Supplying Graphics, Logos and Photographs
admin posted in Uncategorized on September 22nd, 2008
HOW TO PROVIDE LOGOS, PHOTOGRAPHS, GRAPHICS
To get the best results, you should send the best graphics you have.
There are basically two types of graphics. The original, which the artist – created, photographer – snapped or painter – painted and “output files” which are simplier files which cannot be easily changed. When they are described as simplier, it is because they have less information in them, less detail. Often customers send us small output files like JPG, which look fine on their letterhead. Unfortunately they can look very poor once they are enlarged and printed onto your cards. It is easy to check this, most JPG for emails are from 5 – 50 kb in size, the original photographs are 800-5000 kb in size.
Our policy is, we print what you instruct us to print, but we do warn about poor quality graphics where we can.
If we are doing your artwork for your card – (96% of our customers) then it is a good idea that you send some of your current marketing, Brochures, Advertisements, Business cards, Coasters. Logos, photographs, etc. This will help us to “capture” the theme of how you are promoting yourself. If you have a website, tell us about it – it might get a better result for your cards.
If you are using logos which you do not own, please be sure to get permission to use them with your cards. The owner of the “branding” may want you to withdraw any advertising which they do not approve of and this may require you to replace your cards. Franchisees and simliar licencees, etc. usually have permission from the parent company to make use of the “branding” associated with their product(s).
“READY TO USE”
Logos, photographs, graphics, etc. should be supplied the way you want them to appear on your cards, we call this “ready to use”. If you require changes to your graphics, like a colour change or background change, this is NOT “ready to use“. We will, within reason, try to make these changes for you. We only ask that you make our job as easy as possible by providing the original files. These are the best files to work with – the easiest which give the best results.
If we are faced with recreating the logo again, it is unlikely to be exact and there will be additional charges to do this.
The best way to avoid additional art costs, is to provide your graphics as a Corel Draw CDR, or photoshop PS, or Encapsulated Postscript EPS, or Illustrator AI file with colour separation or masking. Photographs are best as TIF files with transparent backgrounds, where the subject of the photograph is separated from background. Other usually good file formats are Adobe PDF.
Of course, you can get the original artist to make these changes and provide them to us as “ready to use” art or have them contact us.
FREEBIES: We will
CUT an image out of one picture, e.g. a car from a phtograph.
RESIZE a photograph to better fit
ADJUST brightness or contrast of one photo
BLEND out the edge of an image, so it blends into the background
TRACE a simple logo into black and white image.
But not all of the above, and not multiple times. All additional work will be charged for or the client can arrange to have the graphics finished and send us the “ready to use” art for use on their cards.
We also have a technical guide for preparing and sending your artwork
BACK (to Custom Designs for cards)