• Submitting your art
• Preparing your art
• Specifying colors
• Copyrights

SUBMITTING YOUR ART

Email your art files to artdepartment@livingstonewear.com

If your art files (combined) exceed 5.0mB, please call 770-971-6511 for further instructions.

PREPARING YOUR ART

We can work with any art that you submit. However, the type and quality of the artwork will determine the cost for processing your artwork into production-ready form.

• FOR BEST RESULTS, PROVIDE VECTOR FILES.

If you are developing your own art, to ensure exact replication the art needs to be vector format rather than raster.

• Vector vs. Raster: What's the Difference?
• Examples of vector file types
• Examples of raster file types
• If you elect to base your artwork on raster images
• If you wish to supply hand-drawn artwork

What's the difference?

Raster art is composed of pixels (many small squares). Pixels do not print smoothly unless there are many of them, known as high resolution. There should be 100 pixels per inch (ppi) for minimal quality, and 300 ppi or more for excellent quality.

For an 8.5" x 11" page,

• at minimal quality, 100 ppi = 850 pixels by 1100 pixels;
• 300 ppi = 2550 pixels x 3300 pixels.

Although it is possible to expand a low-resolution digital image to greater pixel dimensions, that technique does not overcome the original image's low starting resolution. The foundational image used must be of high quality and high resolution.

Vector art is composed of lines and shapes. Its mathematically-generated lines, angles and smooth curves print out exactly and with sharp edges. What's more, there is no limit to how large or small a 100% vector image can be scaled.

Raster art sent will either be used as a general guideline to reconstruct the art within a native vector format (looking very similar but not necessarily exact), or it will be converted through automatic tracing processing into vector paths (detail may be lost and there may be distortion of the art).

Examples of vector file types:

• Adobe Illustrator (.ai)
• Corel (.cdr, .cmx)
• FreeHand Document
• .wmf (Windows Meta File)
• .eps (Encapsulated Postscript)

Please note that the applications mentioned and others can export their native vector formats into vector EPS files.

VECTOR EPS is the preferred file type, because of its compatibility across computer platforms. Because EPS files can also be raster-based, it's critical to know what application generated your EPS file. If the native file is 100% vector, the EPS is also 100% vector. If the original image is a raster type, the EPS will also be raster type. For example, a raster JPEG saved as type EPS is still a raster file.

Vector tracing is required in order to convert a raster image into vector paths. If you include raster artwork within a vector drawing, making sure you're working with high-resolution images not scaled larger will help maintain quality in your artwork. The raster portion of dual format artwork will still have to be traced.

Examples of raster file types:

• Photoshop (.psd)
• Photopaint (.cpt)
• Paintbrush (.pcx)
• Portable Network Graphics (.png)
• TIFF (.tif)
• JPEG/JPG (.jpg)
• GIF (.gif)
• BMP (.bmp)
• .eps (Encapsulated Postscript)

Please note that the applications mentioned and others and others can export their native raster formats into raster EPS files. Any software that has "paint" or "photo" as part of its name is a raster-based application.

Also note that vector native files containing embedded raster images must be treated as raster files, because the raster image is only scaleable down.

If you elect to base your artwork on raster images (i.e., JPEG):

• DO provide large, high quality images
• DO provide black and white images
• DO provide images with solid colors
• DO provide the image electronically (via e-mail, CD, Flash Drive, etc.)

Do not send small, low quality, fuzzy raster images.

Remember that final artwork based on raster images may vary from the original raster image, depending on the quality of the beginning image.

If you wish to supply hand-drawn artwork, this procedure will provide the best result:

• Draw artwork on an 8.5" X 11" piece of white paper
• Use ONLY a black Sharpie® pen
• Even if your final rendition will be larger or smaller than the paper, execute your idea only on the 8.5" x 11" piece of white paper. In the tracing process your idea will become infinitely scaleable, to as large or as small as you desire.
• Do not color the original black-and-white drawing, even if color is to be applied.
• You may, however, make a photocopy of your drawing and apply color to it. A low-resolution scan of your colored art accompanying your high resolution scan of the black-and-white drawing will be helpful in converting your art for production use.

SPECIFYING COLORS

Choose your colors by referring to our chart.

COPYRIGHTS

You should have the permission of any copyright owners to reproduce their images, photographs, logos, slogans, or other material and artwork. Images available on the Internet are not copyright-free and should not be used for any project involving reproduction, without express written permission of the source.