Here are some frequently asked questions regarding artwork specifications that we come across at Fireworks Digital. Print and specifications for printing signage can get confusing, so here’s a great article to clear up some questions you may have regarding quality and best file sizes. Feel free to always call or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding artwork specifications and your graphics for print!
Press ready PDF
With fonts embedded, or converted to outlines. For best results, high resolution 300dpi.
Illustrator CS6 or earlier
Fonts converted to outlines and supplied as AI or EPS files. Or output ‘Press Ready’ PDF from Illustrator.
Photoshop CS6 or earlier
Layers flattened, at least 300 dpi. Remember to include bleed. PSD Layered file can be supplied but they will be large.
Corel Draw X6
Fonts converted to Curves then export as Illustrator AI file.
Different formats
If you wish to submit artwork created using a program not listed above, we will try to accommodate you where we can but please call our team first to discuss.
Please contact us if you have concerns about final output resolution.
Include Bleed and Crop Marks
Generally, bleed should be 1% of image height/width.
If your artwork is supplied without bleed, we may not always be able to add it on your file and you may have to amend and re-supply the artwork.
CMYK not RGB please!
Please ensure that all embedded images are CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black files. Be aware that files converted from RGB to CMYK may alter the colour composition significantly!
Fonts
Include all fonts you have used in file, or convert to Outlines. Whilst we have an extensive font collection, there is no guarantee the version you have used will match ours. This can create problems with line lengths and spacing of the wording and type.
Line art and Images
Scanned colour and greyscale images should be 300dpi at the final size in the document submitted for output.
Images should be submitted as TIFF’s, JPEG’s or EPS. Line art (bitmapped) should be 600-1200 dpi at the final size in the document submitted for output.
Please include a hard copy of your artwork for reference with any useful instructions.
Artwork supplied at less than 300dpi at 25% scale can be printed, although the result may be unsatisfactory.
Customer Supplied Artwork – Please be aware that Fireworks Digital cannot guarantee the final output of customer supplied files. Resolution of images, colours & formatting may be different to your expectations.
