CD/DVD Duplication
Disc2Day CD DVD Duplication News
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Recommended Design Specifications
In our previous post, we explained why we recommend using certain design programs when creating your CD/DVD complete package artwork. In this post, we will explain why we recommend that when you send us your artwork, they contain certain specifications to ensure you receive the best quality product - "more bang for your buck", so to speak.
During the ordering process with us, at some point you will hear us recommend you send us your art with these specifications:
• 300 dpi
• CMYK
• Layered (if using Photoshop)
• .PSD format (if using Photoshop)
Now, we will explain what these specs mean, and why we recommend them.
• 300 dpi
The acronym "dpi" stands for "dots per inch" - sometimes it is also called "ppi" or "pixels per inch", which is the resolution of the art file you send to us. So, 300 dpi means "300 dots per inch". If you look at a magazine or newspaper photograph under a magnifying lens, you'll notice the photographs are actually made of thousands of tiny dots. These are the "dots" that are being referenced. So, the smaller the dpi, the less detailed and more blurry - "pixelated" - the artwork will be. The reason we request 300 dpi is because it is not too small, nor is it too large. 300 dpi is the same resolution the human eye processes images. So while you can send us CD/DVD package art that is higher resolution, it is sufficient to only send us 300 dpi images for the smaller-sized printing that we produce.
•CMYK
The letters "CMYK" stand for "Cyan Magenta Yellow Black". These are the 4 colors that our printers use when producing the product. You'll notice that some companies may recommend "RGB" (Red Green Blue) as the color profile - that is because their printing equipment is calibrated to use the 3 color RGB method instead of the 4 color CMYK method. While for the most part there is not a huge difference between the appearance of a print produced in CMYK vs. RGB, the differences are quite noticeable when using very bright, vivid fluorescent colors, such as electric blue or neon green. These colors do not show up as vividly in CMYK format as they do in RGB. The flip-side is that, if you have a detailed photograph with shadows, highlights, and more natural colors, CMYK will more accurately reproduce the photograph in your CD/DVD complete package.
•Layered
The term "layered" is a Photoshop term that refers to the way the art file is set up. When a file in Photoshop is "layered", that means the text, photos, borders, colors, - every aspect of the design is separated and is able to be manipulated and moved around independently from the other elements. We recommend you work with layers and send us the original layered file of your CD/DVD complete package so if we need to adjust the art to fit our templates, or if we need to make changes to the art, we can do so. If you send us the art flattened, with all the layers combined into a single layer, we wouldn't be able to retype anything, and it would take longer and sometimes be more difficult to adjust the artwork if it is necessary to do so.
• PSD format
PSD format stands for "PhotoShop Document". This is the standard file format for art that is created in Photoshop, and is the recommended format for art that has separated layers. You can also send us CD/DVD complete package files in PDF format with the layers separated, but PSD format is generally the most compatible, universally accepted format when working in Photoshop. Of course, if you are not working in Photoshop, you cannot save your artwork in PSD format. If this is the case, we highly recommend you send us files in either PDF or, as a last resort, JPG format. If you choose these latter two formats, it is even more important to have the art in 300 dpi resolution, as JPG and PDF files are generally smaller sized and lower quality.
And there you have it! Hopefully by now you have a clearer understanding as to what our terminology and requirements mean. As always, you can contact us either by phone or email if you have any other questions regarding the design and ordering process.
During the ordering process with us, at some point you will hear us recommend you send us your art with these specifications:
• 300 dpi
• CMYK
• Layered (if using Photoshop)
• .PSD format (if using Photoshop)
Now, we will explain what these specs mean, and why we recommend them.
• 300 dpi
The acronym "dpi" stands for "dots per inch" - sometimes it is also called "ppi" or "pixels per inch", which is the resolution of the art file you send to us. So, 300 dpi means "300 dots per inch". If you look at a magazine or newspaper photograph under a magnifying lens, you'll notice the photographs are actually made of thousands of tiny dots. These are the "dots" that are being referenced. So, the smaller the dpi, the less detailed and more blurry - "pixelated" - the artwork will be. The reason we request 300 dpi is because it is not too small, nor is it too large. 300 dpi is the same resolution the human eye processes images. So while you can send us CD/DVD package art that is higher resolution, it is sufficient to only send us 300 dpi images for the smaller-sized printing that we produce.
•CMYK
The letters "CMYK" stand for "Cyan Magenta Yellow Black". These are the 4 colors that our printers use when producing the product. You'll notice that some companies may recommend "RGB" (Red Green Blue) as the color profile - that is because their printing equipment is calibrated to use the 3 color RGB method instead of the 4 color CMYK method. While for the most part there is not a huge difference between the appearance of a print produced in CMYK vs. RGB, the differences are quite noticeable when using very bright, vivid fluorescent colors, such as electric blue or neon green. These colors do not show up as vividly in CMYK format as they do in RGB. The flip-side is that, if you have a detailed photograph with shadows, highlights, and more natural colors, CMYK will more accurately reproduce the photograph in your CD/DVD complete package.
•Layered
The term "layered" is a Photoshop term that refers to the way the art file is set up. When a file in Photoshop is "layered", that means the text, photos, borders, colors, - every aspect of the design is separated and is able to be manipulated and moved around independently from the other elements. We recommend you work with layers and send us the original layered file of your CD/DVD complete package so if we need to adjust the art to fit our templates, or if we need to make changes to the art, we can do so. If you send us the art flattened, with all the layers combined into a single layer, we wouldn't be able to retype anything, and it would take longer and sometimes be more difficult to adjust the artwork if it is necessary to do so.
• PSD format
PSD format stands for "PhotoShop Document". This is the standard file format for art that is created in Photoshop, and is the recommended format for art that has separated layers. You can also send us CD/DVD complete package files in PDF format with the layers separated, but PSD format is generally the most compatible, universally accepted format when working in Photoshop. Of course, if you are not working in Photoshop, you cannot save your artwork in PSD format. If this is the case, we highly recommend you send us files in either PDF or, as a last resort, JPG format. If you choose these latter two formats, it is even more important to have the art in 300 dpi resolution, as JPG and PDF files are generally smaller sized and lower quality.
And there you have it! Hopefully by now you have a clearer understanding as to what our terminology and requirements mean. As always, you can contact us either by phone or email if you have any other questions regarding the design and ordering process.
Labels: bulk, cd, complete package, duplication, dvd, replication
posted by Disc2day at
9:27 AM
