ART SUBMISSION INFORMATION

We accept art submissions through Email or Fileshare.

• Electronic artwork under 5 mb can be e-mailed to sales@chestinc.com.
• Electronic artwork over 5 mb can be sent to our Jumpshare. We ask that you still please advise by e-mail at sales@chestinc.com and reference file name, P.O. number and order information. If revised art is submitted, additional charges may apply.
• Other Fileshare submissions are accepted; please make sure the file is accessible to our art team. If the files are locked or inaccessible, this may cause a delay in proof/production time.

PRINT READY ARTWORK SPECIFICATIONS

"Print ready" art is ready for production, and should be set up to our template. We will typeset up to 3 lines of copy for free, all other changes/additions may be subject to an extra charge. If typesetting is required, a font must be specified or it will be left to the discretion of the artist.

• Die patterns/templates are available on each item's page
• For best results send native vector eps files
• Artwork must be vector-based for screen printing
• Send all linked files, including tiff and eps files for artwork placed in the document, including files that are embedded in the file
• Convert all fonts to outlines or paths, or include fonts with artwork
• Tints must be built into the art file
• Any metallic color requires a clear coat making it a two color imprint
• Pixel based artwork needs to be high resolution artwork, at least 300 dpi at 100% of size
• All colors will be converted to CMYK
• Avoid thin lines, minimum line thickness: .5 pt
• All copy must remain 0.25" from all cut lines
• Artwork must include a .125” bleed for digital printing, .25” bleed for silk screening or offset printing

If art requirements are not met, art time will be billed at $50.00 per hour.

SUPPORTED PROGRAMS

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign
• QuarkXpress
• Adobe Acrobat

Microsoft documents are not acceptable.

Supported File Types

• Vector (Preferred for best results)
• Tiff (minimum 300 dpi resolution) (line art minimum 1200 dpi resolution); 4CP Only
• EPS (minimum 300 dpi resolution)
• PDF (press quality only)
• JPEG (minimum 300 dpi resolution); 4CP Only
• Adobe Native Formats (.ai, .indd, .psd) - .ai files that are vector may be screened; .indd & .psd files are 4CP Only

Copy Changes

Please call factory regarding copy change charges; this varies depending on product group and imprint method.

Poly Colors

Current available poly colors include: Ocean Blue, Neon Pink (limited supply) White, Red, Purple Pizzazz (limited supply), Sunburst Orange, Green, and Yellow

Vector vs Raster

Vector based art is infinitely scalable and editable, which allows for changes to be made in-house as needed for a project. Rasterization is the compression an image undergoes at the size determined at the time of creation, and cannot be edited easily. In case of art needing alterations, our art team will determine how difficult it will be by these terms. Supplying vector art allows for minimal delays in print and production. Be advised however - the bigger the vector file, the more difficult it can be to adjust. Please choose the file type and properties for what best works for your item.

Digital vs Screened Gradients

In regards to gradients, Digital/4CP is generally the only option. With some art, a screened gradient can be made possible but due to the nature of the silk screen and ink it will appear as "halftone". Halftone gives the appearance of a gradient through the use of lines, crosses, or most commonly circles and can significantly change the final look of an item. A "smooth" gradient is not possible with screened items (this includes things like "glow" and "drop shadow"). Please take this into consideration when designing your items.

Digital/4CP Gradient	Screened Gradient

Half Tones

$45 (G) per color on silkscreened items:

• Postcards: 65 dot line, 20-70% screen tint
• Boxes: 45 dot line, 35-70 screen tint; due to the nature of corrugated material, may not allow for consistent halftone
• Poly stencils or calendars: 65 dot line, 20-70% screen tint

PMS/Spot Color vs 4CP/CMYK

Pantone Matching System (PMS) or "spot colors" are what is used to match colors across a variety of mediums especially in screenprinting. Each color has to be mixed according to a specific formula in order to match, and must be printed one at a time. Four-color process (4CP), also known as CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black), is a type of color mixing and layering most commonly used in digital printing which mixes the four colors into a plethora of additional hues and being able to apply all at once.
CMYK printing, despite it's robustness in color options, cannot match directly to most PMS colors by default. Due to the difference in monitor color balance and the interpretation of most printer software some color change is likely when using PMS colors for CMYK printing even if not readily seen in a email proof.

Silk Screening

• Submitted artwork must be vector EPS files
• Final artwork will include trapping (4pt min outline) if it contains more than one overlapping color - this should not affect final appearance much
• When screening more than one color, there is a tolerance of 1/16". This can affect artwork with tight registration.
• Any wording that is produced with a halftone would require a solid outline to provide definition to the letters.
• Halftones must be between 30% and 70%
• Minimum line thickness: .5pt - Minimum type size: 6 pt, avoid serif fonts