Digital File Preparation Guide

A Note on Colour
Due to the numerous differences in both traditional and digital printing technologies available today, it may not always be possible to exactly match a photographic print created by Vision Imagelab (VIL) to a sample print created by another printer, including a client’s own printer. With the many brands of printers and proprietary inks on the market, subtle differences may occur between the equipment used by our clients and those used by VIL.

Clients who request that a print generated by VIL match their sample will be required to pay a surcharge and accepts that VIL will match our print to your sample as closely as we are able, but we can not guarantee that we can achieve an exact match. The client must accept that the surcharge will apply to the print regardless. We strongly recommend that if you have any specific colour requirements, such as matching colours to a logo or other sample, you supply us with details or a sample copy. Please note however, that although most times we can get extremely close to a specified PMS colour, there may be slight variations.

FAQs

How should I send you my files?

If you are purchasing via our online store please use the file upload via We Transfer on checkout.

You can also send your files via email or upload using ‘You Send It’. If just sending images, they should be saved in a compressed format such as JPEG (.jpg). Other files should be compressed (zipped). Keep total email size under 5MB.

If you have any questions regarding the set-up of your files, please contact our production staff on (02) 9319 3300 or email your query to info@visionimagelab.com.au

Should I bring a layout or sample proof for matching?

We always prefer the client, wherever possible, to supply us with a colour or B&W sample/proof print so that we can check it against the file that we receive. This is particularly important for ‘colour critical’ outputs and items with complex design elements.

What are the acceptable file settings for a Giclee fine art print?

• Adobe RGB (preferred) or CMYk colour space.
• Photoshop TIFF preferred.
• 120 – 300dpi resolution at actual print size required.
• No layers, paths or channels.
We can accept a variety of application file types for printing including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Quark XPress and more – contact our Production Managers for more information.

What are the acceptable file settings for Grand Format Inkjet prints (up to 5m)?

• Adobe RGB (preferred) or CMYK colour space.
• Photoshop TIFF preferred.
• 80dpi resolution at actual print size required. Larger files can be scaled to 25% or 50% with corresponding adjustment to resolution (dpi). Consult staff if assistance required.
• No layers, paths or channels. We can accept a variety of application file types for printing including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Quark XPress and more – see our Production Managers for more information.

What are the best file settings for large format inkjet prints?

• Adobe RGB (preferred) or CMYk colour space.
• Photoshop TIFF preferred.
• Illustrator .eps files also accepted – images embedded and fonts outlined.
• 120 – 300dpi resolution at actual print size required.
• No layers, paths or channels.
We can accept a variety of application file types for printing including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Quark XPress and more – contact our Production Managers for more information.

What are the media or file storage devices are accepted at Vision Image Lab?

CDs or DVDs
USB Flash Drive
Memory Cards (some conditions apply)

What are your general file preparation rules?

Always allow sufficient bleed (relative to the final output size) for trimming around your images or layouts, particularly if images are being mounted.
Ideally we prefer all type to be converted to outlines/paths. If type is not converted to paths, please ensure all provided with the job, such as screen (display) and printer elements with postscript fonts.
We prefer files for all print outputs to be in RGB colour space with RGB and CMYk colour spaces never being mixed. Files for inkjet output can however be supplied in RGB or CMYk. When saving files, please ensure that the Embed Colour Profile box is ticked.

Supply only those files required for your job, including all linked and placed files. Delete any extraneous files to avoid confusion.
Please note that Microsoft: Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Publisher files are not suitable for high-end print output. Contact our Production Manager if you need a print from a layout in one of these file formats as we may be able to convert them to a suitable format in-house.

What is your policy on colour matching?

Due to the numerous differences in both traditional and digital printing technologies available today, it may not always be possible to exactly match a photographic print created by Vision Imagelab (VIL) to a sample print created by another printer, including a client’s own printer. With the many brands of printers and proprietary inks on the market, subtle differences may occur between the equipment used by our clients and those used by VIL.

Clients who request that a print generated by VIL match their sample will be required to pay a surcharge and accepts that VIL will match our print to your sample as closely as we are able, but we can not guarantee that we can achieve an exact match. The client must accept that the surcharge will apply to the print regardless. We strongly recommend that if you have any specific colour requirements, such as matching colours to a logo or other sample, you supply us with details or a sample copy. Please note however, that although most times we can get extremely close to a specified PMS colour, there may be slight variations.

What setting should I use for digital minilab prints?

• sRGB, Adobe RGB or Apple RGB colour space acceptable.
• Baseline Optimised JPEG or PC TIFF (if supplying TIFF file/s)
• 300dpi resolution at actual print size required.
• No layers, paths or additional channels.
• 8 Bits/Channel.
• Aspect ratio must correspond to specified print size or cropping will occur.
• Digital camera files saved through Photoshop 7 must be saved in JPeG format to avoid incorrect colour reproduction.
• Apple Mac users – please ensure that the appropriate file extension (i.e. .jpg or .tif) is present in file names.
• File names must be alphanumeric only – i.e. no punctuation characters with the only full stop (.) appearing before the file extension.
• No RAW camera files accepted.

What settings should I use for Custom Photographic Prints?

• Adobe RGB colour space
• Photoshop Mac TIFF files preferred
• 250 dpi maximum resolution
• No layers, paths or channels
• 8 Bits/Channel
• Aspect ratio must correspond to specified print size to avoid cropping.
• No RAW camera files accepted at present
• No compression, layers or channels