What is digital artwork?

Everybody knows the answer - it is artwork which is sent digitally.

O.K. That's the easy part. What makes your file a piece of artwork rather than just a collection of text and copy?

Most bureau prefer to receive art by email attachment. This is fine as long as you have relatively small file sizes, typically less than 1 Mb. If you are sending art by e-mail or disk, it is best to provide the following information:

Your name
Your job reference if you have one
Your computer platform: MAC or PC
What program the file was created in (Adobe Illustrator 9.0, Quark Xpress, Adobe Indesign, CorelDraw 9.0, etc.)
A brief description of the artwork (Building Logo, etc.)
The finished size of the artwork if it is not 100%
I strongly recommend saving text as outlines or paths to lock in the font style. Send both the screen and printer fonts, if you do not save text as outlines/paths.
Be sure to send a hard copy. It is better in colour but if you don't have a colour copy send a black and white. This will allow your bureau to verify your art and ensure that all the correct files were incorporated into your artwork. Your bureau or printer will not take responsibility for incorrectly printed artwork if you have not sent a hard copy for verification.

File Extensions: Most bureau can accept various graphic files however I recommend that all files be exported and saved as 1 .EPS files with text converted to outlines/paths/curves. 2 Press quality .pdf 3 .tif for photographs 4 .jpg for compressed photographs

Many products have different artwork requirements depending on the machines and process through which they pass and it is helpful to be aware of this. The majority of the platforms are MAC, but several prefer PC. Just confirm with your bureau what they need.


The best piece of advice I can give you is. - Speak to your burea BEFORE you create your artwork and explain what you want to achieve. They will advise you which way of working is best for them and cheapest and most beneficial for you.

Find out more about what we produce at our design and print factory in Grangemouth

Good luck

Gordon Flavell
www.flavell.com

Remind your client's of your web site

You think that everybody knows your web address - of course they do - or do they.

Why not make sure by keeping your name in front of your client everyday. There are are a number of promotional products that you can give to your client's to make sure that they have you in mind all the time.

Mugs, pens, leather binders. All prices from just a few pence or cents to many pounds or dollars. The most effective which we have found by our clients who order every year are either promotional calendars or telephone or desk pads.

The promotional calendars feature a photograph along with an appointment calendar so you can write those important dates in your diary.

Desk and telephone pads are a really useful way of emphasizing your company information. Every time your client makes a note they see your name, time after time after time. The pads are also one of the cheapest promotional product that you can have.

Why not make sure you keep your name in front of your client before one of your competitors does the same.

Good Luck

Gordon Flavell

www.flavell.com

How to set up your Outlook email account

Click on the Outlook Icon - Then click on the Tools top menu option - Then click on the Services menu selection

The Services Panel should now be displayed - Now click the Add button to add a new email account.
Add Service To Profile should now be displayed - Click on Internet Mail - then click the OK button

The Add Service To Profile panel should now be displayed
Mail Account name: In this box type mail.
Name: In this box type your name.
Organization: In this box type your company name.
email Address: In this box type the email address you would like to use.

Mail Account Properties Panel Servers Mail Account name: In this box type mail.
Name: In this box type your name.
Organization: In this box type your company name.
email Address: In this box type the email address you would like to use

Mail Account Properties Panel Click onto the Servers tab.
Server Information: Incoming Mail (POP3): In this box type server info
Outgoing Mail (SMTP: In this box type sever info
Account Name: In this box type the username that your ISP have provided for your account. Password: In this box type your account password. Both your account username and account password will have been provided in your welcome pack, if you do not have them please give your customer support team a call.
Click on the Ok button

This will then bring you back to the Services panel with the new email account setup.
Click on the OK button.

All of this should work - its easy once you get t he hang of. We'll look at designing signatures to save you rekeying your name etc.

I would also keep your emails to just text without fancy backgrounds as often these are rejected by the various spam filters.

Look out for our promotional products as great give-aways for your customers

Best of luck

Gordon Flavell


www.flavell.com


the home of promotional stationery gifts

Trapping, bleeding and what to do with half tones

Graphic arts - It's a whole new language

Here are a few techie tips to impress your service provider the next time you have some printing produced.

Trapping: Trapping is the process of overlapping adjacent colors to avoid multiple-color registration problems. Trapping, also called "choke and spread," is necessary in screen printing.

Halftones, Screen Tints and Graduated Tints: Halftones and screen tints are areas of color created by dots instead of solid ink coverage. Some items cannot be printed in this format Graduated screen tints are areas of color that gradually change their density from light to dark. Depending on the print process some graduated screen tints below 10% will not print well. Tints of 90% or more will print as a solid.

Bleed: An imprint is considered to "bleed" when the image runs to the edges of the paper.

Line Screen: Line screens refer to the number of lines per inch in a halftone image. The lower the number, the larger and more widely spaced the dots. Higher numbers allow reproduction of fine detail. Typically screen printing uses 65 line screen, jobbing printing uses 120 line screen and full colour litho uses upwards of 175 line screen.

We have a special web offer on printed promotional pads - check it out


Good luck

Gordon Flavell
www.flavell.com

Great ideas in printed and personalized stationery gifts

Artwork tips for Promotional Marketing

You often see the phrase
camera-ready art
but what does it mean exactly. Different criteria depend whether it is traditional paper based artwork or digital files. Most companies now prefer digital files.

For artwork which will be scanned

Ideally it is in jet black on a good white background for mono work. Not the colour it is to be printed. If it looks mediocre to start with, unfortunately it will not improve as it is scanned.
It is clear and crisp and has no jaggy lines - these will only become more jaggy.
It is at least the same size as your finished image and ideally twice as large.
If your finished artwork is in 2 colours - you will need 2 seperated pieces of artwork.
and lastly - it IS finished and doesn't require to be touched up or amended.

For digital artwork on file

Is it the correct resolution for your finished size - ideally 300dpi.
Make sure the file is not corrupted and not in some strange proprietary software programme.
Is the file in the correct format for the job you want to do eg: you cannot use a colour rgb jpeg bitmap file to print a two colour vector graphic. I will explain the difference between bitmaps and vectors later in the year.
Is it separated in the way you require your finished artwork.

I hope these key issues help. We have many clients who give us artwork for our custom personalized note pads and we try to make sure that what they need is what we are reproducing without extra costs and heartache along the way.

If in doubt always ask your printer or service bureau for help before you start.

have fun with your promotional marketing

Gordon Flavell

www.flavell.com

the hoome of new promotional marketing ideas and custom printed note pads