Important
Please read the following information if you have yet to create your artwork.
Preparing Your Own Pin File
Software & File Formats
Design your pin using your favorite software (for example: PowerPoint, Corel Draw, Illustrator, Photoshop). Upload your file in one of these formats: .PPT .PPTX .CDR .BMP .GIF .JPG .TIF .PSD .PUB .PDF .SIT .AI .EPS .PNG
See Image File Formats for more detailed information.
Size Guidelines
Be sure to set the page size and guides using the following specs:
- The finished size of our pins are 2.25". All visible content must fit inside this area.
- Any text or important information should not touch the edge of the pin. Add some padding for the best look.
- If you'd like your background to wrap around the edge of the pin for a more professional finish, enlarge the background graphic to fit a 2.625" circle (but keep the text and important stuff the same size).
Resolution
Pins are printed at 300 dpi resolution. Sending a file at a higher resolution than 300 dpi will not result in better output.
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| 300 dpi example |
72 dpi example |
Image File Formats
Bitmap Graphics (photos/ images)
Bitmaps are comprised from a series of small square dots (pixels). Depending on the format of the particular bitmap, each of these dots can be black, white, some particular color, or a shade of gray.
Software Examples:
Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop, Print Shop Pro
Limitations:
- Enlarging a bitmap will decrease the quality. If resizing a graphic, keep it proportionate to minimize distortion.
- Bitmap graphics can be very large. Scanned bitmaps over 300 dpi (dots per inch) can easily exceed 1 megabyte (MB).
- Bitmaps do not typically output at as high of a resolution as an equivalent object-oriented graphic format. They are limited by the initial resolution at which they were created. In most cases, this is no better than the screen resolution, 75 DPI for VGA, unless the image was scanned.
Object-Oriented Graphics (vector graphics)
Object-oriented graphics are not comprised of a series of dots. They are a set of instructions that tell the computer to draw lines, polygons, and so on. Such a file is basically an equation for generating the image, rather than the actual pixel by pixel representation.
Software Examples:
Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw
Advantages:
- Object-oriented graphics can be resized without distorting the image and enlarged without losing quality. They are generated by a formula; therefore, the application can recalculate the formula to compensate for the change in size.
- Object-oriented graphic files are much smaller in size.
- They output at the highest resolution supported by the output device. In other words, if you send an object-oriented graphic to a 1024 x 1024 resolution printer, the graphic would recalculate and output at that resolution.
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