Your Questions. Answered.

SUBMITTING YOUR FILES

PRINT GUIDELINES

We prefer files in single page PDF format. (We also accept .tif, .jpg)

Double check to make sure the size you’re submitting is the size we have quoted and what you’re expecting.

We print CMYK. Please let us know if and where there is a PMS color to match in your file. PMS colors will be matched as close as possible but cannot be guaranteed. For accuracy hard proofs can be purchased for $25.

We’re not responsible for approved files that have errors found after printing.

All files must have .125” Bleed on all edges. We do NOT need crop marks added to your files

Make sure the important parts of your design sit within .25” of the actual size edge to make sure nothing gets cut off. Business cards require a safe area of .125″.

Convert to outlines when possible.

GETTING YOUR ORDER

BIZPORT will typically supply a proof within 24-48 hours of file submission. Files received after 1pm EST will be considered next business day. You’ll be notified if your files don’t meet our print guidelines. If additional prepress time is required you’ll be billed in 15-minute increments of $25. All revisions will add one additional day  (per revision) to your total turn-around time.

Production will only begin once your order has been approved in writing and with payment/credit approval. Standard lead time is 3 business days from proof approval. Please allow an additional 5-7 business days for intricate jobs requiring custom shapes, stitching, subcontractors, and high quantities. Additional lead time is required for all projects including design services. Standard lead times do not apply to our AEC and Copy divisions.

Need a project within 72 hours? or even within 24 hours? We make every effort to accommodate rush orders. Add 25% extra for all jobs required in under 72 hours, and a 50% extra for all jobs required within 24 hours. Please consult with your sales associate regarding turn-around times and to determine if rush charges apply.

Of course, we don’t expect you to hang your own signs. We’ve got that covered. Literally. Our sign experts are here to make sure that your signs are safely and properly installed. You must research and obtain all permits needed for installations prior to your scheduled installation date. If you have any questions, please consult with your sales associate to learn about obtaining permits and our installation services.

Each of our locations offers delivery service. When you place your order, simply let us know where it has to be and by when and we’ll make sure it gets there. Does your order need to go to a location outside of our delivery area? No problem. We’ll pack and ship your order where it needs to go.

Order only what you need. Most products have no minimum order requirement.

If you’re not happy, we are not happy. It’s that simple. Please let us know if you’re not satisfied with your order and we’ll make it right, no questions asked.

We’re proud to offer all active and retired military personnel and their families a 5% discount off any print order.

DESIGN + PRINT F.A.Q.

Where the image runs off the edge of the page as to not leave any white space when the image is cut during production.

Email, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Yousendit.com, drop off a thumb drive, CD, DVD.

The best file type for AEC is actually a PDF or TIFF for drawings and a PDF for specification. While other file types can be used, they usually require some type of conversion that doesn’t always come out with the best quality. PDF is the preferred type for color work because it locks in the fonts and graphics and limits editing capabilities.

Substrates are normally the materials we can print on the flatbed. We mainly use fluted corrugated vinyl (brand name Coroplast), PVC (brand names Sintra, Komatex, Palight), foam core and gatorfoam, styrene, vinyl banner material, backlits, window cling and occasionally acrylics and canvas. Coroplast is used for quick and inexpensive ad signs since they are fluted and easily fitted with stakes for yard display. PVC is an excellent outside medium for more extended-use signage. Styrene is similar to PVC in appearance but is better suited for indoor usage. Foam core is an inexpensive temporary substrate for indoor displays and signage. While effective, it does have the tendency to warp. Some people elect to upgrade to the more expensive gatorfoam, which is much less likely to warp.

The standard for enlarging files is that they are at least 300DPI in their original form. The higher the DPI, the better the resulting enlargement.

A half-size drawing is a 50% scale of the original drawing. Meaning that the drawing is reduced by half on width and in length. It keeps the integrity of the scale the drawing was drawn at and allows the contractor to make simple adjustments to be able to take measurements from the drawing.

A graphic image that is composed of shapes and lines. Vector files do not lose resolution when enlarged.

Raster files are composed of pixels. They have the potential to lose resolution when altered or enlarged.

For standard black and white prints, the largest we can print is 36” wide. Flatbed: top 48″ by 96″roll as wide as 80″ and as long as the roll will allow (most rolls are 150′ long)

GBC – Standard in the construction industry. The book is bound with a plastic comb.
Screw Post – The specs will be three-hole punched with metal screw posts used to hold them together.
Perfect – Wraparound cover like a book
Acco – Three-hole punch secured by a metal strip
Chesire or “Tape” Binding – Document secured by a taped edge
Coil – Think notebook
Velo – Plastic strip goes down the edge
Saddle stitch – Two staples and folded in the middle

There are differences in cost and quality, but the process is also very different and quite complicated. For example, if you want multiple color business cards, both digital and offset printing can be employed to this end. However, the processing period differs. For offset printing, the working period is slightly longer than the digital process, taking a number of days to complete jobs such as business cards, graphic design and any project that requires color copies.

Digital printing, on the other hand, is an innovative technology that redefined the printing process and the speed with which printing jobs are finished. Whether it is color flyers, custom envelopes, custom notepads or a host of other printing projects, the time to accomplish these tasks is relatively fast. Cost wise, offset printing is significantly cheaper compared with digital printing. Among its advantages in printing color business cards and other color copies are the affordability
and the ability to print in mass. From the printing companies’ point of view, this is cost-effective due to the ability to do several print jobs at once. Thus, savings extend beyond the cost of materials to the labor costs as well.

If you are trying to meet deadlines, digital printing is the better choice. You can have your color flyers, color postcards, color business cards, graphic design, and other multiple color copies of projects faster than you could possibly need them. Instead of fearing that you cannot have the projects on time, you are guaranteed quality work that is done with maximum speed. Unlike offset printing, the digital process can accommodate jobs that require a small number of copies at a lower cost, which works better for small companies requiring this service. On the other hand, because there is a certain amount of setup required and materials are cheaper when acquired in bulk, offset printing sets a minimum number of copies that must be ordered before a job is accepted.

The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.

Flatbed printing is the reproduction of digital images using inkjet printing, typically on plastic or paperboard, although a wide variety of materials can be printed (common, photographic paper, film, cloth, plastic, etc.). Flatbed digital printers use inks made of acrylic monomers that are then exposed to strong UV light to cure or polymerize them. This process allows for printing on a wide variety of surfaces such as wood or metal, carpet, tile and even glass. The adjustable printing bed makes it possible to print on surfaces ranging in thickness from a sheet of paper often up to as much as several inches. Typically used for commercial applications (retail and event signage), flatbed printing is often a substitute for screen printing. Because no printing plates or silkscreens must be produced, digital printing technology allows shorter runs of signs to be produced economically. Environmentally, flatbed digital printing is based on a more sustainable system than its commercial predecessor of solvent printing as it produces fewer waste cartridges and less indoor air pollution.

Electronic discovery (or e-discovery or eDiscovery) refers to discovery in civil litigation that deals with the exchange of information in electronic format (often referred to as electronically stored information or ESI). This data is subject to local rules and agreed-upon processes and is often reviewed for privilege and relevance before being turned over to opposing counsel.

Gloss protective coating put on printed materials to give a glossy appearance that provides protection from UV radiation.

Trim laminate directly to the edge of the sheet of paper offers no protection.

Leaving a set amount beyond edge to seal materials inside and protects materials from elements.

The standard is at least 300DPI, or dots per inch, in their original form.

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