Comparing Resolutions for Text to Bitmap Conversions

Another designer who was was using Quark Express wanted to submit artwork to a print shop I freelance at. He'd intially sent in some EPS files in a .sit file. I know that this is a compressed Mac file. I was unable to open them, so I requested he send PDF's instead.

There was an updated single EPS already in transit, and I was able to open it. Even though EPS's can support both Vector and bitmap data, the business card artwork was a flattened 300 DPI bitmap.

As some of you might already imagine, the fine text on the card was in rough shape.

I spent at least 15 minutes trying to explain why the whole project would be best sent as vector shapes only. There was nothing complicated about the job or the logo.

The designer specified gold ink (not foil - which I always clarify, since many customers who want gold ink actually envision gold foil).

Turns out, the original designer charged the hotel an enormous sum, and after my guidance submitted something we could use. Curves only...

The hotel ended up needing cards right away. There was no time to run this job on the press as intended with gold ink. I was away from the shop, and the people there ran the order through the Xerox DC-240. The customer was delighted with the results, and paid 348.00 + Tax for:

3 names of 500 cards
Full bleed
4/4

During the technical process, I made a diagram to send to the other designer to show what happens to the integrity of fine text when converted to bitmaps. Ron Richey had done something like this for me many years ago. He's the guy who got me started with CorelDRAW.

There is a myth out there that simply converting everything to 300 DPI is the best solution. When fine text is involved, you can see the results here. In critical cases 600 DPI preserves far more integrity. Preserving vector shapes whenever possible offers the best results.

click on the file to see a clear version;