Color Matching

If you would like an exact color match, please include desired colors in PMS form rather than CMYK or RGB in the comments section of your order. All artwork without exact PMS colors will be matched as closely as possible; however, exact color matching is not guaranteed. Extra charges may apply for PMS color matching. If no PMS colors are specified, stock ink colors will be used at no additional charge.

Requirements

Preferred Image Formats .EPS or .AI(Vector format with fonts converted to outlines or curves) Accepted Image Formats Any PC compatible file. Please do not send compressed Mac Files.

Sending Artwork

Please try to send black vector/print ready artwork created by one of the following programs: Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, or Macromedia Freehand. Popular vector format file extensions include: .ai, .cdr, .eps (Adobe Photoshop .eps files are not in vector form). An artist will contact you to resolve any issues that arise in creating print ready artwork if you send art in the following formats: .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .tif, or a Photoshop-generated .eps file. Not sending vector/print ready artwork may delay your order. Please try to avoid sending Microsoft Office document files such as Word or Excel. If an Office document is sent with images, please send them separately.

Typesets and Fonts

If sending vector/print ready artwork (.ai, .eps) with embedded fonts, please be sure that all fonts are converted to curves or outlines to avoid any font substitution. If sending raster artwork (.jpg, .gif, .bmp, .tif, or a Photoshop generated .eps file) with embedded fonts, please specify the font used so we can recreate text accurately. If you would like us to try and match the embedded font, please specify in the comments.

Unique Fonts: If you are submitting text only for your imprint, you will be offered a choice of several popular fonts. We also have many fonts installed in our system that we are able to use upon request. If a specific font is requested that we do not have on file, we may ask that you have a copy of the font sent to our art department

Vector vs. Raster Images

There is a big difference between vector and raster artwork. Most of our products require vector artwork to ensure a satisfactory imprint. Word processors, spreadsheet, or presentation applications, although suitable for creating files for office or Internet use, are not recommended for creating digital art for print. Microsoft Office applications are included in this group. However, in some cases such files may be converted so as to enable use. Artwork is usually always the issue and we want to make sure that you understand the artwork parameters that need to be met before we process your job.

Here are two examples of an image when magnified or scaled up. You will notice the difference in clarity between the vector graphic and raster graphic. When art is vector, it can be sized as large as a billboard or as small as a dime and still remain sharp with clean straight or curved lines.

Vector Graphics

Vector Graphics are typically generated using drawing or illustration programs (e.g., Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw) and are composed of mathematically-defined geometric shapes, such as lines, objects, and fills. Since vectors entail both magnitude and direction, vector elements are thus comprised of line segments whose length represents magnitude and whose orientation in space represents direction.

However, vector files do not support photographic imagery well and can often be problematic for cross-platform exchange. Vector graphics are typically saved in EPS format.

Raster Graphics

 Raster Images are produced by digital image capture devices, such as digital scanners or cameras, or by pixel editing programs (e.g., Adobe Photoshop). Raster images are composed of a matrix (grid) or bitmap of digital picture elements (pixels). Pixels are small dots that can create a blur when printed because it is not a clean, high resolution piece of art. Raster images are typically saved as TIFF format, but can be saved as EPS as well. Whereas conversion from vector to raster is easily accomplished, raster conversion to vector is much more difficult and the end result is usually to have the art completely remade in a vector program. Raster images are easily shared across various platforms, but can be more difficult than vector graphics to modify. Raster graphics are also greatly impacted when scaling as seen above.

 

Virtual Proofs

When it comes to promotional items, there's nothing more important than making sure your message is heard loud and clear. Our Art Department will email or fax a virtual proof of your imprint to ensure your complete satisfaction before we begin production. If you need to make changes, we'll work with you to get your artwork exactly the way you want it. We'll only begin production when you're completely satisfied with your imprint, so you know your promotional products will convey your branding message professionally and accurately!

Cancellation/Alteration Fees

After your artwork has been approved, we submit your order to the factory for printing. We understand that occasionally a situation may arise where a change needs to be made after art approval. Should this occur, we will do our best to notify the factory of the change before production begins. You may incur setup fees if your merchandise has entered the production process. Unfortunately, we are unable to cancel or change your order once production has begun. Should you no longer require your ordered materials after production, you will be liable for the full cost of the items.

Samples

Need to see a sample before you order? No problem! When you have the opportunity to "try before you buy," you can feel confident that you're getting the perfect promotional products for your event! Sample and shipping fees may apply. To inquire about a sample order, call a Customer Service Representative at 954.973.1819, M-F: 8AM-5PM EST. You can also email your request to info@blueoceanpress.com 

Over/Under Runs

Due to the nature of the printing methods used to produce your personalized products, some items may have slight over or under runs. Blue Ocean Press makes every effort to minimize this occurrence. Industry standard is ± 5% in most cases. You will only be charged for the actual quantity shipped. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding your specific order.

Payments and Terms

We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. We also offer payment terms for legitimate business or government entities requesting credit; please contact customer service for a credit application. Credit application approval is at the discretion of Blue Ocean Press and we reserve the right to refuse credit to anyone for any reason. If credit is extended, please note that all shipments are payable upon receipt unless otherwise specified on your invoice. A service charge may be assessed on all past due balances at the rate of the lesser of 1.5% per month or the maximum rate allowed under applicable law.

Microsoft Word Files

WHY MICROSOFT WORD IS NOT RECOMMENDED AS A PAGE LAYOUT APPLICATION

Microsoft Word has many layout capabilities and has, over the years, become one of the most popular word processing softwares. So what's the problem with using Word to design pages? You've worked hard on your document - it looks great printed on your laser printer. You're now ready to take the next step and get your masterpiece commercially printed. You would think it would be as easy as copying the Word file to a disk, and sending it off to a printer for printing. But it's not that easy. Microsoft has failed to add critical functions to Word. This makes it difficult to get professional and consistent high-end output from this very popular application. Many commercial printers and prepress facilities will not accept Word documents because of the many problems that could be lurking inside the seemingly harmless files. Commercial printers are faced with the following four primary problems when working with native Microsoft Word files.

FONT PROBLEMS
Font conflicts are the single most frequent problem with Microsoft Word files. Word does a poor job of managing fonts. In fact, Word will automatically - and without warning - substitute your specified document fonts with fonts that happen to be active on the local workstation. So while your file looks right on your computer, it may look entirely different on another computer. With that said - you should know that in most cases, Word's font substitution works rather well, and the software usually substitute fonts that look relatively close to the specified font. Sometimes the difference is so small that you might not be able to tell the difference. So what's wrong with fonts that look "just a little bit different?" In most cases, the substituted fonts do not have the exact character spacing as the specified font. This small spacing difference, over many pages, will usually add up to a very different document . So, unless the fonts on each workstation are an exact match, you will most likely have multiple font problems when submitting your job to any printer.

BLEEDS
Word does not give you the ability to create bleeds. If any type of bleed is required, then significant additional work will be required at the prepress stage. To add the bleed, a prepress operator would have to manually modify each individual page, an expense that could be avoided.

COLOR
While Word allows you to specify the color of type and graphics, it does so only in RGB. Word does not offer the option to specify process colors (CMYK) or spot colors. This means that while we can print the document, the color change could be significant.

PRE-PRESS OPERATOR CONTROL
Finally, in the normal course of preparing jobs to be printed, experienced prepress operators sometimes need to tweak files to make them work. Word files are very touchy, and in most cases operators are unable to make necessary corrections without causing reflow throughout the document. Often, the Word files need to be returned to the client for correction.

THE SOLUTION?
Using a page layout program such as QuarkXPress or Adobe InDesign (these programs are expensive and the learning curve is quite steep) will help to solve all of these problems. These page layout programs are common in the graphic art and the professional design community. But you don't have to give up Microsoft Word totally. While QuarkXPress and PageMaker have strong word processing facilities, you can continue to use Word to compose your manuscript. Once you're ready to work on the layout, simply flow the Word document into the page layout document, and finish the document there. Our graphic design department can do this. Please call 954.973.1819 to inquire about pricing.