Help Q & A - FILE PREP
FILE PREP INFORMATION:
We can print banners directly from your file or we can create the artwork for you.
At Bannersontime.com there are two quite different methods of banner sign making production:
1) Computer cut vinyl lettered banners (computer cut vinyl - solid spot colors)
2) Printed banners (digital prints using ink, dye, toner, resin or silk screen process)
Usually the process of banner production is determined by the type of artwork setup (vector or raster). In some instances, at a savings to you, we will use a combination of computer cut vinyl and digital printing.
What determines the method of banner sign making? The most important factors in that decision include: budget; overall size of the sign; number of colors used; quantity of banners needed; quality of artwork; duration of use; and type of banner material.
If you are unsure of the production method best suited to your banner needs, please contact one of our knowledgeable customer sales representatives, at (714) 573-9313 to guide you through this banner making process.
Saving vector files for banner making:
Our preferred file format for banner making is Adobe Illustrator (.ai). When saving files in vector format (outline format), dpi is only limited to the output device. File size is constant regardless of the size of the image. Because vector based programs use mathematical algorithmic calculations to determine size and shape, file size is usually small and these files can usually be e-mailed quickly. If you're not sure of what type of file type is needed to produce a vinyl banner or digital print banner, please call the art department for assistance toll free at (866) 267-4467.
Saving bitmap files for banner making:
Bitmap files are created when an image is scanned, taken from a digital camera or created in a bitmap editing program such as Adobe PhotoShop, Corel Photo Paint, Mac Paint, Windows Paint, and many other paint and/or photo programs. These files are primarily used for digital banner printing and are resolution dependent. The resolution of the artwork effects the crispness of detail and fineness of grain in an image. For satisfactory results of computer generated digital banner printing, the resolution should be set between 100 - 150 dpi at full size. Lower resolution can cause pixelization. Higher resolution has little effect on overall quality and greatly increases file size. The dpi size decision for banner making is determined by overall output size and viewing distance of proposed banner. Resolutions lower than 72dpi may exhibit pixelization, often called "jaggies". Bitmap files can be very large in size and are usually not sent by e-mail. It is not uncommon for a 2' x 3' full color image to have a file size of greater than 50 megabytes. If you need help on preparing any of these file formats, please call our art department for assistance toll free at (866) 267-4467.
Color Information for banner making:
When assigning a spot color to vector artwork, use a pantone color. We will attempt to make the closest color match. Keep in mind that what you see on your monitor may not look exactly the same as what we see on our monitor. A good example is to go to a store selling TV sets and you'll easily see that each television picture displays different colors, even when they are showing the same program.
Note: Keep in mind that banner printing is quite different than printing off your inkjet printer at home. When printing banners, we use special UV inks formulated for banner printing, we use a different computer RIP drivers created especially for specific banner materials, we use a different printer - built exclusively for large format banners, and we print on vinyl specifically made for banners.
Media information:
For banner making, we can accept MAC and PC art files and CD's. You can compress PC files by using any PC based self-extracting compression utility or WinZip. E-mail is available with the file size not to exceed 15MB; or you can upload your artwork, through our website, with the file size not to exceed 64MB. If your file size is larger than 64MB, please call our art department for assistance toll free at (866) 267-4467
Mac Users:
If you are creating a banner on a MAC, the file needs to be saved as an Adobe Illustrator, EPS format or PDF format. We can also accept InDesign files. All text must be "converted to curves" or "outlines" and all images must be embedded (we cannot read Mac fonts, so if the text is not outlined, there will be font issues). If you are creating artwork for a computer cut vinyl banner, the most compatible format is Adobe Illustrator saved as Illustrator EPS. Files created in publishing programs like Quark or PageMaker generally will not output. It is best to use an illustration or drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, or Corel Draw for Mac. If you are creating your banner design in Photoshop, please remember to flatten all layers before saving your file as either a .TIF, .JPG, or .PDF. If you need help on preparing any of these file formats, please call our art department for assistance toll free at (866) 267-4467.
