need some help!!!

[christlike]

i work at a sign shop in which we do digital printing as well. we have to print a 3'x8' banner which someone designed at full size at 400 dpi. When i received the file it was over 2gb so i couldnt open it in our computer. What can i suggest to the designer for him to do to make the file useable? scale it down? lower the res?...i am not too sure in what to tell him to do....please help me out..thanx

[carter the artist]

it could definetly be a lower res, at least 300 dpi... hopefully he'll do that correctly and not just "type" in the new resolution.

He could also ensure that the work is flattened...

What file type is it?

[christlike]

tiff....does the res have to be that much for such a large banner?...can it be up to 150?

[Two-Toe Tom]

i've never had to print anything that large, but i'd image 150dpi would be fine

[CkretAjint]

does the res have to be that much for such a large banner?...can it be up to 150?

Depends on your printer specs, and what it can handle. When I worked in a sign shop everything we requested was 200dpi @ 50% of the final size. Our printer was more than able to handle that.

[budafist]

Can they give you a vector file?

[christlike]

no they can't because it was done in photshop using images and illustrator....well, i kno this may sound dumb buti f its 3'x8' at 400dpi now, what must he do in order to get it lets say to 200 dpi at 50% of the size?

[CkretAjint]

ummm..... build it at 200 dpi @ 18"x48" *shrugs*

[christlike]

ok but he already has it designed at that gargantuan size...would he have to re design all over to those specs?

[urstwile]

No, as long as the aspect ratio is the same, it should just be a simple resize.

[Virgo Nightingale]

Lower the resolution of the file. No redesign needed.

Image tab > Image Size... Set the Width to 48", the Height to 18" the Resolution to 200 dpi, with the Resample Image check box checked.

[urstwile]

What ^^she said^^, with the addition of making sure Bicubic Sharper is checked as well in the interpolation method, if the designer is using CS or CS2 or CS3. Also make sure that Scale Styles is checked as well (if it applies).

[PrintDriver]

You haven't production-checked your banner printer?
Do you not know what the optimum resolution-to-production speed image size is? If not, you have some experimenting to do.

Usually 100-150 at actual size for a banner that small is fine when viewed at 10+ feet but you may have one that requires 200dpi or one that looks good as low as 35dpi. If you don't know, you are wasting time=money.

[christlike]

ok so basically i have to tell him to go into photoshop and in the document set up just manually resize it and enter in 200 dpi and then once i get it for print i go ahead and size it to actual size still at 200 dpi right?

[christlike]

i have printed banners around that size at 150 dpi and they look nice and crisp. please excuse my lack of knowledge in the field. im still learning :)

[Virgo Nightingale]

What ^^she said^^, with the addition of making sure Bicubic Sharper is checked as well in the interpolation method, if the designer is using CS or CS2 or CS3. Also make sure that Scale Styles is checked as well (if it applies).
Oooh, yes, that too... TY urst...

[Virgo Nightingale]

ok so basically i have to tell him to go into photoshop and in the document set up just manually resize it and enter in 200 dpi and then once i get it for print i go ahead and size it to actual size still at 200 dpi right?
Not document setup... See my post above, #11...

Image > Image Size...

[PrintDriver]

Virgo, you're confusing the issue.
Your instructions are for 1/2 scale at 200dpi.
He wants full scale at 200dpi (I guess).

[PrintDriver]

That this basic Photoshop function escapes the operator of a piece of equipment that spews out enormous pieces of money is a little beyond me. I think the OP needs to ask his supervisor for more training. There is a time for learning and by all means ask us questions, but he really should have this basic knowledge before handling client accounts.

[Virgo Nightingale]

no they can't because it was done in photshop using images and illustrator....well, i kno this may sound dumb buti f its 3'x8' at 400dpi now, what must he do in order to get it lets say to 200 dpi at 50% of the size?
PD: This was his question I was answering.

At full size, 200 dpi: width would stay 36", height 96" – nothing resized, just enter 200 in the resolution with resample checked and bicubic sharper chosen.

[christlike]

well, this banner was no big deal client. Just a random person who wanted his banner printed, but it is still equally important. I normally design everything we do for our shop and i usually design banners that are that size at 200 dpi from the start or half the size depending if it is a really large banner.Also, when customers bring in files they are pretty much good for printing with some minor tweaking. The thing is that this particular banner was designed by some other designer who is new to the field also at another shop and he did at full size over 400 dpi which i could not open in any program. So i rarely get situations like this since mostly what i print is stuff that i designed. Im just kind of new to fixing other peoples work and suggesting to them what they should do in order for the file to be useable. I have been working in the sign shop for a year and i am currenlty a graphic design student. This is the first time i encounter a situation like this so thats why i was asking. I know it is a pretty basic thing but i just wasnt too sure since it was the first time doing something like that :)...either way the designer brought back the file sized down to 150 dpi at full size but he just sized down the res on the tiff not on the actual psd file. so the edges of the text was not crisp. so if he just lowers the res to 200 at actual size and check mark the according options, the file would be crisp, and useable?

sorry i did not mean document set up, i just forgot the name of the tab. I know it was image>image size.....

Thank you guys for all the helpful input

[PrintDriver]

Text in Photoshop will raster out unless the file has its layers intact. If the text is flattened he's out of luck on sharpness if he lowers the res. If the font layer is still there in the file he hands off, you should be able to get it pretty sharp. If you have the fonts he used.

Now, how is it you are a designer for a year but don't know about resolution manipulation. You have some reading to do in our resource section. ;) Check it out!

[christlike]

Text in Photoshop will raster out unless the file has its layers intact. If the text is flattened he's out of luck on sharpness if he lowers the res. If the font layer is still there in the file he hands off, you should be able to get it pretty sharp. If you have the fonts he used.

Now, how is it you are a designer for a year but don't know about resolution manipulation. You have some reading to do in our resource section. ;) Check it out!

yea i know....unfortunately almost everything i have trully learned has been from working at the shop.....school really did not teach me much about the technical issues like resolution manipulation.....just basic crap like using the programs tools :(....oh well time to read up...thanks again

[carter the artist]

Christ,
I was in your shoes once. School really was terrible at getting real in depth about file types, resolutions, color and it's management, etc... These are the real issues you learn first hand in a shop. I went into a large format printer right out of college to get that experience. believe me, read all you can. if the other employees seem a bit ignorant, than try to update them. If they are knowledgeable, then suck their brains of all the knowledge you can.

[christlike]

Christ,
I was in your shoes once. School really was terrible at getting real in depth about file types, resolutions, color and it's management, etc... These are the real issues you learn first hand in a shop. I went into a large format printer right out of college to get that experience. believe me, read all you can. if the other employees seem a bit ignorant, than try to update them. If they are knowledgeable, then suck their brains of all the knowledge you can.

thanks i appreciate that....i have gotten discouraged at times because i basically finished school but i am so fearful of applying at an actual agency for the fact that i feel i am still not equppied with the knowledge i need. I am definately reading up and asking a lot of questions. I am just a little frustrated at the fact that school was not a huge help.

[carter the artist]

I totally understand. Truthfully this Forum REALLY helped me alot.