How to send us images
It is vital that images which are to be printed are supplied in a suitable format, to ensure a good result. There is little that can be done to improve a poor quality or low resolution image and – while it may look fine on screen – it will scupper the end product if printed.
The two main types of image files are bitmaps (scans, digital photographs) and vectors – please see our topic "What are vectors and bitmaps?" for a fuller explanation.
Digital photos and scans – bitmap files
For bitmap files, the resolution will determine the end result. Resolution refers to the amount of pixels per inch (dpi) or per cm of the image – the more
pixels there are, the subtler the colours and the smoother the end result. However, if an image is enlarged, the dimensions of the image change but the amount of pixels
stay the same... so an image measuring 5cm width with a resolution of 300 dpi degrades to a measly 150 dpi if you blow it up to 10cm across.
This is an example of a high res image.
This is an example of a low res image, the pixels are visible.
This is an example of an image with extra pixels added.
Increasing the resolution on a bitmap image means that the computer adds more pixels to the picture. It has to guess at what colour these new pixels should be, and "interpolates" by adding colours which are related to the adjacent original pixels. The result is often soft and blurry as can be seen in the example above.
A rule of thumb is that an image needs to be at least 300dpi AT THE SIZE IT WILL PRINT. All image editing software (eg Photoshop) will easily tell you the dpi, so we can check this for you. Additionally, our flightcheck software will highlight any images which are under print resolution – but it is better to identify them before we get to this stage!
Logos
Please see our topic "What are vectors and bitmaps?".
How to send us files
There are a variety of ways to send us your copy and images – the best method depends largely on size of originals. Here’s a quick guide:
Email:
Email is fine for Word docs and individual or groups of images under about 5Mb. If you have a lot of images, or we are designing a regular publication for you, it might be
simpler to set up an ftp site.
It’s unlikely that you’d be sending fonts but they don’t like being emailed!
FTP:
FTP (file transfer protocol) allows us to set you up a private area on our web server to upload your images. We will give you a password and username, and you will
need ftp software on your computer to access it. For PC you can select from a range of ftp software – we generally suggest considering the following progammes:
www.internet-soft.com/ftpcomm.htm (free)
www.globalscape.com (paid for)
www.ipswitch.com (paid for)
For Mac, try:
www.captainftp.com (paid for – we use this programme)
www.fetchsoftworks.com (paid for)
www.panic.com/transmit (paid for)
These programmes all allow you to upload files. If you only need to download files from us via ftp, we can set you up an ftp area which you can access via your browser using the address we give you. This is only really viable with Broadband – if you’re on dial-up it’s often quicker to wait for a CD in the post!
If you are sending a set of files, you can stuff or zip them to reduce the size and make them less prone to corruption. There isn’t generally much point in zipping images – the main way to reduce the size is to jpg them but beware! This will permanently reduce the quality along with the size so jpg with care. If images are for print and you have TIFF, RAW or eps files it’d be better to send them as they are, on a disc if need be.
CD/DVD:
We have sent some very large files via ftp – but we need to be realistic about speed and reliability! If you have more than 100Mb of images it’d probably
be best to send them on a CD or DVD – apart from the time it takes (can be several hours) there is the possibility of things going wrong and one or more files
not transferring over. This can lead to confusion as to exactly what has been transferred.
We can read most CDs and DVDs – it doesn’t matter if they’re made on a Mac or a PC.