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Artwork comes as two types, either vector drawings (lineart)
or as bitmap images. Corporate logos are
designed as vector artwork which is the file required for
best reproduction.
Bitmap Files
Bitmap files are made up of dots. The higher the pixels per
inch (ppi) the higher the resolution.
Photographs and scans are always bitmap images because this
is how the image is created in the camera or the scanner,
a photo is made up of pixels and you select the quality by
the number of pixels in the file.
Often a photo or abstract image of 1200x1200 pixels is acceptable,
but text and corporate logos require
very high resolution of around 300dpi at A4 size, in other
words 2500x2500 pixels.
Website images are 72dpi so unless the image is about 860mm
wide we won't be able to use an image
from a webpage, your screen also displays at 72dpi so it would
need to look great when zoomed in to be
useable .
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Gobos are made to be enlarged, sometimes many hundred times
the size of the original image. The edges in a bitmap file
will show as jagged edges and will often have to be redrawn
adding to the cost of production.
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| Bitmap
file formats bmp, jpeg, tiff, gif, RAW, Photoshop eps, Photoshop
psd.
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Vector
Files
A vector file saves its data as mathematical vectors specifying
the shape, size and colour of a drawn line rather than using
pixels, thus when you enlarge it the file will still have a
perfect edge with no pixelation.
Vector files are needed for perfect reproduction of corporate
logos and thus we always ask for the original vector file. As
you require a graphics program to view these files there will
often be a low resolution jpeg floating around the office for
general printing but we need the marketing dept or graphic artist
to supply us with the original file that certainly is available.
It is invariably a case of asking the correct person and this
will often be the marketing or graphics department of the corporation.
Use the jpeg as a preview file only but pass both file types
onto us to ensure you get a gobo with the highest quality result
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Note that text typed into a program such as Illustrator should
be converted to curves to ensure that the
image shows the same on our screen irrespective of installed
fonts. We will let you know if it is an issue. |
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Vector file formats
These formats may save the
images as vector information
eps, ai, cdr, wmf, dxf or pdf. |
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Converting
Files
Placing a bitmap file into an Illustrator file and resaving
it does not increase the quality of the file but you
get a huge file size so don't convert from one file format
to another unless we request it. This means that
even though you have the right file format you may still have
a poor quality file....
PDF Files
These files are good as most people can view them with Acrobat.
They may have all the information
embedded in vector format but then again they may not, it
depends upon the way the artist created the
file, send the file to us and we'll let you know.
What to ask for
If the artwork is a typical corporate logo then say, "Please
supply your logo as an original Illustrator eps file
with text converted to curves". This should give you
a small file that you may email direct to us for
processing, if the person is baffled by the request then you're
probably talking to the wrong person!
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