Guidelines and Accepted File Formats

Our Process

• Customer files are inspected for content and conformity to specifications listed herein.
• Customer must approve a PROOF created by our Staff prior to production.
• Once customer artwork is approved, the graphics are printed and inspected prior to installation.
• Printed vehicle graphics are installed and inspected by a 3M Certified Installer.

About Formats

Raster images are comprised of pixels, and are generally used for photographic images. When scaled, pixels are interpolated by surrounding pixels producing undesirable artifacts called “pixelation.”

For this reason, raster images must be created at sufficiently high resolution to avoid pixelation. To capture a single image for the example below, a 30 MP camera would be required.

Raster Formula:

• A bus to be wrapped with graphics has an application area 20 feet long or 240 inches
• At 100% scaling in Photoshop, 120 ppi is required to print vinyl
• 20 feet = 240 inches
• 240 inches @ 120 ppi = 28,800 total pixel width
• Using a smaller digital canvas requires higher ppi

Example:

• 12" canvas width: 28,000 ÷ 12 = 2,400 ppi
• 20" canvas width: 28,800 ÷ 20 = 1,440 ppi

Vector images

Vector images are mathematical descriptions of images converted to lines and shapes and scale without degredation.

Fonts must be included or converted to outlines.

Design & Alterations

Design services by our professional layout artists are billed hourly at $75. Alterations to customer supplied art may be required to correctly fit graphics to their vehicle.

Large Files

Large files can be sent directly to our DropBox account—call (847) 257-0272 ext. 113 for details.

Guidelines and Formats

Raster format (pixels)

• RGB jpeg (.jpg)
• Tagged Image Format (.tif)
• Photoshop file (.psd, psb)

Embedding vs. Linking Graphics

• Please use the “Link” option when placing artwork within your Illustrator layout.
• Use Illustrator’s “Package” command to include all linked files and fonts.

Vector format (lines & shapes)

• Adobe Illustrator (.ai, .eps, .pdf)
• CorelDraw! (.cdr)

Font format

• Open Type
• Type 1
• TrueType

Color Management

Color interpretation varies from monitor to monitor. Our printing equipment is calibrated for RGB & CMYK images, and is Pantone® certified.

Customer Proofs

Once our Staff has created a layout for production, a proof will be emailed to the contact responsible for approving the artwork.

Sending a proof to the customer places the installation on hold until it is approved in writing by the customer.

Vinyl Wrap Procedure