Zap Creative not only offers high quality, original creative services, but will also work with your designers or existing art work to produce graphics that are right for you. In order to produce high quality graphics with short turnaround times we require that the artwork be set up correctly and that it be sent to us on media that we can use. Production ready art supplied on disk should have all images placed and cropped as they are to appear in final graphics. All text should have been proofed for spelling and grammar. Partial art provided on disk does not constitute production ready art and may incur art / system time charges.

Art that is not production ready may also extend normal production time of 7-10 days. Production times and job costs increase and quality decreases when files are not set up correctly. The goal of these computer and program guides is to inform you of the different types of art and media that Zap Creative can use in hopes that it will increase the quality of your graphics, while at the same time keep your turnaround times and job costs at a minimum.

WHAT FORMATS AND PROGRAMS CAN I USE?

Files may be MAC or PC formatted. The files can be set up in any of the following software (we maintain updates to all latest versions):

Adobe PhotoShop CC 2021 or lower

Adobe Illustrator CC 2021 or lower

*We are unable to output large format graphics from Adobe InDesign files. Artwork submitted in InDesign format (or InDesign PDF) will require conversion and is subject to hourly design fees.

WHAT SIZE SHOULD I SET UP MY IMAGE?

Your file should be set up at full size at the required resolution. Please contact your Exhibit Consultant for specific panel/graphic dimensions.

WHAT COLORS CAN I USE IN MY LAYOUT?

Please set up all of your graphics for Lambda output using the RGB color mode. When scanning, please scan the image in RGB. This will help ensure color accuracy for your Lambda prints. Any time that a bitmap file is set up using the CMYK color mode or is scanned in as a CMYK image, but is intended to be used for a Lambda print, the file must be converted to RGB. This will cause a color shift within the file that may be very noticeable. Using the RGB color mode when initially creating your graphics will give you a much closer representation of what the final output will be.

Graphic files for Dyesub must be created in CMYK color mode.

For all vector files, please use the Pantone Matching System. Using these colors will allow you to set up your file so that there will not be any color matching charges. To achieve any of the colors on the chart, set up your file using the specified numbers that correspond to the color you have chosen.

WHAT DO I DO ABOUT FONTS?

To avoid any problems with fonts, all text should be converted to outlines. If the program you are working in does not allow you to do this, please include all of the printer and screen fonts when you send the files. PC and MAC fonts are not always compatible, so if you are PC based and working in a program that does not allow you to convert the fonts to outlines, Zap Creative may end up having to substitute fonts.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IF I HAVE A PLACED IMAGE IN MY DOCUMENT?

If your graphic has a placed image (logo and/or photos) in it, make sure that the original logo file or photo file is included on the disk. Zap Creative does not recommend using embedded images (an image that has been placed into a file but is not linked to the original file), as we have no way of knowing whether the original image is of high enough quality or not.

If art is submitted with embedded images and those images are not supplied, the job will not be guaranteed.

WHAT RESOLUTION DO MY BITMAP FILES NEED TO BE?

Zap Creative tries to print all graphics using images that have a minimum input resolution of 120 dpi and a maximum of 150 dpi at final size.

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO SEND?

Please make sure your file contains both the screen and printer fonts that are used if the file has not been converted to outlines or paths. A preview PDF is recommended as well.