Web site images are usually poor quality images.
Web images can be great if they are high resolution, but that usually means you will have to do some in-depth online searching for acceptable hi-res images. The problem that we run into when making signs, banners, posters or any large sign, with web images is that your artwork needs to be of high resolution to be enlarged to full print size. And on almost every occasion, web sites use very low resolution images, because they are small and load quickly allowing the viewer to see a web page almost immediately. If web sites use high resolution images on their web pages it takes a very long time to load the page and slows down the whole website viewing process. So unfortunately that means, when making signs or banners which are much larger than a webpage, we usually need a higher resolution piece of artwork that a website just can't provide.
A good way to visualize and understand this concept, is to remember that since most all web images are reduced for space purposes, so that websites can operate quickly without excessive lag times. So essentially, just about any image you pull off the internet, in all actuality are roughly the size of your thumb nail or a stamp. An image that small in statue, when blown up to large print sizes, becomes blurry and pixelated and practically unusable for print production.
All is not lost though, as there are plenty of online web sites that specifically stock high resolution images for the general public to buy and use. Most stock images can be purchase at reasonable prices, but sometimes with a little research, you can find web sites that offer free images. Some of the more popular "for-purchase online stock art suppliers" are www. istockphoto.com, www.shuttershock.com or www.dreamstime.com, respectively.
But even if you only have web images, or if you are not sure if your artwork is sign quality, give our graphic specialists a call anyway; or Upload your Artwork anytime for a FREE print quality compatibility review. Upon review we may be able to help you create a similar design or recreate your sign design needs based on the artwork supplied.
Need Upload or Art File Help? Call our sign specialists: 714-573-9313
