ARTWORK SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Pictures & Logos
Please provide good quality, clean copies of pictures or logos and we will scan them.
If you are providing a slide or transparency, there is an extra charge as we will be doing a drum scan of these. Check with your sales rep for prices. We DO NOT accept Negatives.
NOTE: If you want us to scan a PRINTED piece, be aware that the scan will show the ink dots that were used in the printing process and result in a poorer quality image than the original. Try to use original art whenever possible.

Digital Images Acceptable digital file formats:

• JPG (Max Quality - at least 300 dpi at approximately the finished size)
• EPS
• TIFF (300-350 dpi)
• BMP (1200 dpi)
• PDF (Prepress Quality)
• MICROSOFT WORD, EXCEL & POWER POINT (But will be used as TEXT ONLY)

We will cut and paste into our graphics programs.

NOT Acceptable digital file formats:

• GIF (Not enough colors to look good.)
• MICROSOFT PUBLISHER, WORKS, WORD PERFECT.
• ANY OTHER NATIVE PAINT PROGRAM OR DRAWING PROGRAM THAT CANNOT BE CONVERTED TO A JPG (300 dpi), EPS, TIFF (300 dpi), OR PDF (2400 dpi).

We are aware that some printing companies will accept these programs. The reason we don't accept them is simply because the final product does not come out as well as when you send the specific files we ask for. Unfortunately these programs don't export the images at a high enough quality to produce a superlative printed postcard. We are only interested in providing the utmost in quality.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK US TO USE IMAGES PULLED FROM A WEB SITE. They may look okay on your monitor and inkjet printer but they are low resolution and will print poorly on a four color press. Provide us with a high resolution image whenever possible or a good copy and we will scan it for you. The better quality the original image the better quality the finished product.

Stock Photos
If you have something special in mind, you can purchase a photo easily right from the internet. (If you purchase, we can download the image for you or you download and e-mail to us)

**IMPORTANT NOTE** Make sure the images you buy are at least 300 dpi or approximately 9MB in size for a 6x4.25 Postcard. We also suggest ROYALTY FREE to keep your costs down... you pay once and can use over and over.

You can find the photos you want to use for your design at www.istockphoto.com or www.shutterstock.com. Once you have found the images you want to use note the image ID and we will get it for you.

Scans
Scan photos as close to the finished size as possible. Resolution should be 300-350 dpi. Scans at lower resolutions may print fuzzy and scans at higher resolutions may be cumbersome as files are large with no added quality. One Color Bitmap images should be scanned at 1200 dpi.

NOTE: When scanning from a PRINTED piece, the scan will show ink dots that result in a poor quality image. Try to use original art whenever possible.

Digital Cameras
Most low-end digital cameras cannot produce a high enough resolution for four color printing. If you must use one, put the settings at the highest quality setting possible.

How To Provide Digital Art
We accept: Zip Disk (100Mb), CD, email, or you can simply upload your art through our FTP. To use the FTP click here. Include only the files needed to produce your job. Please label all disks. When E-MAILING art, put your company name in the subject line, in the body please specify all details for the job. Stuff or Zip your artwork to allow smaller files and safer transmission. Email to: print@metroink.com If you have questions about what is acceptable or not, please call our toll free number 1-888-OK-METRO.