ARTWORK REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES DP Central is MAC based and ideally, will be done in one of the following programs listed on the design instruction sheet. For vehicles, DP Central can provide basic proportions (length, height, width) and a computer template of the vehicle to us as a rough layout to superimpose over your graphic images. DP Central will produce a final layout and send back a production proof which may have subtle differences from your layout regarding positioning of images. All graphics are printed in process (CMYK) colors and not PMS colors. ARTWORK REQUIREMENTS Digital Artwork Zip 100 MB or Jaz 1GB disks, CDs. These are preferred because they are more durable and are less likely to be damaged in shipping SyQuest 44, 88, 200 MB cartridges. SyQuest can be damaged in shipping. 3.5" Magneto Optical 128 MB disks DAT tapes. DDS 4mm, Retrospect with directory sent on separate diskette. Physical Artwork 8" x 10" or 4" x 5" transparencies. Transparencies will scan the best. Please try to avoid original pieces of art (i.e. paintings, drawings etc) or preprinted art (i.e. business cards, magazine ads etc) GUIDELINES TO REMEMBER 1. Design in a rectangle for all vehicles. On the curbside, the front door glass cannot be covered because the transit authority prohibits it; likewise the drivers window cannot be covered. Screened vents cannot be covered and louvered vents can break-up graphics. Overall, design a graphic with a simple background, one or two easy identifiable products, and large easy to read text. We encourage photo realistic images scanned at a high resolution. Your graphics may be 9’ tall in the end and DP Central can help in determining the right resolution. Remember, your graphic may be viewed at 40’ away while the vehicle is moving. Use the same design principles that you would apply to designing a billboard. Small details and subtleties get lost in the overall dramatic effect of a giant bus wrap graphic. 2. On the back of the bus, the bottom half is usually used for graphics except for the tail lights and license plate. The front of the bus may have some room bellow the windshield for a small graphic but often times, that area is used by the transit authority. The roof is not covered with graphics unless by special quote. 3. Vinyl does not stick to the soft rubber parts of a vehicle, like the bumpers and the rubber around the wheel wells. Try to keep text or graphics 6" away from these areas to avoid losing any image. Small text can get lost over rub rails and vents. 4. Because Photoshop limits its canvas size to 416", for a large vehicle, you will need to work at 50% of the actual size. Plan to work at a minimum resolution of 25 dpi; files should be approximately 30 MB without layers. For the back and front, please work at full size, 100%. 5. Transit agencies have objected to full bus graphics which are predominantly dark brown or black for nighttime safety reasons. Also in some cities, transit agencies will add their own logo decals or bus number identifications after our installation. Most often, these will be indicated on the proof. DIGITAL GRAPHICS DESIGN INSTRUCTIONS The following is a list of useful suggestions for achieving the best results when designing digital artwork for output at DP Central. GENERAL GUIDELINES Create complete rectangles for vehicles. DP Central prints complete rectangles for all vehicles. Make art a separate layer and completely fill rectangle, do not cut away images which fall into wheel wells, vents, etc or which fall outside the outline of the template. Lay the template as a separate layer over the art to show placement. When using Illustrator, lock the template layer or be sure to keep it separate from any artwork. Design at full size or scale if necessary. The maximum file size in Photoshop is 416". If you work at scale, please use a common scaling factor in proportion to the actual size. Provide sufficient resolution. Scanned images on vans and smaller vehicles should be between 25 and 50 dpi at full size. Images for busses should be at least 25 dpi at half size. Do not color separate. Photoshop EPS files must be of the single file variety– no color separations. Save files in Photoshop format in CMYK. Provide hard copies of images. Any number of things can happen between the creation of a graphic and its output. A hard copy of your finished graphic (preferably color corrected) will ensure there are no missing elements or text and all items are placed correctly. Provide only necessary files. Sending more than the needed files can cause confusion and delay. For a bus, ideally there will be a file for the street side, curb side, front (if one has been designed) and the back. PROGRAM HINTS For all programs set any black to Photoshop black- 65C, 53M, 51Y, 100K Convert all text to outlines if possible or send all fonts and their suitcases used in final file. Photoshop Use CMYK mode. Dust the image at 1:1 or view at 100% Layers can contain more than on object as long as objects are not touching; each item does not have to be on its own separate layer. Illustrator Create outlines for all text Link PLACED images; DO NOT PARSE images. Select all images and set output resolution under Object Attributes to 9600. QuarkXpress Make the document fit the graphic, including any bleed. Collect for Output or Picture Usage to ensure all linked files are included. If possible use actual images and not FPOs. Placed images should be EPS format, NOT TIFF or JPEG. FreeHand Convert to Paths all text. Set printer resolution to 2540 in Inspector.   Fleet 75 Gallery DP Central Main Page Fleet 75