Catalyst Promotions Blog

Art files can be one of  the most confusing and time-consuming aspects of this industry.  There are dozens of different types of file formats and thousands of fonts. Most file formats can be categorized into two types – raster and vector.  Another consideration is how to decide on the best art for your business before calling a company like Catalyst.

Digital art formats have been around for decades and have diversified greatly over that time.  In the 90s the most common types of files consumers dealt with were raster style formats.  What this means is that the image is made up of tiny colored dots called pixels.  Higher quality images have exponentially more of these pixels than lower quality and that allows them to be enlarged to bigger sizes.  File extensions for this type of art file include: .jpg, .gif, .pnp, .bmp and others.  Raster style formats cannot generally be used directly by our industry.

These files must be converted to the vectored format before they can be used.  The reason for this is that they can not be resized in a reliable and “clean” way.  You can see this in these two images.  They are both from the same .png file but one has been increased in size to show the effect.

The one on the left is the original and the one on the right is doubled in size, you can see the pixelation.  These kinds of art files are used for photos, and other web images.  right now few web browsers support vectored artwork.  Some examples of programs that use this kind of file are: Paint, Photoshop and to a lesser extent, Word.

Our industry primarily uses “vectored” artwork.  This means that the file contains instructions for how to draw the art, as opposed to a map of individual pixels.  Because of this, vectored artwork can be scaled to virtually any size and still look perfect. The colors of the artwork can also be separated or changed much more easily. Almost every factory requires us to send them artwork in this format.  Programs that use this type of format include Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw.

Fonts also need to be converted into vectored artwork.  This not only allows the text to be scaled but prevents issues of someone in the art chain not having a particular font installed on their computer.  So, if you are doing your own artwork, or having it done by someone else, what we need in the end is vectored artwork with all fonts converted.  This will allow for the fastest processing of your order.

What if you do not have access to a program that uses vectored formats?  Don’t worry, will take whatever art you have and do our best to get it converted to the correct format.  We do not expect you to be a master artist, or an expert in computer graphics.  This post is to help you know better questions to ask, and what will ensure the fastest service.

The last consideration is also what you need to think about before placing an order.  Deciding what your art will look like can be more complicated that it seems at first.  There are a couple of things to keep in mind before deciding what you would like on your promotional product.

The first consideration is size and shape.  What kind of art you can have depends largely on what will fit on the item you choose.  For example, you can fit much more information and graphics on a mousepad than you can on a pencil.  If the item you want is small, or has a limited height or width, you may not be able to fit certain more detailed graphics.  In the case of something like a pencil or golf tee, you may be limited to text only.  We will help you find the best options for the product that you choose.

The second consideration is colors.  We offer many items that can be printed in what is called 4-color process.  This means that you can have as many colors as you like, even a photograph.  However, not every item can be printed this way.  For most promotional products, more colors means additional cost.  If you are on a tight budget, let us help you find the right product or let us help you narrow down the colors needed in your artwork.

If you are designing you company’s logo, either for the first time, or you are creating a new one, keep these two considerations in mind.  Create the design that is best for your business, but also remember that complicated, extremely detailed or multi-colored logos may restrict the items that can be easily printed.

If you have any other art related questions, feel free to post a comment or email us at art@catalystpromotions.net.

Ken