General Art Guidelines

General Art Guidelines for Large Format Printing: Ensure Your Best Results

When it comes to large format printing, the quality of your final product is directly influenced by the quality of the artwork you submit. Whether you’re printing banners, trade show displays, or any other large-scale materials, following the correct art guidelines ensures that your designs look professional, vibrant, and sharp. Properly prepared files help us print your materials efficiently and minimize the risk of errors or delays.

Below are the essential guidelines for preparing and submitting artwork for large format printing. By adhering to these recommendations, you can achieve the best possible results for your project.

Preferred Art File Formats

To produce high-quality prints, it’s important that your artwork is submitted in the right file format. The file format you choose affects how well your design translates to print, especially in terms of resolution, clarity, and color consistency.

Preferred File Format:

  • High-Resolution PDF: We highly recommend submitting your artwork as a hi-res PDF with outlined fonts and embedded images. PDFs are widely used in the printing industry because they preserve the integrity of your design, including text, images, and layout. Outlining your fonts ensures that they don’t change or substitute when opened on different computers, while embedding images ensures that no image files are missing or misrepresented during the printing process.

Accepted File Formats:

  • .EPS (Encapsulated PostScript): EPS files are vector-based, meaning they can be scaled to any size without losing quality. This makes them an excellent choice for large format printing, especially for logos and illustrations.
  • .TIFF (Tagged Image File Format): TIFF files are raster images that maintain a high level of detail and quality, making them suitable for large format prints. TIFF files don’t lose quality when saved, making them ideal for detailed photographs or complex designs.
  • .JPEG: JPEGs are commonly used for images, but they must be saved at the highest possible quality and resolution (150 DPI at full size). Be aware that JPEGs can lose quality each time they are saved due to compression, so only use this format when necessary.
  • Adobe Illustrator (.AI): Illustrator files are perfect for vector-based artwork like logos, typography, or graphics. When submitting AI files, be sure to outline your fonts and embed any linked images.
  • Adobe Photoshop (.PSD): Photoshop files are useful for complex raster designs or photo-based artwork. If you submit PSD files, ensure that all layers are flattened and that the file is saved at the correct resolution (150 DPI at full size).

What Resolution Should My File Be?

Resolution plays a significant role in ensuring that your artwork looks crisp and clear when printed. In large format printing, low-resolution files can result in pixelation, blurry images, and a generally poor-quality print.

Recommended Resolution:

  • Full Size at 150 DPI: All artwork should be submitted at full size with a resolution of at least 150 DPI (dots per inch). This resolution ensures that your artwork will maintain clarity and detail, even when printed at a large scale.

For smaller prints or items viewed up close, higher resolutions may be required. However, 150 DPI at full size is typically sufficient for most large format prints like banners, posters, and signs, which are viewed from a distance.

What Color Mode Do You Print In?

The color mode you use in your artwork can drastically affect how colors appear in the final printed piece. It’s important to design your files using the correct color mode to ensure your colors are as accurate as possible when printed.

Preferred Color Mode:

  • CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black): We print using the CMYK color model. When preparing artwork for print, make sure your file is set to CMYK color mode. CMYK is the standard for printing and ensures that your colors will be reproduced accurately based on the inks we use.

Why Not RGB?

Most digital devices like computer screens, smartphones, and TVs display colors in RGB (Red, Green, Blue), which is optimized for screen viewing. However, RGB colors don’t always translate well to print because the range of colors that can be produced by RGB is wider than what CMYK inks can reproduce. Converting your file from RGB to CMYK before submission helps you avoid unexpected color shifts and ensures a closer match between what you see on your screen and what gets printed.

Do I Need to Provide Bleed?

Bleed refers to the area of your artwork that extends beyond the finished dimensions of the print. This extra space is trimmed off during production to ensure that your design runs to the edge of the printed material, without any unintended white borders. Including the correct amount of bleed is essential for achieving a clean, professional finish.

Bleed Requirements:

  • For Template-Based Designs: If you’re using one of our templates, you don’t need to add additional bleed as long as your artwork extends to the edges of the artboard. Our templates already account for the necessary bleed, making the process easier for you.

  • For Custom Artwork: If you’re submitting custom artwork that doesn’t use our templates, you’ll need to add 1”-2” of bleed on all four sides of your design. For larger or more complex prints, such as oversized banners or wall wraps, we may require 3”-4” of bleed. Check with us for specific bleed requirements if you’re unsure.

Color Matching

Color accuracy is a top priority for many brands, especially when maintaining consistent brand colors across different materials. However, achieving exact color matches in print can be challenging without using specific color management techniques.

Color Matching Guidelines:

  • PMS (Pantone Matching System) Colors: If precise color matching is crucial for your project, we recommend specifying PMS colors when submitting your artwork. Pantone colors are standardized across different printing processes, ensuring consistency. When you specify a PMS color, we can match it more accurately using CMYK inks.

  • Conversion to CMYK: Unless you specifically request color matching using PMS, all colors will be converted to CMYK during the printing process. It’s important to note that certain vibrant or neon RGB colors may appear more muted when converted to CMYK.

  • Color Matching Fee: If color matching is required, a $20 fee per color will be applied to cover the additional time and effort needed to match colors precisely.

Final Thoughts

By following these general art guidelines, you can ensure that your artwork is prepared correctly for large format printing, resulting in the highest quality output. Proper file formats, resolution, color mode, and bleed specifications all contribute to the success of your printed project.

If you’re unsure about any of the guidelines or need assistance preparing your files, our team is here to help. We offer professional graphic design services and can work with you to ensure your artwork is print-ready and meets all specifications. Don’t hesitate to reach out for more information or to get started on your next large format printing project!

Back to blog