What Type of Art Files are Best?
High resolution digital artwork files are preferred.
When it comes to sign making, there are lots of different types of artwork files that can be submitted. Some artwork files are extremely print-friendly while others are not. For instance, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are programs that are specifically geared towards large scale graphic design for printing; whereas, Microsoft programs like Word and PowerPoint are more for small scale printing projects.
Preferable artwork files for sign print production:
- ILLUSTRATOR: This Adobe Creative Suite program utilizes a mathematical format creating vector images which are the most preferable and friendly artwork files to submit for sign making. Acceptable artwork files that end in the following extensions, .AI, .EPS, and .PDF, generated from this program can be scaled without losing any print quality. Illustrator artwork files are also the only art files that can be cut to shape for die-cut decals, labels, stickers, wall graphics, vehicle graphics, window graphics and more. (Please note that we do accept other vector-based art files from InDesign and Corel Draw.)
- PHOTOSHOP: Another Adobe Creative Suite program that is specifically designed to create high-resolution artwork files for print production, Photoshop artwork files utilize intricate dot patterns to assemble and form a visual image. We accept the following Photoshop artwork file extensions: .JPG, .TIF, .PDF, .PNG and .GIF preferably with a high-resolution setting of not less than 150 dpi.
Artwork files that may be submitted but not print compatible:
- MICROSOFT: This particular program is not designed to create high-resolution graphics for sign printing. Common artwork file extensions for Microsoft include .PPT, .DOCX or .XLS. We can however accept these files for a free artwork review to determine if we can use the file for print production. If not, then artwork recreation might be a viable option.
Now if you don't have the artwork file types listed above, don't fret, we might still be able to produce your signs from other files that are not as preferable. No matter what type of artwork file you submit, our experience graphic design team, conducts a complimentary artwork file check to determine if your artwork is print compatible according to your sign needs.