Question mark and life preserver illustrating the life-saving nature of BIG Images F.A.Q.
BIG Images receives many questions related to file preparation, its products, and printing processes. Below are some of the most common. If you are still have questions you might want to read some of your monthly newsletters — they are designed to address some of the most pervasive problems faced by our customers and the large format industry at large. Categories of interest may be tutorials, sales tips and tricks, and workflow tips.
  • Can I get samples of your large format media?
    BIG Images free sample books media banner vinyl photo paper
    		Yes, of course. We offer free samples—just send us an email and in the subject specify you are requesting a sample.


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  • Can I send you photos or negatives?
    Yes. We can certainly scan your slides and photographs. It will probably add about 2 days to the production time of your project. We recommend that you to not send us originals and/or irreplaceable images.

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  • How fast is my order produced?
    Our standard turnaround time is three business days from the time we receive print-ready-art. Artwork must be received by 3:00 PM PST, otherwise it is considered received on the next business day.

    If you require a turnaround time faster than the standard 3 business days, we reserve the right to charge a rush fee. For more information on our production times, artwork requirements, and rush fees please visit our policies page.

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  • How do you ship orders
    FedEx Express logo
    		We ship all orders via FedEx Express.® Other arrangements can be made upon request. For more details on our shipping policies please visit our policies page.
    * FedEx service marks used by permission.

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  • Why don’t my colors match?
    Simple Answer: It depends.

    Long Answer: It’s complicated.
    We have rigorously implemented Color Management throughout our workflow so colors are as in control as technology will allow—which is to say we can get the best color possible, but not always the exact color you intended.

    Cameras can only see about 10% of the color our eyes can see, and computers can print about 2.5% of what we can see (and that is on a good day) so naturally there is a tradeoff when making a print. If you still are not convinced that the color in your print is as good as it should be then give us a call at 1-805-781-9301 or send us an email and we can work with you to correct the issue.


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  • What is FTP and how is it used?
    FTP is a convenient way for you, our customer, to get your computer artwork to us. We use it for:
    • Files over 10MB in size

    • When you do not have time to mail a CD

    • To help automate our workflow

    • Reduce waste—no CDs or DVDs recycle after the job is done.

    First you need FTP software. If you do not have any FTP software check these out:
    BIG Images FAQ - Cyberduck icon Cyberduck
    BIG Images FAQ - SmartFTP icon SmartFTP
    Or find other FTP apps for Mac OS X or Windows on VersionTracker.com
    Second, you need to use the FTP software to log into our FTP server.

    Address: printer.big-images.com
    Login: printer
    Password: bigimage

    After uploading your files (or if you are having problems) please send us an email letting us know.

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  • What computer file types are accepted?
    The simple answer:
    TiffWe accept flattened RGB TIFF files with the Adobe RGB 1998 color space embedded, and saved using LZW compression. Your file should be at least 150ppi and no larger than 300ppi at its final output size. If your curious as to why we like Tiffs so much you can read the BIG Images Tiff Advantage White Paper.
    The rest of the answer:
    Getting print-ready artwork is the first step in creating high-quality–large-format prints, so outputting the file correctly the first time is imperative.

    If you are not working with the Adobe suite and/or do not know how to save out to a TIFF or PDF then we would love to talk to you and find the best solution.

    Often products like Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Publisher, and others like them are not optimized for large-format printing. We are diligently working on tutorials for how to save out of each of these applications, but until then please give us a call at 1-877-781-9301 and we can help save your file in the best possible format.

    Keep in mind that a little time spent now, saving the file correctly, will save hours in the end, and will insure proper print and color quality.


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  • What is your fastest service offered?
    If our current workload allows for it, and you require it, we can produce your product as fast as humanly possible. In fact for one customer we had their artwork downloaded, printed, and dropped off at UPS all within 45 minutes—they received their banners in Chicago by 8 am the next morning.

    In cases such as this rush charges will apply if we have to bump other customers’ jobs to expedite yours. Our rush policies are detailed on our policies page here.

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