ACCEPTED FILE FORMATS

NOT ACCEPTED FILE FORMATS

COLOR MODES

RGB – Additive Color. Used in electronic displays like computer monitors, TV’s, digital camera’s, etc. It provides a wider color gamut than CMYK. It is comprised out of the colors red, green, and blue. Since RGB is emitted light, when you combine (add) all 3 colors together, the result is pure white. If you’re designing a website or anything that will be presented on a digital screen, then RGB would be a better option, as it gives you a wider and more vivid color selection.

CMYK– Subtractive color. Used in printed products. Originated from printing processes that required individual plates for each color laid down individually then allowed to dry. It is comprised of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The “K” is black, the letter “K” stands for “Key” which included “key details” in the artwork like shadows. If you combined cyan, magenta, and yellow- the result would be a very dark brown. Black is added to ensure a true black is available. Because it is printed, the material absorbs (subtracts) wavelengths of the light being reflected. You should use CMYK for anything you design that is going to be printed.

For example, CMYK doesn’t very accurately represent shades of blue, and instead interprets them as more of a purple. This is problematic with digital printing if your brand colors are a bright vivid blue. A possible solution for this would be screen printing or offset printing, which allow any color to be printed as a “spot color”. This means blue ink would be used, instead of trying to approximate the blue by using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. These processes are generally more expensive, because a special screen or plate has to be created for the single color and also cannot be used on photographic images. It’s important to understand that some colors cannot be represented with CMYK. Fluorescent colors generally cannot be digitally printed.

OUTLINING TEXT

When you use text in your artwork, it’s created with a font. A font is a digital file stored on your computer that allows you to change the typeface to a wide variety of options. Fonts can be purchased online, and many are pre-installed on your computer.

When the artwork is saved, the information is stored in a file. But, when the file is sent to the print shop it may open with an error explaining the font isn’t installed on the printers computer. The font is not embedded in the file. There are two options to get around this problem.

Send the Fonts

The first choice is to send the font files used in your artwork. But this isn’t a foolproof option. The exact fonts used must be sent, and there are many varieties of a single font. Fonts like Helvetica or Times New Roman have dozens of variables such as weight (the thickness of the letters) and derivatives (like Helvetica Neue.) It’s easy to inadvertently send the wrong version.

Outline your Text

The foolproof method is to outline your text (sometimes called convert to curves). When outlining your text, the software no longer associates a font with it, and the letters and words become a vector shape. It’s important for you to keep your original non-outlined file because once you outline the text it can no longer be edited. Save a separate copy with the outlined text and send it to the printer.

There are too many software programs to share instructions for all of them. The most common program is Adobe Illustrator. In Illustrator, outlining your text is very easy. Right before you save your file to send to the printer, select all (PC: CMD+A, Mac: ⌘+A) then outline your text (PC: CMD+SHIFT+O, Mac: ⌘+SHIFT+O). You can also go to the “Type” menu and select “Create Outlines”. Save your file and you’re done!

If you can select the text with your cursor, the text is not outlined.(Below) 

 Once the text is outlined, you will see “nodes” along the edges.(Below)

For other programs consult the help guide in the program, or search the internet with a phrase such as “How do I outline the text in [PROGRAM NAME]”.