FAQ

Selecting a new sign for your business can be overwhelming.  There are so many choices that you can decide from.  We like to see a customer get the best value out of there sign, without breaking the budget.  The first thing we advice you to do, is figure out what kind of an impact you would like your sign to make.  The importance of a sign is crucial, since it is your biggest source of advertisement you should think about this as a large investment and not as a annoying expense.  Retail environments may want something very large, and flashy.  While a lawyer office may decide to go with small, but elegant. We have made an online specialist to help with your simple sign questions.  You can access him here. We have also created a small list of questions you should start with, then you can email it to us to help with your selection.  We will then contact you with a purposed list of options for you to choose from.   We advise all customers to check with us about signage, even if they are going to purchase from a different sign shop.  We will help you understand your sign selection and choices before purchasing.  Some shops wont disclose the film life, substrate options, etc.  

We use Adobe Illustrator to do most of our design work.  If your art is already vectorized and ready (no digitizing needed) then you can send it either as an .ai, or a .eps.  be sure to flatten your artwork, and   If you need digitization work done, then you can send your graphic in any regular image format (.jpg, .gif, .png, .psd etc).  We use Adobe Photoshop for all raster art work.  All raster work needing printed needs to be in a minimum of 72 DPI at the exact size printed.  We recommend designing all work as a vector, or with a DPI of 300.

Thermal printing is a printer format that is different from the more traditional ink-jet style.  Thermal uses no liquids to print with.  Instead it uses thermal resin cartridges that literally melt onto the media using ultra-sonic plates instead of heat.  Thermal printing offers a consistent color since the ribbon never ages, or changes hue.  Thermal printing also has the advantage of using bright and special ribbons to lay spot colors on your graphic.  Mirror chrome, and mirror gold are just examples of the specialty ribbons that can be used in thermal printing.  Thermal printing is more expensive than Eco-sol, but is more cost effective for items such as promotional stickers, or custom designs needing elaborate colors.  Thermal printing does scratch easier than Eco-sol, but it can be outdoors without lamination for up to 5 years.

Eco-sol & ink jet printing are really the same thing.  To explain it better, ink jet printing is the style of printer, it uses a liquid ink and a electronic print head to drop microscopic drops of CMYK color inks onto media that mix and make any color in the rainbow.  The ink that is used is called Eco-Solvent, or Eco-Sol for short.  The inks are a solvent ink, that offers permanent printing that is outdoor durable without lamination.  The are ecology safe, which is where the 'Eco' part of the name comes from.  Eco-sol printing uses 4 inks to make its colors.  It is best suited on applications that are either extremely large, or doesnt need specialty spot colors.  Eco-sol prints are rated up to 3 years outdoors without lamination.  Eco-sol is the most affordable printing that Electric Graffix offers.

Thermal printing is best suited for jobs when color consistency is a must.  For example, if you are going to do an entire fleet of vehicles, and you need them to be exactly the same hue throughout the fleet, and also with future jobs, then thermal printing is best.  Eco-sol printing uses liquid solvent based inks to print with.  As the ink ages, and the print head gets used, color consistency changes.  Although it is a minute change, and isn't usually noticeable, some clients find it unacceptable.  If you are looking for a special color, say chrome or mirror gold, then thermal is also the better choice since it uses spot colors to print with.  Thermal printing is more expensive than Eco-sol printing.  Eco-sol printing is best suited for jobs that are printing photograph, or more technical images with gradients colors.  When expanding an image or logo to a very large size, it is common for the image to appear fuzzy, or dotted.  Eco-sol printing blends the print with microscopic drops of ink to make the dots disappear.  Thermal printing is not the best for hiding the dots, in fact it seems to make them worse. This question may be best suited for a design professional, after they have inspected your graphic.

Cut vinyl is best suited when your graphic is simple, being installed on basic flat surfaces, and doesnt have alot of colors.  Print vinyl is choice when using more technical logos consisting of many colors, or if it is going to be installed on more advanced surfaces with curves.  Since cut vinyl is using roll media of solid colors, each color is a separate layer.  This drives the installation cost up since it is more technical to install.  Print vinyl is one layer, and is easier to install.  Cut vinyl is cheaper when doing single or dual colors, and is best suited for window lettering, and flat sign panels.  This is a question that may be best suited for a design professional to answer.

Lamination is an option that extends your print life.  Some situations dont require lamination, for example, if you are using your print as a temporary or indoor application then you wouldn't need it.  If you plan on your print being used in a more permanent application, then it is worth the extra money to laminate it since it more cost effective than re-printing every couple years.  If your print is going to be in an area that will be touched or bumped into by people then it is advised to get it laminated since the print scratches.  All vehicle signage needs to be laminated since your vehicle gets dusted by road debry and car washes.

CMY is short for cyan, magenta & yellow.  These three colors mixed can make up any color on the color wheel when printed.  CMYK is also cyan, magenta & yellow, but the K is black.  K is used instead of B so it wont get confused for blue.  CMYK prints have a richer, deeper tone since having black ink is a cleaner mix.  CMY uses all three inks mixed together to make black.  Most prints are printed with CMYK.  This is also refered to as 'Four Color Printing'.

[caption id="attachment_114" align="alignleft" width="120" caption="Four Color Printing Mixture"][/caption]