Graphics Management Part II -- Production Ready Art
In our April issue, we discussed how to prevent ugly surprises by properly managing your event marketing graphics. But, as we alluded to in our paragraph on formatting graphics, we left the issues of what constitutes “production ready art” and how to effectively manage production artists for another time. Well “another time” has arrived, so here we go….
Production Ready Art:
Size It Right: Files should be saved at their trim size, i.e., the actual size of the printed piece. Make sure to always include a 1/8” full-bleed in your artwork. Your exhibit company may need this extra area for mounting the graphics to wall panels or sewing stretch-fabric walls together.
Outline the Text: Make sure to convert all text fonts to outline fonts (paths or curves). A very brief explanation of outline founts can be found here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_font.
Color It in CMYK: It would take several pages to even begin to explain the complexity of how printers match color/process color specifications. Suffices it to say that almost all printing systems have the capability to process CMYK color mode – allowing for a variety 64,000 different colors. Therefore, you should convert your images and fonts to CMYK.
Save It Right: The proper or standard file format is TIFF or EPS at a resolution of no less than 100 dpi.
Managing the Production Artist:
It’s important for exhibits managers to keep a close eye on the production process – just a small misstep can distort your company’s messaging and set you up for numerous revisions. Here are a few measures that can be taken to keep the project on the right path:
Pick the right production artist. Preferably someone that works for or has worked with your exhibit company before. This type of work requires complex planning and engineering, so selecting a novice can lead to real production complications if, for example, the graphics overlap on display or stretch fabric walls.
Get communication going quickly. Provide your artist with file preparation and sizing guidelines. Allow them access to your print and/or exhibit companies so that the artist can work with them on an ongoing basis. This step is important because, quite often, there may be facets of a project that don’t fit into typical graphic guidelines.
Set a timeline: The only way to ensure that your project(s) arrive on time is to give your production artist clear deadlines. And, since unexpected problems are almost guaranteed to arise, make sure your deadline includes a “time-cushion” between the completion date and the internal deadline. That way, even if your artist is a day or two late, you won’t be. (Also be sure that you do not tell anyone about this cushion -- if people know they have more time, they’ll generally take it!)
Double check the final work. Before sending files to a print shop, managers should personally preview the contents themselves -- compact disks can get corrupted during the “burning” process, a blank disk may get accidentally shipped to a printer, or, even though you explained in great detail your shop’s print requirements, someone may forget to save the artwork properly. Express shipping and rush print orders are very costly, so taking a few extra moments to check the disk can save you time and your company money.