Digital Art Information
Bitmap Images Vector Images Vector Vs. Bitmap
Bitmap Images (AKA Raster Images)
Bitmap images are made up of pixels, which are: tiny little squares of color in a grid, which make up what you see on your screen. Photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, Macromedia Fireworks and Corel Photo-Paint create and edit bitmapped or raster images. Digital Cameras and Scanners also create bitmap images. Bitmap images are resolution dependent, which means that they canned be enlarged without losing quality and eventually becoming pixelated or blurry.
If you have photo that needs to be scanned to be used in your artwork, make sure you scan it in at a high enough resolution. Example: If you have a photo that is 8" x 10" and you want it on your display at 24" x 30" you will need to scan your photo at 300 ppi (Pixels Per Inch), so it can be enlarged to 3X's the size. Scanning the original photo always work out better then scanning a computer print-out.
Images that appear on your website are 72 ppi, which is lower than our print requirements of at least 100 ppi. Some images from your website maybe able to be printed but they cannot be printed any larger than they appear on your site.
If you are taking your own product pictures, for the display, with a digital camera make sure you have it set to the right resolution so the image can be enlarged to print at the size that you need. Your owners manual should tell you how large can make your photos.
Image at actual size.
(Roll-over the image to see it at 10X actual size.)
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Vector Images
Vector art is made of lines and curves defined by mathematical objects called vectors. Vector art is resolution independent. therefore, it can be scaled to any size without loss of quality.
Vector art is created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand, and Corel Draw. If your vector art was created in something other then Adobe Illustrator please send your file as an .eps.
Logos, clipart and illustrations are usually created in vector based programs, allowing these things to be used on everything from a tri-fold mailer to a tradeshow display, and is printed in perfect quality on everything. When sending us your logo it is best to send this type of file, if you have it.
Vector Artwork
(Roll-over to see the outlines)
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Vector Vs. Bitmap
Vector Art Vs. Bitmap Art
(Roll over the image to see the difference.)
Vector art is much better for things like your logo that may need to be a different size on everything that you print. Bitmap art is good for things like photos.
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