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Click Here to use our Artwork Upload Form for sending us your Artwork.
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This List will help you find exactly what you are looking for Fast & Easy!!
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- Vector Graphics: (also called Line Art) are made up of mathematically defined curves and line segments (See Artwork Definitions for more on Vector Graphics)
- Raster Images: (also called Bitmap Images) are formed by a rectangular grid of small squares or pixels (See Artwork Definitions for more on Raster Images)
- Color Models – Print vs. Web:
- Print Design: CMYK is the 4 color process used to print in all standard printers and on all standard print presses. It is considered Subtractive and Everything on Paper is always CMYK.
- Web Images: RGB is the 3 color process used to view all colors on every monitor in the world and on the web. It is considered Additive and Everything on the Web is always RGB which cannot be replicated on paper without drastic color variations.
- Process Colors: In the four-color printing process, color is reproduced using three transparent pigments: Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (C, M, & Y). These are called Process Inks or Colors. To achieve contrast and detail in shadows Black ink is added to the process inks. Black is referred to as the Key and is identified with the letter K. This is how you get the term CMYK. When these colors are all printed together they are considered a Full or Four-Color Process Print. This will ALWAYS produce 4 Color Separated Plates from the artwork in order to print the artwork correctly.
- Spot Colors and Tints: Spot color refers to color printed using other than process inks. Each Spot color is produced using a single ink and printing plate. You can choose from hundreds of different spot-color inks or from the ones the vendors offer. Spot color is also often used to save money when only one or two colors are needed since a job can then be printed on a less-expensive 2 color printing press. This will ALWAYS produce 1 Color Plate per Color used in the final artwork.
- For Example: A Spot Color printed at 100% density is a Solid Color and has no dot pattern. A Tint is a lightened Spot Color created by printing smaller Halftone Dots. This process is usually called Screening by printers.
- White, unless it is the sub-straight, is always a Spot Color – NO EXCEPTIONS!!
- Continuous-Tone Art and Line Art:
- Continuous-Tone Art, such as a photograph or multi-tonal design, is art that consists of shades of gray and
color gradations.
- Line Art, such as a wireframe drawing or draftsman drawing, is art that consists of no tonal variations or shading.
- Halftone Screens: an array of dots used in the printing process.
- Black & White (Grey Scale) Images: Black dots are used to stimulate the areas of the image to produce Gray, White, and Black. When the dots are large they appear Dark Gray or Black and the areas where the dots are small appear Light Gray or White with the space around them.
- Full Color Images: To achieve a satisfactory range of color, the printer normally superimposes four arrays of dots – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. A region with larger dots appears darker. When the registration is aligned on the correct angles, the dots form a field of rosettes.
- Separations: To print color art on a commercial press, each page is separated into component images called Separations. There are at least four separations per page, one for each of the CMYK Process Colors and one for each Spot Color being used. Spot Color Separations are sometimes called Spot-Color Overlays. If Halftone screening is needed, each separation is screened separately to resolve it into an array of dots. Commercial printers may require film separations to create plates for color printing, or may be prepared to print directly from digitally screened color separation files.
- Undercolor Removal (UCR) and Gray-Component Replacement (GCR): With UCR, Black Ink is used to deepen shadow and neutral (gray) areas in an image, giving it a richer tonal area. With GCR, Black Ink replaces all neutral color areas in an image, sometimes making a detailed image appear flat.
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- Resolution: Refers to the image output of the combination of the PPI and the LPI to give you the final images DPI. If resolution is unnecessarily high, files will take a long time to display and image, if the resolution is too low, the quality of the output will suffer. As a general rule, the scan resolution should be double the lines per inch you intend to use for halftone screening, although this can vary.
- Typical Resolutions: Images: 300 dpi min to 600 dpi max Logo: 300 dpi min or Vector
Web: 72 dpi min to 100 max – Cannot Print Web Images Badge: 150 dpi min
- Image Resolution or Pixels Per Inch (ppi): is the number of pixels displayed per inches in an image. The more pixels in an inch, the higher the resolution of the output image and the less block-like the image appears. (PPI is a Horizontal Measurement of the information inside a square inch)
- Should be 1.5 to 2 times the LPI – LPI = 150 then the PPI is 300
- Line Screen or Lines Per Inch (lpi): also called screen ruling or frequency, is the number of printer dots or halftone cells per inch used to print grayscale or color images. (LPI is a Vertical Measurement of the information inside a square inch)
- Screen Frequency is the lines of cells per inch in a halftone screen.
- Commercial printers vary, Generally uses 120 lpi – 150 lpi, then multiply that by 2 for the dpi
- Device Resolution or Dots Per Inch (dpi): Refers to the resolution of which the device, such as a monitor or printer, can display text and graphics. It is also commonly referred to as the image resolution of the artwork being provided. (DPI is the Overall Measurement of the info inside a square inch)
- When increasing the resolution and size of an image during scanning a photograph you want the canvas size or the overall dpi to increase. Example: Your image is 2” x 2” at 300 dpi, this image cannot be increased without loss, however if you scan the image at 600 dpi then you would be able to print the image at 4” x 4” without loss of quality.
- Pixel: is the Square shaped Holding point of information in all Image/Raster files. The DPI refers to the number of Pixels in a given inch, so the more Pixels you have in an inch the smaller they will be and the tighter the information will be increasing your image’s print resolution, and the less Pixels you have in an inch the larger they will be and the looser the information will be decreasing your image’s print resolution and making it Pixilated or blocky in appearance.
- PMS: Pantone Matching System – a system of fine tuned colors that can be used for perfect matching in your artwork and designs. There is not mixing of these colors they are Spot Colors only.
- There are many Pantone Charts for you to choose from, however the industry standard is the PMS C - Solid Coated Color System.
- Bleeds: when printing an object to the edge of the final printed piece you must have what they call a bleed. This is the
area of the object that extends past the outer most edge of your final artwork size. Typically the bleed area is .25”, but check with the printer to determine the correct bleed size for your project. To make sure your object bleeds past the Printer’s trim marks, simply apply them to your final project and check to make sure your object exceeds the printer’s marks by the recommended amount.
- Dot Gain: The spread of dots during several stages of printing and plate making, as measured by the increase in size of a mid-tone dot. In some cases it is also where the ink pools or collects creating blobs or blotches in the final output. Screen Printing and Low Quality paper are the most common places.
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Use this simple guide to determine the best way to order your colored product. Make sure to check that the vendor supports your preferred method for designating color for your project before pricing. Remember that a balanced approached to color printing helps ensure acceptable results.
- Use Spot Colors When:
- You need 1, 2, or 3 colors and you will not be reproducing process-color photographs
- You want the effect of special inks, such as metallic, fluorescent, or pearlescent spot inks.
- You want to print logos or other graphics elements that require precise floor matching or you’re printing large areas of color throughout your entire project and you want to ensure color consistency.
- Spot Colors produce 1 Printing Plate per Color in artwork.
- Use Process Colors When:
- You need more than 3 colors in your project. In general, printing with process inks costs less than printing with three or more spot inks.
- You want to reproduce scanned color photos or color artwork that can only be reproduced using Process Colors.
- Process Colors produce 4 Printing Plates to print the artwork.
- Use Spot & Process Colors Together When:
- Your requirements extend beyond ordinary process color or you want to print white onto a garment that also includes
a photo or a 4 Color Process Logo or Artwork.
- Process Color plus Spot Colors produce 4 Printing Plates plus 1 Printing Plate for each Spot Color used to print
the artwork.
- Remember the more Color Plates you have the more expensive the print.
- How to Determine how many Printing Plates your Artwork will use:
- If you think of CMY as the Primary colors Blue, Red, & Yellow it makes it easy. If the artwork contains Purple, Orange, or Green then you know it will take at least 2 Printing Plates to create these colors. If the color is Dark then there is probably Black added also for depth if it is light then there is probably no need to have a Black Printing Plate.
- If there is a chance that there will be 3 or 4 color plates used the best option you have is to print your item in 4 Color Process. (Photos always use 4 Color Process!)
- If you can use 2 or 3 Spot Colors to get your artwork printed then that is the least expensive option along with
the cleanest.
- If your design is only One Color then use a Spot Color when ever possible.
- If you have any questions or concerns ask the Art Department for assistance.
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- Heat Transfers: When ordering heat transfers you have a variety of options so to make the correct decision here are the specs on what you need to know.
- 4-Color Process: Required Information
- Vector Artwork at the Final Print Size in Illustrator CS4 .AI or Corel Draw X3 .CDR
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file must be vector and cannot contain placed images.
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Colors. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color. Do not designate any colors as
Spot or RGB.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or
Outlines (Illustrator).
- Halftones: Must have a solid backing color. Designs cannot have soft edges (transparent or
semi-transparent).
- Raster Artwork at the Final Print Size in Photoshop CS4 .PSD
- Resolution: Must be 600 dpi – nothing less will print correctly
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Color. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed, however do not use as shirt color or to cover up items in artwork..
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or Outlines (Illustrator) or rasterized (Photoshop).
- Note: All images must be on a layer with solid edges or be accompanied by a solid mask.
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
- Spot Color: Required Information
- Vector Artwork at the Final Print Size in Illustrator CS4 .AI or Corel Draw X3 .CDR
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file must be vector and cannot contain placed images.
- Color: Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or
Outlines (Illustrator).
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
- Foil Transfers: Required Information
- Vector Artwork at the Final Print Size in Illustrator CS4 .AI or Corel Draw X3 .CDR
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file must be vector and cannot contain placed images.
- Color: Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or
Outlines (Illustrator).
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
- ecoCOLOR: Required Information
- Vector Artwork at the Final Print Size in Illustrator CS4 .AI or Corel Draw X3 .CDR
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file must be vector and cannot contain placed images.
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Colors. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color. Do not designate any colors as
Spot or RGB.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or
Outlines (Illustrator).
- Halftones: Must have a solid backing color. Designs cannot have soft edges (transparent or
semi-transparent).
- Raster Artwork at the Final Print Size in Photoshop CS4 .PSD
- Resolution: Must be 600 dpi – nothing less will print correctly
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Color. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or Outlines (Illustrator) or rasterized (Photoshop).
- Note: All images must be on a layer with solid edges or be accompanied by a solid mask.
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
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- Screen Printing or Silk-Screen Process: A printing method in which a finely woven stretched screen carries a hand-cut or photographically exposed mask. The mask acts as a stencil, and ink is squeezed through the mesh of the screen in open areas of the mask onto the intended substrate. While you may associate screen printing only with apparel printing (such as t-shirts), it’s also used for spot application of scratch-off coverings for game pieces, scratch-n-sniff areas, and printing on irregular surfaces such as molded pieces.
- When Submitting your Artwork: This is the Required Information
- Artwork: Vector is preferred, however Raster can be printed
- Resolution or Line Screen: Must be 300 dpi or 267 ppi with 133 lpi (most printers will adjust the ppi and lpi for you if your artwork is 300 dpi.
- Size: Submit artwork at the Final Print Size Only!!
- Programs: Illustrator CS4 .AI or .EPS is preferred or Photoshop CS4 .PSD for Images. (Rastered Files are a Last Ditch Effort Only!! Get Vector if you can!!)
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file, if Vector it cannot contain any placed images, if Raster all images must be self contained within layers.
- Color: All colors should be either CMYK Process Colors or Spot Colors. The appropriate PMS (Pantone C) numbers should be sent with the artwork for accurate color reproduction. Please use the Pantone Solid Coated range in artwork.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or Outlines (Illustrator) or
rasterized (Photoshop).
- Halftones: Must have a solid backing color. Designs cannot have soft edges (transparent or
semi-transparent).
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
- Common Problems that might occur during the screen-printing process:
- 1. Dot Gain of 15% or more, starting in the mid-tones or Solid fill-in of dots over 85%
- Dot gain is what happens when a halftone dot prints larger than was intended
- 2. Disappearance of dots under 10-15%
- Dot disappearance is the failure to print of halftone dots under a certain weight.
- 3. At least one significant tonal jump at around 30%, and a few smaller ones scattered about.
- Tonal jump is the sudden increase in dot gain once a particular dot density is passed.
- To avoid, or mitigate, most of the above:
- You should not use smooth gradients for screen-printing. Artwork consisting of gradients will often result in tonal jump and posterization.
- Do not use an image that contains a lot of subtle highlight info in the 0% - 20% range. Dots will likely disappear and cause a visual hole in the centre of your artwork.
- It is preferable for your artwork to be solid spot colors, note that you can use hues of spot colors to give a very effective impression of color.
- You may also be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is possible to create an image that looks quite intricately shaded, keep your image dpi at no less than 300 dpi.
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- Sublimation Process: There are a few different types of Sublimation Printing…
- Sublimation Process: Sublimation is the process of changing directly from a solid into a gas. Dye sublimation printing uses this process to print either onto a paper transfer sheet or directly onto fabric containing polyester. Because sublimation dyes bond only to polymer substances, polyester fabrics or materials coated with a polymer are the only substrates you can use for sublimation printing. The process causes the image to permanently bond with the material.
- Dye Sublimation: Dye sublimation photo printers convert digital image data into high-quality color photographs. The printer has a cartridge of polyester film infused with the colors cyan, magenta and yellow. The picture is printed onto sheets of special porous paper in a four-step process. The printer loads a sheet of the porous printer paper, places it next to the polyester film and applies heat at 350 F in four steps to transfer each color and a final protective coat to the photograph. The heat causes the dye in the film to bond with the paper to make a long-lasting color photograph. Sublimation photo printers can print images from a computer or directly from your digital camera.
- Rigid Surfaces: Sublimation printing can be used to print images onto a variety of rigid substrates. The first step in this process is to print your image onto transfer paper using a printer designed to print using sublimation inks. Next the transfer image is taped onto the item to be printed using heat resistant tape. These substrate items are coated with a polymer substance to which the image bonds. The item is then placed image-side-up into a heat press to transfer the image. Heat presses are available with flat heat plates for flat items or curved heat plates for hats or mugs.
- Transfer Printing: Sublimation transfer printing is used to print images, logos and text onto fabrics and other polyester coated substrates. The process combines software for managing the images and text with hardware to put the image onto specially treated transfer paper. In transfer printing the image to be printed is captured by the coating on the transfer paper and then a press is used to apply heat and pressure to transfer the image onto the T-shirt, banner or other cloth item.
- How to Submit Artwork For Sublimation Printing:
- Vector Artwork at the Final Print Size in Illustrator CS4 .AI or Corel Draw X3 .CDR
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file must be vector and cannot contain
placed images.
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Colors. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color. Do not designate any colors as Spot or RGB.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or
Outlines (Illustrator).
- Halftones: Must have a solid backing color. Designs cannot have soft edges (transparent or semi-transparent).
- Raster Artwork at the Final Print Size in Photoshop CS4 .PSD
- Resolution: Must be 600 dpi – nothing less will print correctly
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Color. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or Outlines (Illustrator) or
rasterized (Photoshop).
- Note: All images must be on a layer with solid edges or be accompanied by a solid mask.
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
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- Pad Printing: Pad printing is a process that allows you to print images onto obscure and ununiform objects. Using pad printers, you can print images onto curved or 3-D objects of any material. Pad printing is a great way to produce promotional and marketing materials.
- How to Submit Artwork For Sublimation Printing:
- Vector Artwork at the Final Print Size in Illustrator CS4 .AI or Corel Draw X3 .CDR
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file must be vector and cannot contain placed images.
- Color: Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or
Outlines (Illustrator).
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
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- Thermal Printing: There are 2 forms of Thermal Printing – Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer this describes both methods in detail so you are familiar.
- Direct Thermal: (Like Mugs & Mouse Pads) Thermal transfer printing uses a heated ribbon to produce durable, long-lasting images on a wide variety of materials. No ribbon is used in direct thermal printing, which creates the image directly on the printed material. Direct thermal printing uses chemically treated, heat-sensitive media that blackens when it passes under the thermal printhead. Direct thermal printers have no ink, toner, or ribbon. Their simple design makes thermal printers durable and easy to use. Because there is no ribbon, direct thermal printers cost less to operate than inkjet, laser, impact, and thermal transfer printers. Most mobile printers use direct thermal technology. Thermal media images may fade over time. If the label is overexposed to heat, light, or other catalysts, the material will darken and make the text or bar code unreadable. It is for these reasons, direct thermal printing is not used for lifetime identification applications. The readability of direct thermal labels, wristbands, and receipt papers varies greatly, depending on the usage conditions, but the technology provides an ample lifespan for many common bar code printing applications including shipping labels, patient and visitor identification, grocery store receipts, and ticket printing.
- Thermal Transfer: (Like our Badges) Direct thermal media is more sensitive to light, heat and abrasion, which reduces the life of the printed material. Thermal transfer printers can accept a wider variety of media than direct thermal models, including paper, polyester, and polypropylene materials. Thermal transfer printers can create extremely durable wristbands, asset tags, and certification labels, in addition to common labels, tags, and tickets. The specific label material and ribbon must be carefully matched to ensure print performance and durability.
- Vector Artwork at the Final Print Size in Illustrator CS4 .AI or Corel Draw X3 .CDR
- Placed Images: All Artwork contained in the art file must be vector and cannot contain
placed images.
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Colors. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color. Do not designate any colors as Spot or RGB.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or
Outlines (Illustrator).
- Halftones: Must have a solid backing color. Designs cannot have soft edges (transparent or semi-transparent).
- Raster Artwork at the Final Print Size in Photoshop CS4 .PSD
- Resolution: Must be 600 dpi – nothing less will print correctly
- Color: All colors should be CMYK Process Color. Use white in any area that you wish to have white printed. Do not use white to "mask out" areas that represent shirt color.
- Fonts: All fonts must be converted to Curves (Corel Draw) or Outlines (Illustrator) or
rasterized (Photoshop).
- Note: All images must be on a layer with solid edges or be accompanied by a solid mask.
- Artwork Proof: Raster Proof supplied in either JPG or PDF format on a color that is either the shirt color or 100% Cyan (anything except white). This is to show the printer what needs to be printed and if white is in the design where it has to print.
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