Your artwork begins with either a drawing on paper or computer generated art. This artwork has to be computerized and separated by colours onto a clear film positive. For each film positive, we will need a screen. In short, the less colours in your design, the less expensive your printing cost will be.

We have put together some common questions on graphics in the list below.
Most of these are general concerns involving creating and sending your art.

Q: I have an idea for art but I need you to create it. How long will it take?
A: If your design involves nothing more that generating type we can usually do that within 7 days.
If your design requires clip art illustration or creation of a custom logo or drawing, it may take up to 2 weeks.
Printing production can only begin after we receive your approval on the art. We are happy to discuss the details of creating original art or logo designs.

Q: Is it best to send digital or non-digital media?
A: We accept a wide variety of digital and non-digital formats. We prefer digital since they can be processed more quickly. The digital file format is best determined by the content of your design and the program that generated it. These are discussed in more detail below.

Q: What non-digital media do you accept?
A: It is strongly recommended that you DO NOT send us the original art. This is to prevent any loss or damage of your artwork. Instead, please make a good quality black and white & a colour photocopy (so we know which colours go where) and send us those instead.
Art should be letter size (8.5” X 11”) or smaller. Images larger than this may incur additional time and cost to process.

Q: What file format should I use for full-colour photographs?
A: We encourage you to send .cdr files from Corel Draw 7 – 15.  Documents from Adobe Photoshop (psd) JPEG’s, TIFF’s, PNG’s and/or BMP files are also accepted, although there are certain limitations and art charges will apply. Please make sure your document is saved at the size you want it printed and that it has a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) or greater.

Q: Can I send a JPEG OR PNG or BMP file?
A: Yes, although PNG, BMP and JPEG files are best suited for viewing on computer monitors. Due to compression, these image formats can occasionally lose unexpected detail or colour.

Small PNG’s and JPEG’s are an excellent way for us to preview your document quickly.
If you are using a PNG or JPEG file as your finished work, please make sure that the image is made
to the size that you want to print it and has a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) or greater. This can sometimes lead to large image sizes, but it is entirely acceptable.

Q: What format should I use for a simple Logo or text?
A: If your design consists of a few colours and crisp shapes such as text or a company logo, it is best to send them as a vector-based file format such as Corel Draw (cdr) or Adobe Illustrator (ai). We also accept Postscript (eps), Windows Meta File (wmf) and Adobe Acrobat (pdf) formats for vectored art.

Q: Can I send Macintosh files?
A: Yes. We use PC’s, but we support some cross-platform graphics files. If your document contains text, please make sure you convert your fonts to vector paths (outlines/curves) or export them in a vectorized Postscript (eps) or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format.

Q: My designs include a lot of text and image(s). What format should I use?
A: We support original documents made in Corel Draw (cdr) 7 to 15, Adobe Illustrator (ai) or Adobe Photoshop (psd).

You are encouraged to send us the original files you used to generate these. If you have used an unusual font, please send us the PC font file or convert your fonts to vector (outline/curves) information. If you used another program such as Quark Express, Adobe Pagemaker, InDesign or Macromedia Freehand, please export you document as a generic .eps file. Please convert your text to vector information or send us the PC font files in addition to your document. You can also export your image as an .eps or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format.

We apologize that programs such as Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Powerpoint are not supported; but we can accommodate you by re-building your design here.

Q: Do you accept artwork made on Microsoft Word?
A: Yes. We support documents made in Microsoft Word (doc/ docx) formats. Since Word is not intended as “pure” graphics program, we may have to re-construct portions of your document so we can output and print it successfully. If you incorporate a Raster image in your document please make sure it has a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) or greater. For best results using clip art in Microsoft Word, use the vectorized .wmf images.

For a complicated image, this may incur additional time and cost. If you have used an unusual font, please send us the PC font file with your artwork.

Q: How can I send you my digital files?
A: You can send them as an e-mail attachment, or you can mail/deliver them on USB thumb-drive or CD.

Please contact us for more information!