Preparing your files for printing
Below are general guidelines for file preparation. Please contact your customer service representative with any questions not covered here. We make every effort to maintain the best and most up-to-date file management and transfer methods. Please contact us if you have any suggestions or comments. Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Sizing your art files: The projects we print seldom require art files that exceed 200 MB in size. For optimum printing results use the following guidelines when preparing your original art files.
| Final size | Original art size | factor |
|---|---|---|
| up to 4' x 8' | 12" x 24" | 1/4 of final size |
| up to 8' x 20' | 8" x 20" | 1/12 of final size |
| up to 14' x 48' | 7" x 24" | 1/24 of final size |
| anything larger | 1/24 of final size |
Disk Formats Mac or PC: CD-R, DVD-R, Zip (100MB & 250MB) or Jaz (1GB & 2GB)
Software for the Macintosh: QuarkXPress, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Macromedia Freehand and CorelDRAW
Photographic Imagery: All high-resolution images on disk should be accompanied by a client-approved proof for color. Scanned photographic images need to be at 300 DPI or greater when placed. If you prefer, we can scan your photographs or transparencies for an extra charge. All photographs should be saved as CMYK images. If you send RGB images, we cannot guarantee color accuracy.
Page Layout: Be sure to include all placed graphics, images and all printer and screen fonts. Whenever possible try and "Create Outlines" of type in any vector-based programs such as Illustrator or Freehand - do not "raster" type in Photoshop. If you embed any imagery into files, please include those photographs separately with your page layout file.
File Delivery: Client Extranet - Our newest method for transferring files uses your browser to upload files over the Internet. Click here to get password access to the Extranet. Once logged in, you will have the ability to upload files directly to our art department.
File Delivery: Email Method - mac@commercecolor.com Files sent via email should be compressed using Stuffit (Macintosh) or WinZip (Windows). There is a maximum compressed file size of 20MB for emailed files. Larger files should be sent via other methods.
File Delivery: File Transfer Protocol - ftp.commercecolor.com Use your FTP Client* to access our FTP Server with username ftpuser and password commerce. Use a "passive" FTP connection, not "active." Once connected, you are not permitted to view existing files. If you upload a file and receive an error message, you may need to rename the file to prevent overwriting an existing file.
* for additional assistance setting up your FTP client contact your IT department.