USING CMYK & RGB
Most software programs give you the choice to work with graphic files in CMYK or in RGB. Thompson Print Solutions uses primarily CMYK; our digital department can use both. Our presses print "full color" using the primaries: Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Black. This is the same 4-Color (or full color) process you see in quality magazines or national advertisements. RGB uses the combination of three colors: Red, Green and Blue. If your file is in RGB it must be translated into a file that Thompson Print Solutions uses (CMYK). It is important to use CMYK graphics when you or your on staff designer begins their creation. The translation between RGB and CMYK may not always be exact, and this could result in higher costs.

IMAGE RESOLUTION
Thompson Print Solutions requires that all files be at a final resolution size of 300 dpi (dots per inch). If you have a low-resolution size, or you "stretch" a small file into a larger size, your image will print with jagged edges, appear fuzzy, out of focus, or "pixilated."

USING INTERNET IMAGES
Images from the Internet or web sites are customarily on 72dpi GIF, JPEG, or PNG files. They will not provide a quality image for printing. Color and resolution are removed from these images to allow for Internet usage. These images would appear fuzzy and dull if printed by Thompson Print Solutions.

IMAGES FROM A DIGITAL CAMERA
Theses images are always best for printing, provided the dpi and size are appropriate.

IMAGE TYPES
In order to achieve the best color quality and sharpness of image, Thompson Print Solutions suggest the use of TIFF or EPS images. Other file formats are used for other applications (Like the internet, for example) and tend to remove some of the quality of the original images. Generally, digital cameras use a higher quality JPG format. This type of file would be adequate in quality, but it would need to be converted into a TIFF or EPS format. If your image is a photograph, we recommend EPS. Other types of graphics can be either TIFF or EPS. Without the recommended file types, the results could be in higher costs to the end user.