In this sign design video, you will discover the critical difference between good artwork and bad artwork for your new custom signage . That way, if you already have a logo or another graphic you want to use for your sign design, you’ll know the best type of file to provide to your sign company to achieve the best results.

We will show you an example of a low quality image. As you’ll see, the picture looks all fuzzy around the edges creating somewhat of a blurry appearance.

But when we get the high quality version of that same photograph, images turn out remarkably clear and crisp, even zoomed in real close.

So why does one photo look so blurry and the other looks perfect? Well, the difference in the level of clarity is directly related to the file size. In other words, the bigger the file size, the better your final image will look.

So what kind of file will result in the best quality images for your new custom sign?

You might already know that the graphics featured in this video are both bitmap based images. In fact, almost all photographs and pictures are bitmaps. And when we look at these kinds of images up close to see how clear they are, we can actually see the little square pixels that make up the image.

Unfortunately, this is where images can start getting ugly …

You see, as we enlarge a photo, these square shaped pixels get larger too. So if you begin with a small image like a small picture you found on a website, then as that image is made bigger, you’ll start to see those square pixels getting larger and larger too.

However, if you start with what we call “the original file” which is the clean, original version of the file when the photo or artwork was first created, then your final images will turn out sharp and crisp.

A quality size image for a 3×4 sign or bigger, could be anywhere from 5 to 10 megs. But this is just an example, file sizes will vary.

So as you can see, the size of the file is critically important – the larger the file size, the better your final artwork will turnout!

Now in terms of exactly which type of file to send us, we’re completely flexible. Our graphic design team has the software to open and import all the popular file types including .eps, .pdf, .jpg, .tiff, .ps (Photoshop) and .ai (Adobe Illustrator) files.

Plus, we can even use Microsoft Word Documents, .pub (Publisher), Power Point, bmp, gif and.png files if the file size is large enough.

How can I know for sure if my file is high enough quality?

If you’re not sure about the image quality of your file, we’ll be happy to review your artwork ahead of time to see if it’s suitable for your sign design – even if you haven’t placed an order with our company before. You can simply email it to us so we can look at it up close.

If your image isn’t sharp enough to use for any reason, we will notify you know right away and personally work with you to help you find a solution.