Usually graphic designers need to gain client approval before they can send the file to the printer. This can sometimes mean multiple versions of the same file and can get cumbersome after a few revisions.
Packages need to be small enough to be transferred online with the ability to have lossless resolution when scaled from inches to feet. In order to create an art file that is small enough to upload, but can still scale, the art cannot be rasterized. Packaging the design files correctly will reduce the need for the printing team to ask for revisions to the art package supplied. Below are best practices for large format printers.
While it may be tempting to send a PDF, resist. Native design files are best to be sent to the printer so they can tweak the design as needed based on their specific printers. File types vary by program. Here are some commonly preferred formats by design program:
Design software keeps links to the files that are used for the graphics and font in folders while a designer is working on the file. There is an option to embed the links, which is used to reduce the file size; however, for printers, you will want to include the links–and the folders that the project is linking to. This way the printer has everything they need to open, scale and adjust the art as needed to work with the equipment that they have.
Because the file needs to be scaled up in size, the printer will need a copy of the fonts you are using. When preparing your file to send to the printer, you’ll need to address the fonts in the file by either including a copy of the font with the printing package or to outline the fonts.
Best practice would be to outline the font, or change the fonts into vector images, so that they can be scaled up or down without losing resolution. Once a font is outlined, it cannot be edited as text, so be sure to complete this step as part of the preflight and not before the copy is approved.
Common fonts like Arial, Times New Roman or Georgia are available for free and can be used without issues. However, if you paid for the font you’re using, double check the licensing on the font to ensure it can be used commercially with the license type you’ve purchased and always create font outlines so there are no delays due to license issues.
The quality of finished print will be limited by the resolution of the image. Include any images in as high a resolution as possible. It’s easy to scale down, but scaling up decreases the resolution.
When scanning images, be sure to set the scanner to at least 300 DPI. Images downloaded from the internet are most often not an acceptable resolution for printing.
Large format printing files can oftentimes be gigabytes of data that can take a while to transfer. While it’s best to scale down the artwork to 25% when sending large format (anything larger than 3 feet), files can still be massive. Once the prepared file is as small as possible, take the folder and compress it by either using a WinZip (*.zip) or Stuffit (*.sit) on a PC or the “Compress” action on a Mac.
You have two choices for sending large files to the printer:
By far the easier and fastest way to get your art to the printer is by using their FTP server to upload the file directly to the printer’s server. FTP servers use a specific link and are usually password protected.
Learn how to upload files for your local Color Reflections location.
Once the files have been transferred, it’s always best practice to alert your sales representative that the file has been uploaded so they can check that the file was received and that it’s designed to specifications.
If the file is too large to be uploaded, you can always mail a copy of the art files directly to your printer. Files that are physically transferred will need to be loaded onto a physical device that can hold the storage information. Commonly accepted formats include:
As a precautionary measure, it’s always a good idea to encrypt, or password-protect, the file storage. Once on the physical storage, files can be sent via USPS, UPS or FedEx.
