Artwork Upload Criteria

Artwork Requirements

At HFE Signs Ltd. We understand customer satisfaction is paramount - following the guidelines below, we can ensure you get the quality you desire and keep the turnaround time to a minimum. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Do I need to send Artwork?

HFE Free design & Free proof service If your requirements consist of simple text and shapes and logos, we will do the artwork for you, we will email you a proof for your approval, once you are happy with the design - we'll process your order. Please provide all sizes, colours, fonts and any information that will assist us with the design. Any logos or images will print far better if they are provided at 300dpi.

Online Design Studio  You can design your own artwork online using our exclusive online design studio, this will generate the finished file at the desired resolution, please make sure you check all spellings and detail as we can’t be responsible for any errors when using this facility. Any images or logos can only be printed to the resolution of the file you insert, so please ensure it is high resolution (300dpi) if in doubt, ask us to check prior to ordering.

If you are sending your own artwork  Always send your artwork in the correct aspect ratio, i.e. if it’s a 4ft x 8ft banner then the length of the design / artwork should always be twice the height. Colour mode should always be CMYK. See colours paragraph below.

Crop marks, bleed & borders  We don’t require any crop marks or bleed for any signage or print, simply design you artwork to the edge. When designing PVC banners allow a no text area 30mm from the edge, this is to avoid any eyelets landing on your text, likewise with a framed sign or acrylic sign a 50mm text free border is required, any background colour or image can go to the edge.

Vector files pdf, ai, eps. Vector files should be sent whenever possible. It is important that all fonts are converted to paths/outlines, this will ensure that your text is displayed correctly. If files are not converted to outlines errors can occur during the import process. Vector images are fully scalable and can be sent at a smaller size (correct proportions please). Important - When sending eps or ai files, always provide a low res. jpg as a visual, just so we can check for any compatibility issues.

Bitmap, Jpg images & photos When sending Bitmaps & jpg images the file resolution should be 300dpi this will allow us to scale them and maintain a high resolution print.

For PVC banners & large media (billboards) - Image quality diminishes when increasing in size. For every 100% increase in size the resolution is reduced by half i.e. If artwork is provided at 300dpi for a 4ft x 2ft banner, and the finished size is 8ft x 4ft (four times the artwork size) the resolution will be 75dpi. The finished resolution for banners should always be 150dpi if viewed from 2m or 75dpi as a minimum if viewed from a distance of 5m or greater.

Colours The Pantone Matching System (P.M.S.) provides a reference colour to target, although not all P.M.S. colours are 100% reproducible using CMYK print process. All colour specifications will be matched to the closest 4 or 6 colour process. Orders received without colour specifications will be produced using the CMYK values contained in the digital file. CMYK can’t print fluorescent or metallic colours. Please note CMYK colours will vary from one printer to another, the only way to get accurate colour match is either a physical sample sent to us by post or a PMS colour code.

Internet images will not work Image requirements for website use are generally low-resolution and contain less colours than that used for digital print. When scaled, these images will pixilate and be faint in colour strength. Internet images are also likely to be subject to copyright and therefore you will need permission to use them. By sending us any images or logos you are taking full responsibility for any legal or copyright infringement so please confirm that you are allowed to use them by the image owner. See legal paragraph below.

Clipart Sometimes clipart is created in vector / line drawing, in this case it can be used, however if created in bitmap the resolution will be too poor for print.

Legal By uploading files, you are taking full responsibility regarding ownership and usage. By uploading artwork you are confirming you are the intellectual owner or you have permission or the file is permitted to be reproduced in the form of your request. You take full responsibility for the files you upload and HFE Signs Ltd will not be responsible for any claims with regard to infringement.

Remember- We are here to help, if you are unsure please call us on 01283 576017