The Basics
To produce the best quality product, all art must meet the specifications below. All art will be inspected by our art department, and we will contact you to let you know whether the art is acceptable. If you need help with your art, or need art created, let us know and we will work with you to create or alter your design.
Ink Colors
Please supply PMS color specifications for your job. Custom color matches are free of charge (subject to a 10% variance.) We can print up to 4 spot colors per bag (4/0, 3/1, or 2/2.)
Positioning
Unless otherwise specified, all art will be centered on bags. We require a minimum margin of 1" on all edges. |
Trapping
Plastic film can shift up to 1/8" during printing. On multi-color jobs, white space should be left between colors if possible. If colors must overlap, trapping should extend 1/16”-1/8”. When setting trapping, be aware of the print order: lighter colors print first, followed by darker colors, and black will always print on top. If unsure of the color print order on your job, please contact us.
Art Charges
If your art doesn’t meet the needed requirements for printing, we will let you know so that the art can be adjusted. If you prefer, we will provide a quote for adjusting art. Art created or adjusted by our art department is billed at $50/hour.
Please check your design for needed text and for typos. Art charges will apply if additional text needs to be added to your art. If specific fonts will be needed for additional text, please provide the font (PC format) or font name, and a sample of the font. If we don’t have access to fonts, there may also be a charge for purchasing fonts (generally $20-$50 per font.)
All art costs must be approved prior to production. |
What is Vector Art?
Vector images are shapes and lines drawn in an illustration
program (like Illustrator or CorelDraw) that have mathematical dimensions. This
allows unlimited scalability without degrading image quality. Images have smooth
edges at all sizes, and file sizes much smaller than bitmap images. Common
vector formats are Adobe Illustrator (AI), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), and
Corel Draw (CDR). TrueType, Open Type, and Postscript Font files are also vector
files.
Bitmap images are made up of a series of individually defined
pixels and have a fixed resolution. A 1” x 1” bitmap, at 300dpi, is 300 pixels
wide and 300 high. Bitmap images CAN'T be scaled without losing quality. For
printing, the higher the resolution of bitmap files, the better the image
quality. Common bitmap formats are TIFF, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP.
Why does my art have to be in vector format?
Vector art provides much cleaner and smoother lines and edges
to the art. Any half-toning on plastic bags is printed at no smaller than 35
lpi, which can result in jagged or uneven edges if using a bitmapped image.
What do DPI DPI, LPI and PPI mean?
Both digital bitmap images and printed images are made up of a
series of dots.
- DPI – Dots Per Inch –the resolution of a
printed image, how many dots of ink printed per inch.
- PPI – Pixels Per Inch – refers to the
number of pixels per inch (vertically and horizontally) in a digital image
- LPI – Lines Per Inch – refers to the
lines of dots in a halftone or screen - the higher the number, the smaller
the dots.
Printer DPI is generally a higher number than the image PPI,
and the PPI is a higher number than the LPI. For most commercial printing
applications, digital images need to be a minimum of 300 PPI. If there are image
areas that will be halftoned (not a solid color), the LPI indicates the number
of lines of dots per inch. For many print applications, LPI is approximately
half the number of the PPI. For the process that we use for plastic bags, 35 is
the maximum LPI that prints well.
What if my art doesn't meet your specifications?
When your art comes in, it is inspected to make sure it is
acceptable. If for any reason the art won’t print well, you will be contacted
with information about the problem. Common issues involve embedded fonts,
incorrect trapping, thin outlines, too much halftoning, and low resolution
bitmaps. If unable to correct the issues, an art quote can be provided.
|
Can a bitmap image be converted to vector art?
Yes, but not always easily. Depending on the complexity of the
image, converting bitmaps to vector art can be simple or very time consuming.
Usually, converting bitmaps to vector art requires "rebuilding" the art from
scratch – matching fonts, and redrawing lines. Some art can be automatically
traced by illustration programs, but the results vary depending on the design.
Placing a bitmap into an illustration program and saving as an EPS or PDF does
NOT convert the file.
Return to Top | Return to FAQ
Why so I have to "convert fonts to outlines" and how
do I do that?
A font is a collection of letters, or glyphs, defined in a
specific typeface. Each letter has a description of the shape, and how that
shape should be displayed. Fonts can only be displayed on computers where the
font file is installed. If the computer opening the document doesn’t have the
proper font installed, programs usually substitute another font. Obviously, this
can cause problems. Letters in fonts are made up of lines and shapes, and as
long as they are confined to a font format, they will behave as fonts.
Converting them to plain outlines disconnects the font descriptions from the
letters, and keeps the shape from changing. Once the type is converted to
outlines, it can no longer be edited as type.
To convert type to outlines, an illustration program like
Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw is required. Adobe InDesign is also capable of
converting type to outlines. In Illustrator, chose “create outlines” from the
Type menu. In CorelDraw, select “Convert to Curves” from the Arrange menu. In
InDesign, chose “create outlines” from the Type menu.
PDF files use embedded fonts, and will print and display
correctly, but if these files need to be edited, the computer opening the file
must have the correct font, or it won’t display properly. It is best to convert
fonts to outlines before creating a PDF file.
I don't have an illustration program, how do I
create my create my art?
If unable to create your art in an illustration program, you
will probably need to hire a graphic designer to do the work for you. If you
would like us to prepare your art for you, let us know and will give you a
quote.
Why can't I submit Microsoft or Publisher files?
These programs, while powerful, are not designed for creating
artwork for commercial presses.
Return to Top | Return to FAQ |
425-776-3118
877-331-6367
