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40 VISUALS Frequently Asked Questions Signage experts FAQ rush policy artwork transferring

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I get to see how my file will print prior to production?

Our 40 VISUALS team is committed to customer satisfaction. We understand that printing involved company trust to ensure color correctness and layout integrity. For this reason, our designers work one-on-one and provide a digital proof prior to sending to production. It is in this process that quality concerns are discussed and addressed. It is only after customer approval that final orders are approved for production. Designers will often be found in production reviewing color correctness and quality prior to shipping. Rest assured that your final satisfaction is a priority.

Are there any extra fees?

Our goal is to provide excellent customer service and speedy delivery of all customers’ signage needs. In order to maintain high standards of service, while keeping signage costs down, it is our policy to implement a nominal charge for First Time File Prep (graphic layouts) & Archive Fee (storage of graphic layout for 2 years).

File prep service refers to resizing layered graphics to the dimensions needed to fill a particular signage order. The first time a new size is ordered, a First Time File Prep & Archive Fee of $25 will be added. Each time the same size is requested on subsequent orders there will be no charge. This fee will appear on orders and invoices as a separate line item(s).

Example: the first time a 30”w x 40”h Duratran of a specific image from your artwork campaign is ordered a $25 fee will be added. In the future, if the same image layout is ordered at 30”w x 40”h regardless of the media type, there will be no charge.

Print-ready files sent set up to size for items needed will not be subject to this fee.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns as we wish to bring you the best signage experience possible.

What is your rush policy?

2-Day Rush Policy

For orders with the “Rush Must Arrive By” field populated with a date falling within 48 hours of the date in the “Order Placed” field, an additional fee will be added to the order total.

2-Day Rush fee: 15% of the order total, $50 minimum and $500 maximum fee.

Example: An order placed Monday, with a due date of Wednesday the same week is subject to the 2-Day Rush fee.

Next-Day Rush Policy

For orders with the “Rush Must Arrive By” field populated with a date falling within 24 hours of the date in the “Order Placed” field, an additional fee will be added to the order total.

Next-Day Rush fee: 20% of the order total, $75 minimum and $500 maximum fee.

Example: An order placed Monday, with a due date of Tuesday the same week is subject to the Next-Day Rush fee.

**PLEASE NOTE: All orders utilizing the “Rush Must Arrive By” field may be subject to increased shipping rates. As ground shipping is not guaranteed, express shipping methods are often necessary to ensure the arrival date is met, regardless of the date the order was placed.

Example: Order placed Monday with a due date of Thursday may be subject to overnight shipping charges.

What is your privacy policy?

This privacy notice discloses the privacy practices for 40visuals.com. This privacy notice applies solely to information collected by this website.

We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone. We will use your information to respond to you, and personalize your experience regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than as necessary to fulfill your request, e.g. to ship an order. Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

How do I send you artwork?

When using our order system there can be some confusion with thumbnail images and ready to print files. The artwork gallery images are for reference only and are not high enough quality to print from so larger files are needed for layouts. 

 

High-resolution artwork can be sent via email, WeTransfer, or any preferred sharing service. Our designers are happy to walk through the process and advise on what files are needed.

Do you keep my artwork on file?

We understand that your artwork is valuable and take every step to keep a safe and seamless print workflow. To eliminate the inconvenience of sending recurring artwork, we commit to keep your files in a secure way for a two-year timeframe.

What type of artwork files do you accept?

We accept

– InDesign (.indd)

– Illustrator (.ai)

– Photoshop (.psd)

– Encapsulated PostScript (.eps)

– Portable Document Format (.pdf)

– Tagged Image File Format (.tiff)

If I use the order system, how secure is my information?

We take security seriously and take every precaution to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.

Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment. If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact us immediately via telephone at 1-800-962-3119 or via email.

What is a vector file and when should I use it?

Vector files allow for more flexibility because they are constructed using mathematical formulas rather than individual colored blocks. Vector file types can be drastically sized with no loss in quality. This means vector images can be significantly enlarged or decreased while maintaining smooth, crisp edges. All text and logo elements should be in a vector format for best print results.

**common file format: ai, eps, pdfs originating from vector files

graphic programs: Illustrator

graphics: texts, logos, icons, illustrations, drawings

What is a layered file and why is it important?

A native file is the original working file the graphic was created in, most likely an Adobe Creative suite program that includes editable layers. Layers are all the elements that make up the graphic artwork. A layered file provides the best way to re-size and change the appearance of the graphic design to accommodate different size outputs. These files can be exchanged reliably across platforms, and from the client to the printer to produce the desired final output.

When should I use a raster file?

Raster images are constructed using a fixed number of tiny colored, squares or pixels. The amount of pixels in an image is called resolution. Raster files can not be dramatically resized without compromising their resolution. When stretched to fit a space they weren’t designed to fill, their pixels become visibly grainy and the image distorts. This is why altered photos may appear pixelated or low resolution. A raster image can be enlarged by either adding more pixels or enlarging the size of the pixel. Either way you are spreading the original data over a larger area at the risk of losing clarity.

What is ‘image resolution’?

Digital images are made up of thousands of pixels (blocks of color). The number of pixels printed per inch is known as the image resolution, which determines the quality of the print. Higher number of pixels means higher quality, clearer imagery and the best print possible.

What resolution is needed for print?

Image resolution has everything to do with the print quality of your image. Resolution is defined by ppi (pixels per inch) and or dpi (dots per inch). A high resolution image is defined as 300 ppi/dpi or higher. When sending artwork at full size the ppi/dpi needs to be at 150 and at half size 300 ppi/dpi.

How to determine what size your raster image must be for good quality printing.

Multiply the resolution required by the area to be printed.

Example: We require a minimum of 150 ppi and you want to print an image in an area that is 5 inches wide, by 10 inches high multiply 300 pixels x 5 inches (300 x 5 = 1500). Your image must be at least 1500 pixels wide by 3000 pixels high.

How do I determine what dimension an existing image can be printed at?

Divide the pixel dimension of your image by the resolution required by your printer.

Example: If your image is 1993 pixels wide & printer requires 300 ppi (1993 ÷ 300) can be printed at 6.643 inches

**common

file format:  jpg, jpeg, png, tif, tiff, bmp, psd and pdfs originating from raster files

graphic programs: Photoshop

graphics: photographs, illustrations with soft blends of color gradients

Have a Specific Question?

Call 800-962-3119 or click the button below to be connected with a one-on-one signage expert who can assist with your needs.

Contact Us

Have a Specific Question?

Call 800-962-3119 or click the button below to be connected with a one-on-one signage expert who can assist with your needs.

Contact Us