A BIG Images photo journal—2 weeks of madness…

Because of the convenience of the internet and next-day FedEx shipments many of our customers never get to see BIG Images’ offices and production facility. Many are even unaware of the work we have put into our new facility (which almost tripled our size!) So, for the curious, here is a photo journal of our remodel and move…
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Tags: about us

Planning a birthday? Create a personalized birthday banner!

Change things up by printing a personalized banner! BIG Images has just launched the newest version of its birthday banner designer, Banner Works.

Its easier than ever — choose from one of our pre-made templates (or start from scratch). Upload photos, choose art from our vast array of clip art, customize the message, and within minutes your banner will be printing at BIG Images.

Begin creating your own by visiting the birthday banner page and clicking the "Begin Browsing" button. There is no sign-up to try it out, only when you decide to purchase.

Tags: about us, birthday, delicious, ideas

BIG Images’ move is complete!

We are now located at 767 Francis Ave., San Luis Obispo Ca 93401.

Tags: about us

Looking at the big, global picture

We were recently asked by our local newspaper what obstacles we encounter doing business in San Luis Obispo and what are we doing to overcome them. Here is our answer to their question… Read the full article...

Tags: newspaper, about us, business, ken pettit, jon beebe

We’re expanding…

A few days ago we signed the lease on a new building! We’re so excited about the news and have been so busy making preparations that this months’ BIG Images Newsletter has been postponed. Have no fear, though — we’ll return next month with some choice words about all this craziness we call “enriching the lives of our readers.” But, for now, let’s talk about the new shop!


Our new home is at 767 Francis Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. For those of you who don’t know where that is, it’s only three blocks south from our current shop. Above is a screenshot of Google Maps showing our old location compared to the new one. Click here to view this map on Google Maps.


We’re growing into a building roughly 2.5 times larger than our current building. That means we can finally hire more people and get that equipment we’ve had on our wishlist all these months.

All this craziness should be done and we’ll be completely moved in by October 1, 2007. Don’t worry: there will be no interruption to our regular workflow. See you there!

Tags: about us

At BIG Images, we’re out to prove you don’t need to shell out hundreds of dollars for fully-featured design software. Producing something worthwhile also doesn’t need to be more difficult than helping a walrus move into a skyscraper. Design is life, and it should be experienced without barrier.

Announcing the delicious:designer 2.0 — powerful design tools for common people.

For the past two years we have been hard at work developing and simplifying complex technology, specifically applications suited for design and print. And this month, we're proud to announce our greatest achievement — the delicious:designer — an easy-to-use cross-platform vector design application. Unlike most design applications, the delicious:designer runs within your web browser, allowing access to your designs from anywhere in the world.
Furthermore, it's platform-independent. That's right; design on your Macintosh, Windows, and Linux computers with equal ease and comfort. It works wherever the internet does… Read the full article...

Tags: delicious, technology, about us, bannerworks, ben lawless, software

In most sectors of the printing industry, Adobe's PDF file format is king. It deserves accolades, because for most applications, a PDF will reproduce art and text amazingly well while delivering a decent print-ready file in a relatively small file size. These features have made PDF a staple of the small format print industry. Although the PDF is great, BIG Images’ preferred file format for large format printing is the Tiff.

The benefits of the Tiff file format in the large format print industry are threefold:

1. Financial Savings
   • Tiff files saved with LZW compression use anywhere from 50% to 99% less disk space than competing file formats
   • The time required to open & save a Tiff is less than that of a PDF or other competing file formats
   • The time & resources needed to transfer the file to BIG Images is reduced
2. Time Savings
   • Faster processing time for both the customer and BIG Images equates to a faster turn around time
   • Smaller size is faster to open, close, and transfer via FTP or email
   • More predictable results mean fewer errors to chase, resulting in faster production time
3. Better service and product from BIG Images
   • Elimination of common errors means faster production & fewer pre-press expenses. BIG Images can produce a better, more consistent product, faster.

Read the full article...

Tags: tiff, pdf, technology, about us, jon beebe, workflow

BIG Images is proud to announce the release of its new FTP upload tool. This new tool, located at www.big-images.com/ftp, allows for customers to upload their files right through BIG Images web site. You do not need to own FTP software, you do not even need to understand what FTP is! Just drag your files onto the target area and they are uploaded without any more effort on your part.

There are a few technological caveats and adendums. Your computer must meet the following requirements to use BIG Images’ web upload tool:

• Operating System: Mac OS X, Linux, or Windows 95 or newer
• Software: Java Runtime Environment 1.4
• Browser:FireFox, Safari, Internet Explorer 7, or comparable browser with JavaScript enabled

Also, as the FTP tool loads, there is one security precaution and you will be prompted to trust the page or not. You must click trust for BIG Images’ FTP tool to have access to the files on your computer, otherwise it will not be allowed to access the files that you drop onto it.

Tags: technology, solutions, about us

Ken Pettit, a founding partner in BIG Images, has been elected as Vice President of SLOCAMA for the third year in a row. In addition he has been invited to join the San Luis Obispo Symphony’s Marketing Committee.

In 2004 Ken co-founded SLOCAMA, the San Luis Obispo Creative and Marketing Alliance. It is a group of creative and marketing professionals and students in San Luis Obispo County. The goals of SLOCAMA are:

• Inspiration: To raise the bar and inspire each other
• Collaboration: To bring creative professionals together
• Education: To educate our community about marketing

This year Ken continues to bolster the Marketing community by helping to lead SLOCAMA into 2007. Ken has also helped lead BIG Images’ efforts in supporting the San Luis Obispo Symphony for three years running (read more here). Ken’s continued local involvement has been an invaluable asset to the marketing community & the musical arts of San Luis Obispo.

Tags: about us, ken pettit

It's the best way to spend Labor Day Weekend on the Central Coast!

This year, 2006, marks the third year running that BIG Images has sponsored the San Luis Symphony and Pops by the Sea. The SLO Symphony, often noted for incredible marketing graphics that rival their music in quality, uses BIG Images for all its outdoor signage at the annual Pops by the Sea concert, and for the foyer banners greeting the audience as they arrive to performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. For more information on this years Pops concert and other performances throughout the year visit their web page at http://slosymphony.com/

Tags: about us, ken pettit

BIG Images is a technology company as well as a large format printer: therefore when an opportunity to help push the technological envelope of the world presents itself we jump at the opportunity. WhyNotSolar.org—an organization whose goal is "... to bridge the gap between interested individuals, donors and volunteer programs" hosted an event this past weekend promoting the awareness of alternative energies such as solar power, biodiesel, veggie-oil, and electricity for vehicles.

WhyNotSolar.org is part of a growing world of people searching for renewable energy—hoping to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint. It's international projects include an ongoing Thailand program where volunteers will, for example, help supply electricity to schools so they can run air conditioning, and promote renewable energy.

If you are interested in the opportunities available and have time, money, or encouragement to offer check them out at www.WhyNotSolar.org.

BIG Images is proud to support the pursuit of alternative energies—you should be too!

Tags: about us

BIG Images, in an effort to serve its customers above and beyond what is the industry norm, spells out its guarantees to you.

On Time Guarantee*	If your job is not ready by the promised date it’s free.
Satisfaction Guarantee**	If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with your job simply return it and we will either replace it or give you a refund.

* Promised date is the date/time at which a job is ready to be shipped/picked up from BIG Images. Promised date will be provided once artwork is received and approved for printing by BIG Images, and starts only after BIG Images recieves print-ready artwork. Promised date will be e-mailed with a job confirmation.

** Satisfaction Guarantee applies to the workmanship and quality of the print(s) as can be affected by BIG Images. This guarantee does not include damage due to errors in the digital artwork (including design flaws and spelling errors), events that are beyond reasonable control of BIG Images, or that occur after the image is no longer in possession of BIG Images. BIG Images can opt to not guarantee images if they do not meet the guaranteeable file requirements.

Tags: about us