Client Art Requirements

Skyline Exhibits & Design, Inc.

346 Feaster Road
Greenville, SC 29615

Please contact Allen Sandy with any art related questions.
(864)234-7995
asandy@skylinexd.com

Acceptable Software:

Photoshop 10 (CS3), Illustrator 13 (CS3), InDesign 5 (CS3). We cannot accept native filesfrom Freehand(mx), Quarkxpress, CorelDraw, PageMaker, Microsoft Publisher, PowerPoint or Word.  If you have artwork in these unaccepted programs, save or export an EPS, PS or PDF file to submit.  Include a low res screenshot of the artwork to compare against once we open the file into Illustrator.

File Setup Size:

Setup all files at full print size. Use half or quarter size if necessary. Do not add bleed or crop marks.  Keep crucial elements, such as text, logos and important photographic areas at least 2" away from every edge of the panel, due to necessary production over-sizing for XYcutting. Some Skyline products, especially fabric graphics, require a much larger safe area than just 2". Please ask your sales rep to give you the safe area measurements for each of your graphics.

Resolution of Images:

We recommend 100 dpi at full size, with an acceptable range of 75 - 100 dpi. "Rezing up" an image to a higher dpi, will only soften the image, not add detail. Always preview raster artwork at actual print size to check for any hidden flaws. 50 dpi and lower can still look good from a distance, but will look pixelated upon closer inspection. If your images require scanning, we recommend the superior image detail attained by professional grade drum and flat bed scanners. Even high end retail scanners with high optic resolutions may not provide adequate detail. To clarify the resolution requirements: If you are creating an image that will span the entire background of a 117.5" x 89.25" display to be printed Lambda. Then that image at 100 dpi should have 11750 x 8925 pixels. The common confusion would be a 100dpi image, but it is only 10 inches wide. This is only 1000 pixels of image data. Once that image is sized up to 117.5" wide, then the dpi drops to 8 dpi. (1000 ÷ 117.5 = 8.51 dpi)

CMYK vs. RGB Mode:

We prefer files in RGB color mode. If given the option of "embedding a profile" when saving any art file, you should choose to embed it. The best RGB images have been in RGB format since their creation, and have not been moved to the smaller CMYK color space, and then back to RGB color mode.

Pantone PMS Colors:

You should spec all crucial color matches from the PMS Pantone fanbook. We will try to reproduce the true Pantone Solid Colorcolor, however the printed color maybe closer to the CMYK 4/C Process color. There are some colors we cannot reproduce perfectly, but we will get as close as each process allows. If choosingPantone colors in Photoshop, you should select your colors from the "PANTONE solid coated" library, to get the most accurate results. Do not specify metallic or fluorescent colors, as it is impossible for us to reproduce those colors on photographic paper or with CMYK inks. Critical color issues should be coordinated with your sales representative.

Black Specifications:

For darkest black output, set solid black objects in your file, including vector and raster art, to these specs: RGB Color Mode -- R: 0 G: 0 B: 0 CMYK Color Mode -- C: 100 M: 100 Y: 100 K: 100

Placing Raster Images:

For placement into Illustrator, InDesign, Freehand and Quark, save images as Photoshop EPSs.  Set Preview setting to JPEG and Encoding to JPEG (Maximum Quality) or Binary. Make sure to not check any of the check boxes in the Photoshop EPS save dialog window, as these options can cause problems with the RIP software. Do not embed or parse the files. Always link the files, which allows for color correction, proofing and editing. Make sure to include all linked image files separately.  Embedded images can not be guaranteed.

Raster Only Art:

If no vector art is used, raster only artwork can be sent in as a JPEG with the quality slider maxed out at 12, or a TIF file with LZW compression.

Fonts:

Outline ALL fonts before submission. (Not possible to outline fonts in QuarkXPress, so send all fonts.)

Artwork Restrictions:

~ Critical cuts between panels should be avoided, due to material shrinkage during lamination.
~ Do not design with borders around the edge, as they may become uneven due to necessary production over-sizing. If you must, thicker borders are more forgiving, then thinner borders.  We cannot guarantee the even thickness of borders if you use them.
~ PMS colors produced using different output types will not match exactly. (i.e. Inkjet vs. Lambda)
~ All custom profile cuts must include a vector based template for computerized cutting.  Vector art that has been auto-generated using vector path creation tools is not acceptable.
~ If creating Pantone colors in your raster artwork, then submit a Photoshop PSD layered file.
~ Remove any extra Photoshop alpha channels from your files, used during file creation.
~ If you submit a color as a tint or percentage of a PMS color, it will be printed as is. We cannot guarantee the tint as the PMS fanbooks andcolor charts do not show us exactly what that tint should look like. You may want to choose a lighter shade PMS color instead.

Acceptable Storage

CD & 4.7 GB DVD Media: Include project name, the Skyline sales rep's name, your address and your phone with all media.  Included only files pertaining to your project.
Do not included unnecessary or unrelated files on the disk.