Supplying artwork

A vector file — AI, EPS or a PDF with live artwork — can be scaled to any balloon size without losing an edge. It is what the screen is made from, so supplying vector saves a redraw and saves you time.

If all you have is a JPG or PNG, send it anyway and we will tell you honestly whether it will hold up. Anything under about 1,000 pixels across will usually need redrawing.

Each ink colour in your design needs its own screen and its own pass through the press. A one-colour logo is not just cheaper, it registers more accurately — every additional colour is another chance for a hair of misalignment on a surface that moves.

If your logo has a gradient, we will need to convert it to a solid or a halftone. Tell us which you would prefer.

Hairlines under about 0.5mm tend to break up. Type below roughly 8pt on a 12 inch balloon closes up when the ink spreads. Fine detail in the middle of a large flat area is the first thing to go.

Remember the print area stretches as the balloon inflates, and it stretches unevenly — more across the middle than towards the neck. A perfect circle drawn flat comes out slightly oval. We compensate for this, but it is worth knowing if your artwork depends on exact proportions.

Give us a Pantone reference if the colour matters. Screen ink on latex is not the same substrate as paper, so an exact match is not always achievable, but a Pantone gives us something to work to and lets us tell you up front how close we can get.

A dark ink on a dark balloon will not read. White ink on a strong colour is usually the answer.

Every file gets looked at by a person before it goes near a screen, and nothing goes to press until you have approved a proof. If something will not reproduce well we will tell you before we charge you, not after.