Good file prep starts with an approved finished piece, not a magic export preset. Use this guide to package the strongest source material, document customer-approved dimensions and scale, and prepare a file that can be checked against the written production specification.
The customer or qualified installer supplies and approves final field dimensions, mounting geometry, orientation, and any site-derived specifications before production. LA Prime Signs does not perform site surveys or field measurements and does not determine mounting design, structural suitability, electrical requirements, permits, code compliance, access, or installation method.
Production preflight checks the supplied file against the approved production scope. It does not prove that the approved dimensions fit the site or replace review by the customer, installer, designer, engineer, electrician, property representative, or code professional the field work requires.
Vector paths are useful for logos, lettering, simple illustrations, and cut geometry because they are not tied to one pixel size. Include the editable source when rights and licensing allow.
Raster quality depends on pixel dimensions, enlargement, viewing distance, and the selected output process. Send the largest clean original rather than an image copied from a web page or message thread.
If these are all you have, export a PDF, PNG, or JPG reference for the project form and keep the original available for a later handoff if requested. A file review can identify what is usable, what needs rebuilding, and which production details still need confirmation.
Resolution matters for photographs and other raster artwork. The useful number is effective pixels per inch at the finished size—not the resolution value saved in a small source file. Vector paths avoid pixel enlargement, but effects and placed images inside a vector file can still be raster.
The ranges below are planning references, not universal acceptance specifications. Output method, material, detail, viewing distance, and file quality can change the target.
| Viewing Distance | Planning Range | What to Review |
|---|---|---|
| Close-up | Often 200–300 PPI | Small type, fine edges, faces, and detailed photographs |
| Several feet away | Often 100–200 PPI | Posters, display panels, window graphics, and typical sign detail |
| Long viewing distance | Confirm by output and scale | Large graphics where viewing distance can reduce the required pixel density |
Example: An image set to 300 PPI at 2 inches wide contains the same pixels when enlarged to 8 inches; its effective resolution becomes 75 PPI. Always check at the intended output size or clearly documented scale.
Set up artwork at the customer- or installer-approved finished dimensions when the software and output size make that practical. If you work at a reduced scale, state the exact scale and units in the document, file name, and project notes so dimensions, stroke weights, cut geometry, and raster resolution are interpreted correctly.
Do not derive final field dimensions from a photograph, rendering, storefront elevation, or unverified existing sign. The approved dimensions must come from the customer or qualified installer; production preflight checks the document against those supplied values but does not remeasure the site.
Bleed is image area that continues beyond a trim or cut line. The amount and setup can vary with material, size, finishing, cutting method, and production workflow.
Keep names, logos, borders, and other critical content comfortably inside the finished edge. The appropriate margin depends on size, cutting tolerance, mounting holes, hems, pockets, hardware, and the visual design.
Screen color and produced color use different devices, inks, materials, and lighting. Keep an untouched source file with its color profile. Do not make a blind RGB-to-CMYK conversion just to satisfy a generic checklist; confirm the intended production workflow first.
If a brand uses named spot colors, provide the exact reference and any approved physical sample. A color reference helps define the target, but substrate, finish, process, and lighting still affect the result.
Color-critical work needs an agreed target, comparison method, and acceptable tolerance. A screen preview, named color, or supplied sample guides the target but cannot create an automatic exact match across different inks, paints, films, substrates, finishes, devices, and lighting.
For a final handoff, outlining display text can prevent missing-font substitutions. Keep a separate editable file with live text and identify the fonts used. The project form does not accept font files; retain any shareable licensed font files for a later approved handoff if requested.
Tip: Fine strokes, tight spacing, and delicate serifs can disappear or fill in on textured materials, at small sizes, or in cut-vinyl and routed-letter workflows.
When a product needs a custom cut path, keep it separate from printed artwork and confirm the naming convention before final export:
A production cut path defines the requested shape; it does not establish mounting design or prove that the shape, holes, or hardware will work at the site. The customer or qualified installer must approve any field-derived geometry before production.
Label front and back explicitly, show orientation, and state whether the sides are identical or different. For glass applications, explain which side receives the material and from which side the graphic should read.
For multiple names, destinations, locations, or messages, provide one approved layout plus a clean table of variable content. Give every row a stable identifier and identify who is responsible for final copy approval.
Show the intended cut shape and whether the piece is kiss-cut, through-cut, sheeted, or supplied another way. The cut offset, border, spacing, and minimum feature size should be confirmed for the selected material and finishing method.
The customer approves the final copy, spelling, layout, versions, quantities, sides, orientation, color references, reproduction rights, customer- or installer-supplied dimensions, and the exact file identified for production. A mockup is not an approval unless its dimensions, scale, and production version are explicit.
Preflight compares the approved file with the written production specification. Depending on the output, that review can include document size and scale, linked assets, fonts, image quality, profiles, separations, bleed, safe areas, cut paths, sides, versions, and finishing notes. If a conflict is found, it should be resolved before production rather than silently guessed.
Preflight does not verify business facts, copy accuracy, final field dimensions, site fit, mounting design, structural or electrical suitability, permits, code compliance, access, or installation. Design, rebuilding, correction, or prepress work beyond the confirmed production review is included only when its availability and scope appear in the written quote.
Before submitting your artwork, verify:
The project form accepts PDF, AI, EPS, SVG, PSD, PNG, and JPG/JPEG files. Convert unsupported reference formats to PDF, PNG, or JPG for the initial upload and retain the originals for a later handoff if requested. Include the intended product, customer-approved finished size or exact scale, quantity, color targets, cut paths, finish, tolerances, and installer-approved production details when relevant.
Share the logo files, approved copy, customer-approved dimensions, and references you do have. Any design, rebuilding, correction, or prepress scope must be confirmed in the written production quote before work begins.
Describe the project →A useful review needs the intended output, final size, material or use, quantity, and viewing context. Ask a pre-project question if you are not ready to upload files.
Ask a question →Review common questions about production scope, approved dimensions, installer responsibility, color, tolerances, and handoff.
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