Upload Graphics for Menu Board


Art Requirements

The Howard Company's Designers have years of experience in Menu Board design, a service which is included when purchasing our menuboards or other products that include graphics*.

You may choose to opt-out of this service by providing your own artwork created to the specifications below. You will receive a layout to review and approve for production. All layouts include up to 3 free revisions/changes (additional charges will apply after the 4th). To reduce the number of revisions, we recommend reviewing the Design Basics for Menu Boards— which includes information on how to determine legible font sizes.

 

See File Preparation for Print                        See File Preparation for Digital


File Preparation for Print:

Please verify that artwork meets the requirements below before uploading:

Adobe Illustrator (.PDF, .EPS, or .AI) *preferred format
  • Art can created in Adobe Illustrator and provided as an editable .PDF, .EPS, or native .AI file
    **Please provide any support elements (links, images, fonts) or Embed images within the file
     
    • Layered .PSD and .TIFF are also acceptable, but for the best turn-around time on revisions, please label the layers
      • If artwork is flattened, Howard can not make revisions or future edits 
    • If artwork is created in Adobe InDesign —Please export packaged file (Indesign: File/ Package) and submit the packaged folder (Indesign file, Links, Fonts)

      • Please Note: designing in Indesign versus Illustrator can result in a longer production time and design fees because the machine that cuts the graphics reads illustrator files. If a PDF (exported from Indesign) is submitted, the file will be opened in illustrator for production setup and can result in some graphic elements being dropped/lost (ie: gradients, RBG photos) from the program. If you see these errors on the layouts, it's due to the communication of the two programs, but our designers can recreate the lost elements prior to production
    • You may export files from Layout programs (ie: Quark, Corel, Publisher, PowerPoint, etc.), but note that Designers will likely need to recreate the design in Adobe Illustrator. This could lead to a longer turn-around time

  • Fonts need to be supplied by the customer or outlined/rasterized

    • The minimum font size for printed (static) graphics is 36 pts

      **Howard cannot make edits for customers if fonts are outlined/rasterized

  • Art should be actual size (.25” or .5” scale if over 225”)

  • Include 1/8” (.125”) bleed on all sides

  •  Product images & supported backgrounds should be 300 dpi or above

    **Low-resolution images that have been re-sampled to 300 dpi in Photoshop are not high enough quality and will not be accepted

     

  • Include Pantone color swatches for correct color matching and future reprints. Click here to choose Pantones. (You may also be provided a physical proof for color matching if Pantone colors cannot be specified). If Pantone swatch is not specified, designers will pick a Pantone that closest matches the artwork provided.

  • Include all support artwork/photos

  • CMYK color mode


File Preparation for Digital:

The requirements below are necessary in order to create editable templates that will allow you to make your own content changes (ie: Updating pricing or Images). Note that the digital software is a Digital Content Manager, and not a design program. 

  • File should be created in Adobe Illustrator and provided as an editable .PDF, .EPS, or native .AI file
    • There may be an additional art charge if artwork is supplied as .PSD, .TIFF, .Indd as these are not suitable for building templates
  • Artwork for digital must be set up in pixel dimensions of 1920 x 1080

    **1920px x 1080px for Horizontal screens Download Template

    **1080px x 1920px for Vertical screens Download Template

  • Do not include bleeds

  • Photos & supported backgrounds should be at least 72 ppi or above

  • Fonts must be supplied by the customer to have editable templates made

    • The minimum font size for digital displays is 27 pts
      **Editable templates are created in our Digital Content Manager program and do not support font tracking, kerning, percent skewing, or text styles. Fonts will be displayed on screen how it naturally appears for any editable areas.
    • Click here for more information about the Digital Content Manager
  • Include all support artwork / photos

  • RBG color mode

  • Supported Formats

 

*Graphic orders only and future digital design changes could be subjected to art charges

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