Mechanical Artwork
The traditional standard for acceptable mechanical artwork that is "camera-ready black and white" material.
Vector-based Files
Sometimes called a geometric file, most images created with tools such as Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw are in the form of vector image files. Vector image files are easier to modify than raster image files. (which can, however, sometimes be reconverted to vector files for further refinement) Another way to look at it is that every pixel in the image has an X and a Y axis, this allows easy resizing without loss of quality.
Bitmap Files
Images are exactly what their name says they are: a collection of bits that form an image. The image consists of a matrix of individual dots (or pixels) that all have their own color (described using bits, the smallest possible units of information for a computer). Unless these are in very large sized resolution (600 DPI or better), they are unusable in the printing process.
Page Layout Documents
The font files and document preferences that need to be supplied for use on the supplier's end in case they do not have a rare or special font that you would like to use.
Metafile
A collection of structures that store a picture in a device-independent format. Device independence is the one feature that sets metafiles apart from bitmaps. Unlike a bitmap, a metafile guarantees device independence. There is a drawback to metafiles, because they are generally drawn more slowly than bitmaps. Therefore, if an application requires fast drawing and device independence is not an issue, it should use bitmaps instead of metafiles.
.PDF Files
Adobe® Portable Document Format preserve the visually rich content of original files, and are easier to read than HTML content that appears in a Web browser. Adobe PDF files print cleanly and quickly, and anyone can share Adobe PDF files, regardless of their platform or software application. This is good to show the end result you would like, but usually not good for sending artwork that needs to be printed.
.EPS Files (Accepted Format)
Encapsulated Postscript file: An alternative picture file format that allows PostScript data to be stored and edited and is easy to transfer between Macintosh, Windows machines, and other systems.
.AI Files (Accepted Format)
Adobe Illustrator File, the very best in quality to recreate your artwork in the printing process.
.TIFF Files (Needs to be Recreated)
Tagged Image File Format file: A file format for exchanging bitmapped images between different applications. This format will not work to use in the printing process.
.JPG Files (Needs to be Recreated)
Commonly used on the web due to it's excellent ability to compress the graphic to save webpage load time. This format will not work to use in the printing process.
.GIF Files (Needs to be Recreated)
Commonly used on the web due to it's ability to reduce the number of colors an image uses to be viewed to save webpage load time. This format will not work to use in the printing process.
.BMP Files (Needs to be Recreated)
A low resolution Image format. This format will not work to use in the printing process.
Web Pages (Needs to be Recreated)
As a general rule, if it can be viewed on the web it will most likely be too low of quality for printing. Web graphics are made to load quickly, thereby cutting the quality of the image. The eye may not notice on the web, but it will show up in printing.
.DOC Files (Needs to be Recreated)
This format will not work to use in the printing process.
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