphic elements within a file. For this reason we recommend using vector art whenever possible. This type of artwork is made up of defined shapes, lines and colors that can be scaled with no distortion to the artwork.

•  Bitmapped images and artwork are comprised of colored pixels. In all cases, whether noticeable or not, bitmapped images will degrade as they are enlarged. To avoid this, all images and bitmaps must be submitted or imbedded at final production size at a minimum of 100 dpi, or maximum of 150 dpi. If the minimum guideline is not followed, the final product could appear pixelated, jagged or "stepped", cloudy and often in the case of bitmapped text, undecipherable. Please keep this in mind when using a website graphic image file, which is typically only a thumbnail file at17-25 dpi. Please don’t “right click” and copy images from web sites; these files were never intended for print.

Media and files to be submitted:

We currently support the following media transfer technology for Macintosh or PC.  When using multiple applications to construct your graphic, please supply us only with the application file to be used for output, as opposed to the supporting files for the same graphic.

 Please do not use links to external files when supplying your graphic, embed all supporting files within your main application file.

• Cloud Services (please be sure to include access permissions or please send with no sign in required)

• FTP site (Please contact us for FTP account information and be sure that your system has ftp software installed)

• E-mail (if your attachment is more than 20 meg please use one of our other three options for submission)

When submitting files, please be sure to supply us with only those files specific to your job.   Additional cost will be incurred if time must be spent searching for relevant files.