Page 216 - Product Guide - FastSigns

PRINT METHOD
ACCEPTABLE FILES
FILE FORMAT
PRINTING SPECIFICATIONS
Full-Color Imprint
Vector with fonts outlined
Adobe Illustrator .ai
.eps
.pdf
- All files are printed in CMYK (process color); PMS (spot) colors and RGB files will be converted to CMYK prior to printing
- Halftones/percentages of PMS colors and contained gradients are acceptable
- Minimum line thickness 0.125" (8-9 pt. stroke)
- Minimum of 0.25" width and height on all individual elements
- Minimum of 0.5" x 0.5" for all registered trademarks, trademarks, copyright symbols, etc.
Full-Color Inkjet & Full-Color Dye Sublimation
Vector with fonts outlined and links embedded
Raster
Adobe Illustrator .ai
.eps
.pdf
Adobe Photoshop (High Resolution) .tif
.psd
.eps .pdf .jpg
- Use product template to set up print-ready artwork
- All files are printed in CMYK (process color); PMS (spot) colors and RGB files will be converted
to CMYK prior to printing
- Full-color artwork including gradients, raster/photo images and bleeds
- Raster images must be created at actual size with 200 dpi resolution
- Minimum of 24 pt. reversed-out text
- Minimum of 12 pt. regular text
- Minimum line thickness: 1 pt. regular text, 2 pt. reversed-out text
VECTOR ART
(Recommended for all products)
- Can be scaled to any size while maintaining quality - Known as line art
- Vector artwork is preferred (unless printing photos)
OUTLINED FONTS
(Required for all products)
Font selection can vary from computer to computer, which can cause a desired font to be replaced with a generic one. To preserve your fonts, always outline, embed, or convert them to curves before submitting artwork.
.eps, .ai, .pdf
RASTER ART
- Known as bitmap art
- Composed of pixels (or tiny
squares) grouped together to make
one complete image
- When scaled larger, the image will
look pixelated (or jagged)
- Submit art at 200 DPI (dots per inch)
at full size
200 DPI
High resolution images include:
Unedited, original raw digital photos and stock photos
.tif, .psd, .eps, .pdf, .jpg
10 DPI
Photos taken from the internet, scanned images, photos taken on a cell phone, screenshots, etc.
Original font
EMBEDDED IMAGES
(Required for all products)
Missing font replaced with a generic one
Original font when outlined, embedded or converted to curves
Low resolution images are:
Most programs allow the user to add an image to a file by linking or embedding. Embedded images are stored within the document itself, while linked files are not. Because of this, linked files can suddenly vanish when opened from a different computer. Embed all images to avoid losing them when files are submitted.
UNACCEPTABLE FILE FORMATS:
Quark, Corel Draw, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher, Pagemaker, low- resolution scanned images and files over 2 GB. (InDesign files, unless exported to .eps or .pdf format, will incur additional charges or be rejected).
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GRAPHIC & PRINT GUIDELINES
PRODUCT TEMPLATES
Templates ensure artwork is printed correctly. Always use the most recent templates, which can be found in the "Graphics Templates" tab on each product page of our website.
- Do not leave template lines in artwork
- Templates are available for custom products/
orders upon request
Save TIME, MONEY and HASSLE with templates specifically created for each product.
Each template includes file setup specs for sizing your artwork, including the bleed, finished and safe areas.