A Guide to Submitting Artwork

File Types - About Resolution - Getting the Art to Us

Additional Art Resources:
Design Templates- Stock Mascots - Stock Embroidery - Layout Ideas- Font Ideas

1. Acceptable File Types
* please do not send files before talking with a salesperson. The file
will most likely be mistaken for spam & intercepted by our server.

We accept the following file types:

Wearables / Cut Banners
* .ai- Adobe Illustrator (preferred)
* .pdf - Portable Document Format (may have font issues)
* .eps - Encapsulated Postscript
* .ps - postscript
* .cdr - CorelDraw
* .wmf - Windows Metafile
* .tif - Tiff file - 200 dpi or better at print size
* .psd - Photoshop - 200 dpi or better at print size

Posters / Full Color Banners
(resolution is CRITICAL for these files - please see below)
** CLICK HERE to test your file with our image calculator
* .tif - Tiff files (preferred)
* .psd - Photoshop
* .jpg - jpeg file (be sure to save at maxium quality)
* .png - Portable Network Graphic

File types that will ALWAYS result in an art charge
.doc - Word document
.wps - Works document
.wpd - Word Perfect document
.ppt - PowerPoint Slideshow
Qxd, .pm6, & .pmd - Quark & Pagemaker--PLEASE export as an .EPS file

2. Resolution (don't panic, we're here to help!)

The optimal resolution for your image depends on three things:

A: Original size
The actual size of your file.
B: Target size
The final output in inches, and resolution in dpi.
C: Viewing distance
The distance the final print will be viewed from.
 
** The easiest way is to just check with the calculator;  CLICK HERE to test your file with our image calculator

For most large prints, a final dpi of 100 is usually enough to render an attractive print. Photo-quality enlargements may reach 300-600dpi, while a billboard's colors blend together at 1dpi.
If you are using a digital camera, be sure to set it at maximum quality - also be sure to save the jpegs at maximum (the least amount of compression).
If scanning, you can use a backwards formula: open your imaging application and create a new document with the same size and resolution you want for your final print. Many programs will tell you at this point the size (in bytes) the file will be. Write this number down and cancel your new document. Now when scanning, increase the resolution to maximum*, unless you reach the target file size first. Next, most scanner software offers a scale function; increase the scale until you reach the target file size.

Examples:
a: 5"x3" photograph, increased to 25"x15"

With a final resolution of 100dpi,
the file size is 10.7 Mb(RGB), so
we need to increase the resolution
to approx 500dpi, or increase
the scale until we reach 10.7 Mb.

b: 800 by 600 digital photograph(72dpi), to 33"x25"

Our file size is now much greater than the
original - this will not result in a very 
good print - make sure your camera is at 
its highest setting.

These are general guidelines, and every image is different - based on the number and values of colors, and your intent, the numbers can be pushed around a bit.

Are You Scanning Your Own Art?
Do You Have Questions About Resolution?

If you're scanning the images yourself and you're not sure at which resolution to scan, click here for an easy to use calculator. Just enter the dimensions of the original image you are scanning, and the dimensions of the poster you want. The calculator will tell you at what resolution you should scan your images.

3. Methods of Submission
**** Please do not send art before discussing your
order with a salesperson ****

Files smaller than 2Mb may
be emailed to art@signaturesx.com
 
Files smaller than 16Mb may be
uploaded via form - click here to use the Form
Files larger than 16Mb may be
uploaded via FTP - click here to use FTP*  (see instructions below)

If you are using Windows with Internet Explorer;
Click the following link:
ftp://ftp@ftp.sigx.us


-Go to top of page under either "view" or "tools" (depending on your browser) and scroll down to
       "Open FTP site in Windows Explorer"
-This will open an empty page.

-Drag your art to this page

-Close the page (this may take a few seconds, depending on the file size)

-Once the page is closed-----Walah!  We have your art!

This has been tested on Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP Home, XP pr

For Windows without Internet Explorer:
--------------------------------------


--Download Filezilla (FTP client) from Sourceforge:
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/filezilla/FileZilla_2_2_14_setup.exe?down
load
--Install and run the program.
--In the host box, enter 'ftp.sigx.us' (no
quotes on any of this). In the user box: 'ftp'. In the password box, your
email address.
--Click Connect. If all goes well, you will have 2 large
boxes - one showing your local files (on the left), and one showing the
remote server (on the right).
--In the remote box (on the right), open the
'uploads' folder by double-clicking it. Select the file you want to upload
in the local box (on the left), and click on the arrow pointing toward the
remote box (on the right). You should see a progress indicator on the
bottom.


For Macs:
----------
Classic (os 8 and 9):
---------------------
open the 'network browser', click the 'connect to server' button. Enter
ftp://ftp.sigx.us and connect. Log in as ftp - it will mount a disk on the
desktop. Open it, and enter the upload directory. Drag your files into
it. Alternatively, you can purchase a FTP client like Fetch. Tested under
8.0 and 9.2.2.


OSX:
Open a terminal (utilities folder), type 'cd /path/to/the/folder' and press
enter. Type ftp, press enter. Type 'open
ftp.sigx.us', press enter. For
login name, enter ftp, press enter. For password, type in anything. After
login, type 'put the-name-of-your-file', press enter. Repeat for multiple
files. Alternatively, you can purchase a FTP client program (or if you have
BBedit or Dreamweaver, you may be able to use the built-in FTP client).
Tested under 10.3.3.
UPDATE: Download the free FTP client 'Cyberduck' - it handles anonymous FTP!

For Unix:
Use the command line or gFTP (or one of the countless free FTP clients) -
log in as ftp.

Are You Scanning Your Own Art?
Do You Have Questions About Resolution?

If you're scanning the images yourself and you're not sure at which resolution to scan, click here for an easy to use calculator. Just enter the dimensions of the original image you are scanning, and the dimensions of the poster you want. The calculator will tell you at what resolution you should scan your images.

*some scanners may report a resolution of up to 2400dpi, when in fact they interpolate the information, which does not really improve image quality. if you suspect this is the case, leave your resolution at 600 or 300dpi, and use the scale function.