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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" > <channel> <title>Printed Labels & Stickers – Stickythings Limited</title> <atom:link href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/</link> <description>The home of printed labels and stickers</description> <lastBuildDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:29:52 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-GB</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.4</generator> <image> <url>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-fav-icon-1-1-32x32.jpg</url> <title>Printed Labels & Stickers – Stickythings Limited</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height></image> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">186736600</site> <item> <title>Designing labels & stickers in Canva?</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2022/06/08/designing-labels-stickers-in-canva/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Stainess]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:20:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Graphic Design]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.stickythings.co.uk/?p=246319</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>If you want labels and stickers to look great when designing in Canva, here is some advice Bleed & Trim Marks If you’re designing your labels or stickers in Canva, there are a few things you’ll need to do in order to have them successfully...</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2022/06/08/designing-labels-stickers-in-canva/">Designing labels & stickers in Canva?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>If you want labels and stickers to look great when designing in Canva, here is some advice</h2><h3><strong>Bleed & Trim Marks</strong></h3><p>If you’re designing your labels or stickers in Canva, there are a few things you’ll need to do in order to have them successfully print.</p><p>You’ll need to add bleed to any backgrounds, so that your design doesn’t end up with white edges. You can also add trim marks so that we can see the actual size of the labels.</p><p>Please read how to do that here on Canva’s website: <a href="https://www.canva.com/help/article/margins-bleed-crop-marks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.canva.com/help/article/margins-bleed-crop-marks/</a></p><h3>Colours – RGB and CMYK</h3><p>As Canva is an online design tool, it’ll be setup with RGB colours, this stands for Red, Green and Blue. Your monitor is comprised of Red, Green and Blue LED lights in some form that have a wide colour gamut. The colour gamut is wider on screen than it is with print. The reason for this is the shift in colour composition. Printing with ink uses CMYK inks. This stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key. The Key colour in this case is Black. The colour gamut of CMYK inks is smaller than RGB, so some bright colours are converted.</p><p>You can convert your colours ahead of time by using tools such as <a href="https://www.pdf2cmyk.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.pdf2cmyk.com</a></p><p>Please note, if you upload RGB images in Canva, when they get to us they will be converted into CMYK automatically and some colour shift may occur.</p><h3>Resolution</h3><p>When uploading your images into Canva, you’ll need to make sure they are good quality. If you zoom in on the graphic, if it’s really blocky then it could do with a higher resolution. The best way to decide if a graphic is good enough, is to size it with a physical ruler in-hand on your screen to the finished label size. If you can clearly see all the details on the label, most likely this will be fine to print. Small text needs to be very clear to the eye.</p><h3>Download Format</h3><p>Once you have completed your designs, make sure you download them as high resolution PDF format. Make sure you check the PDF prior to sending it to us for quality/content issues.</p><p>Alternatively, you can always use our own <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2019/11/12/new-online-label-sticker-designer/">online sticker design software</a> which is similar to Canva to design your stickers. This takes care of much of the above for you and saves them to your account for when you need to reprint.</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2022/06/08/designing-labels-stickers-in-canva/">Designing labels & stickers in Canva?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">246319</post-id> </item> <item> <title>Not enough room for a label, no problem! Meet Swing-Tags.com</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2022/05/23/swing-tags/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Stainess]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2022 10:24:55 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Branding]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fashion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[General]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.stickythings.co.uk/?p=245151</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Why would I need a swing tag instead of a label? Sometimes the information legally required by law to be on your product won’t fit onto a label. This is where a handy swing tag can come into play. Attach the hang tag to your...</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2022/05/23/swing-tags/">Not enough room for a label, no problem! Meet Swing-Tags.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Why would I need a swing tag instead of a label?</h2><p>Sometimes the information legally required by law to be on your product won’t fit onto a label. This is where a handy swing tag can come into play. Attach the hang tag to your product and have more surface area for your message. Ideally suited to small products, but can also be used when a label isn’t suitable and requires instant removal.</p><p><a href="https://www.swing-tags.com">Swing-Tags.com</a> has been setup as per the Stickythings website, so you’ll be familiar with the layout and ordering process, it’s almost identical. Same staff, same service just a different product.</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2022/05/23/swing-tags/">Not enough room for a label, no problem! Meet Swing-Tags.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">245151</post-id> </item> <item> <title>Online Labels – A buyers guide</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2021/06/02/online-labels-a-buyers-guide/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Stainess]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 02 Jun 2021 10:29:52 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[General]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.stickythings.co.uk/?p=204492</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2021/06/02/online-labels-a-buyers-guide/">Online Labels – A buyers guide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae60 mpc-row"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae27 mpc-column" data-column-id="mpc_column-82662b1bd90de02"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"><h2 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Online Labels - Why to buy online?</h2> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>You might be thinking of starting a new <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/product/cosmetic-labels/">cosmetics brand</a> or a <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/product/candle-labels/">candle label</a> company or another type of business, one thing in common that you will require is the labels to mark your products. Buying <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">personalised labels online</a> can be a daunting task, especially if you’re new to label printing.</p><p>Below we will highlight some of the decisions you should be considering when ordering your labels with an online label supplier.</p> </div> </div><h3 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Is the company a specialist with their own printing equipment?</h3> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>You’ll find that many companies that offer labels don’t actually produce them in-house, they are brokers that use print houses to facilitate their orders. An issue with this, which was one of the reasons we started Stickythings, is that you lose control of your order.</p><h4>Deal directly with the label manufacturer</h4><p>If you are not dealing directly with the printer, you’ll have a barrier between you and your order. Sometime this can be frustrating when dealing with artwork issues or trying to make an urgent enquiry or change. It’s a rigid process that doesn’t allow flexibility.</p><p>Here at Stickythings, every order placed on our website is kept in-house until dispatch. With a small team we can easily track and update your order throughout production.</p> </div> </div><h3 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Does the company have good customer service?</h3> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>One thing to make sure of when ordering pretty much anything online, does the company have a good track record of producing what you require with good customer service? Here at Stickythings we have an <a href="https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.stickythings.co.uk">Excellent rated service</a> with over 1,200 5* reviews. Of course we have some 1* negative reviews, with 25,000+ clients its unavoidable.</p><h4>Client interaction pre and post order</h4><p>If you take a look, we respond to all negative reviews and let them know where the problem originated and what fixes are necessary in future. We estimate around 1-5% of clients leave a review when they have a positive experience and around 90+% when they have a negative experience.</p><p>We have a dedicated member of our team on our support ticket system. So if you send us an enquiry we’ll get back to you 95% on the same day.</p> </div> </div><h3 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Price, is it a good price and are there hidden costs?</h3> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>There are many ways to produce labels on various materials and many online label companies are competing for the same clients. If you’ve already checked the points above you’re on the right track of finding a good supplier. Price is an important factor, initially and ongoing. Many companies have targeted the label industry in the recent years to expand their print product offering.</p><h4>Is it sustainable?</h4><p>Many of the companies you see today were not producing <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">labels online</a> a few years ago, but mainly printed literature and are relatively new to the industry. Many of these large companies have printing presses worth upwards of a half million £’s and are producing label orders for £7, a simply unsustainable offering when you factor in costs of rental, materials, postage, labour etc.</p><h4>Price comparison over the years</h4><p>Our team has been producing labels online since 2007, offering our exact product range ever since. Many of the prices you see on our website are cheaper than they were in 2013, this is due to better technology allowing a bit more automation.</p><p>A major factor in price is whether you can have multiple designs across a print run without being charged for each design. Many online companies don’t allow this freebie and costs can rise high if you decide on different fragrances, ingredients etc etc. Minimum orders are a consideration too, you can order any quantity with our online service, with minimal setup fees. Many companies have a £50 minimum, not ideal when you need a sample or trail run.</p> </div> </div><h3 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Designing labels without expensive design software</h3> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>If you do not posses the ability to design labels using graphic design software yourself, it leaves you paying for a graphic designer to produce them. Designers cost money, sometimes more than the labels will cost. If you want to change artwork, it’s an expense every time.</p><p>At Stickythings we have created a tool to let you design labels online, knowing that the designs you create will print without error. Our online label design software lets you freely design your artwork, allowing you to download them and keep for future reference.</p> </div> </div><h3 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Quality, how to get the best!</h3> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>Quality isn’t governed by the resolution of the printing press alone, it’s a combination of artwork, print experience and press capability. Here at Stickythings we combine all of those elements to meet the high standards we would expect of a leading label printing company.</p><h4>Artwork for quality printing</h4><p>Artwork is the most important step to get right. Without decent artwork, your results will be poor, or at least not as good as possible. We provide an artwork guide so that you can setup your artwork to get the best out of the label printers. You can choose to ignore the guide, however in our experience, those that do end up with less that top quality labels. We want you to get the very best quality available, especially as it takes us the same time to print lower quality as it does higher quality labels.</p><h4>Printing Experience</h4><p>Once the artwork gets into production, it goes through a process called a RIP. This converts the screen data into ink droplet data. This conversion can end up with unexpected results in the wrong hands. This is where our decades of experience come into play. We ensure that the translation between screen and ink is as close as possible. Ink density, colour overlaps, material ink limits are just a few of the items we adjust on the press, job to job. We really can’t emphasise enough how important our experience is at this stage to get the quality perfect.</p><h4>Printing Resolutions & Material</h4><p>We pick the very best materials, they are the most expensive materials for a very good reason. With over a decade of using the substrates, orders that we produce now are very similar to ones we produced back in 2013, despite new presses, technology moving on. It’s this consistency that is so important to a brand owner.</p><p>Our materials and presses have been profiled for the very best ink limits, meaning your labels look vibrant with the perfect amount of ink used enabling us to print at extremely high resolutions. With over a decade of using the same materials, you can be sure that consistency is at the forefront of quality control.</p> </div> </div></div></div></div></div></div><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2021/06/02/online-labels-a-buyers-guide/">Online Labels – A buyers guide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">204492</post-id> </item> <item> <title>Improved artwork workflow for printed labels</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2020/09/04/improved-artwork-workflow-for-printed-labels/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Stainess]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2020 12:16:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Graphic Design]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.stickythings.co.uk/?p=162746</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2020/09/04/improved-artwork-workflow-for-printed-labels/">Improved artwork workflow for printed labels</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae60 mpc-row"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae27 mpc-column" data-column-id="mpc_column-49662b1bd90e8bb"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"></div></div></div></div><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae60 mpc-row"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae27 mpc-column" data-column-id="mpc_column-99662b1bd90ede2"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"><h2 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Website updates to make label and sticker printing easier!</h2> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>This month we have made some major changes that you may not notice if you’re not looking for them. We’ve edited the online designer so that bleed, safe and edge margins are clearer. We’ve also added PDF support and boosted the server specifications to allow many more artworks.</p><p>You can now upload PDF files directly into the online designer and position them exactly where you want. We’ve added dropbox support so you can get your artwork files directly. This is a large step forward in speeding up artwork processing times. The files we now receive from the designer are all sized correctly, ready to be printed instantly.</p> </div> </div><h2 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">Easier file uploads</h2> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>File uploads have always been difficult to manage. Previously, if you didn’t get your artwork correct first time you’d need to resend it. When you’re dealing with just a few orders a week that’s fine, however when it’s hundreds per week, files can easily go missing due to server errors, email glitches, human error, filename overwrites etc etc.</p><p>We have created a new upload system, which timestamps the files uploaded and also pre-pends the order number to the front of the filename. The files are directly stored on our company dropbox for universal access in the production area. We also receive an email notification with the file upload details. This system keeps a record of all uploads, along with a hierarchy that is easy to manage. There is no longer an issue of whether it’s been sent or not, if we haven’t got the file or associated email we can see within a few seconds.</p><p>This system has already speeded up our online proofing, so it’s something that was definitely worth investing the time in.</p> </div> </div></div></div></div></div></div><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2020/09/04/improved-artwork-workflow-for-printed-labels/">Improved artwork workflow for printed labels</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">162746</post-id> </item> <item> <title>Environmental Impacts of Vinyl & Paper Labels</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2020/03/02/environmental-impacts-of-vinyl-paper-labels/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2020 17:46:21 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[General]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.stickythings.co.uk/?p=134435</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2020/03/02/environmental-impacts-of-vinyl-paper-labels/">Environmental Impacts of Vinyl & Paper Labels</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae60 mpc-row"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae27 mpc-column" data-column-id="mpc_column-94662b1bd90f96f"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"><h2 style="text-align: left;font-family:Abril Fatface;font-weight:400;font-style:normal" class="vc_custom_heading">Are labels & stickers environmentally friendly or not?</h2> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h2>Paper Labels – Recycling</h2><p>There are many companies out there skewing the narrative when it comes to printed labels. Some labels, yes they are made of recyclable materials, however if you take them to the recycling plant you’ll find that they are deemed non-recyclable due to their adhesive reverse depending on the type of adhesive used.</p><p>Paper labels for instance, such as ours have no heavy metals in the making of them, no hazardous chemicals are used in the manufacturing either and all pulp is wood free and from sustainable sources within the EU. Adhesive is water-based and non toxic. Whilst they would be classed as biodegradable, we would not recommend that process for disposal, mainly due to the large amount of waste that will entail.</p><p>We recommend that you remove the label from the packaging and place in the recycling. A small paper label mixed in with card will not effect the recycling process. Anything that cannot be recycled will be lumped together for burning to create electricity.</p><h3>Vinyl Labels – Recycling</h3><p>The amazing attributes associated with <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/vinyl-labels/">vinyl labels</a> such as water resistance, durability and stickiness unfortunately play a negative role in their ability to be recycled. If you want a label that will stick to many different surfaces, unfortunately a water-based adhesive won’t cut the mustard. You’ll need a solvent-based adhesive. If you don’t want label to shrink within a few weeks or month or when in contact with heat, you’ll also need a solvent adhesive. Unfortunately these cannot be recycled like paper labels can be as they will pollute the recycling process.</p><p>There are more recycling centres accepting PVC, you’d have to check with your local recycling centre to see if they accept this kind of plastic.</p> </div> </div></div></div></div></div></div><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2020/03/02/environmental-impacts-of-vinyl-paper-labels/">Environmental Impacts of Vinyl & Paper Labels</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">134435</post-id> </item> <item> <title>New Online Label & Sticker Designer</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2019/11/12/new-online-label-sticker-designer/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 12 Nov 2019 17:32:51 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.stickythings.co.uk/?p=5996</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2019/11/12/new-online-label-sticker-designer/">New Online Label & Sticker Designer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae60 mpc-row"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae27 mpc-column" data-column-id="mpc_column-53662b1bd9105a9"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to create a better label and sticker designer for you. So with our new website launch comes a new designer. This is easier to use than the previous designer and has many more features, fewer in some areas too as to keep things simple. Below are a few items that have received improvement.</p><p><strong>Curved Text</strong><br>One of the main sticking points was that many clients wanted curved text. I’m happy to say that it’s now included. You can now add and control curved text in the designer.</p><p><strong>Photo / Clipart Library<br></strong>Many clients were not able to create their own images so we have partnered up with Pixabay so that royalty free images can be selected from within the designer. There is also a large range of user clipart available which can be coloured within the designer.</p><p><strong>Add Text<br></strong>The text feature has been updated massively. You now have much more control over colours, fonts and paragraph settings.</p><p><strong>Add Shapes<br></strong>We’ve added the ability to add shapes from a vast library of pre-defined shapes that can be tailored to suit your requirements.</p><p><strong>QR Codes<br></strong>Easily add <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/product/barcode-labels/">Barcode and QR codes</a> to your designs. Simply enter the data and the designer will encode them for you.</p><p><strong>Draw feature<br></strong>You can now use freehand drawing on your design, choosing colours and brushes to suit your design. Great for adding a personal touch to your labels and stickers.</p><p><strong>Full integration into client account<br></strong>Previously our designer did not store your artwork online, this made ordering reprints more difficult. With our new designer you can see and even edit your old designs.</p> </div> </div></div></div></div></div></div><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2019/11/12/new-online-label-sticker-designer/">New Online Label & Sticker Designer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5996</post-id> </item> <item> <title>Raster vs Vector Graphics</title> <link>https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2019/11/12/raster-vs-vector-graphics/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 12 Nov 2019 16:38:19 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Graphic Design]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.stickythings.co.uk/?p=5985</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2019/11/12/raster-vs-vector-graphics/">Raster vs Vector Graphics</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"><div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1573576953924 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae60 mpc-row"><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae27 mpc-column" data-column-id="mpc_column-66662b1bd9111bb"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"><h2 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">What are Vector Images?</h2> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>Vector images are made up of positioning text co-ordinates within a file. Much like GPS co-ordinates, they are positioning points within a defined area. Vector images can be scaled up to any size without losing quality due to this coordinate system. They are also very small in file size as they do not have to encompass the pixel data that raster graphics do.</p><p>Most of the signage that you see around you will be printed with vector graphic artwork. This is due to the size of the scaled outlines, so they do not blur. Take a look at the header image on the page, you’ll see the different characteristics of each file.</p><p>Because the information within vector graphics is co-ordinate based, printing presses can use those co-ordinates to print very sharp text in small sizes. For labels and stickers, this is perfect for bring clarity to your design. So if you have small text on your label or sticker design, make sure it’s vector format.</p><p>The whole vector/raster saga can get quite confusing though, mainly due to graphic programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw which can combine both raster images and vector images into a single file. When this happens, if artwork is scaled up, the vector elements within the artwork scale perfectly, however the raster image will lose quality.</p><p>When we’re requesting vector graphics, we are requesting that all elements within the file are vector when possible. This however is sometimes impossible as you have combined raster elements such as photos and vector elements in your files.</p><p>So what do you do? First you need to setup your vector document to the size of the label and sticker. Then you need to ensure that the raster graphic when imported at the correct size is at least 300 ppi. You can then add your vector text and elements to the design stage.</p><p>Using this method will bring you the best results.</p> </div> </div></div></div></div><div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6 et_custom_uniqid_662b1bd8eae27 mpc-column" data-column-id="mpc_column-95662b1bd911486"><div class="vc_column-inner"><div class="wpb_wrapper"><h2 style="text-align: left" class="vc_custom_heading">What are Raster Images?</h2> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element "> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p>Raster image files are made from pixel data. Perfect for photography where scenes are made from thousands of colours. Each pixel that is displayed on the screen within the file is assigned a colour. For non-compressed raster images every single pixel will have a different value which makes the files very large in comparison to vector.</p><p>Because the raster image is split up into a grid of pixels on X and Y axis, the smooth curves of small text get turned into grid form too. This means that unlike vector images, the smooth curves of text turn into small blocks of solid colour. The higher the resolution of the file, the smaller the blocks can be, however the file size becomes far larger. This is also the same for shapes.</p><p>A good rule of thumb to get the best quality/file size compromise is to make sure your artwork is 350ppi when it’s actual size. If your artwork contains small raster text, either recreate it in a vector format or set the resolution to a minimum of 600ppi. PPI stand for Pixels per inch.</p><p>If you import vector graphics into a raster program, bear in mind that the vectors will be converted into pixel data also, therefore lose quality.</p><p>Raster graphics cannot be scaled in the same way that vector graphics can. I’ll explain why.</p><p>A simple A4 sized raster image at 72ppi has far less pixels than an A4 raster image at 350ppi. For this reason, when you scale up a 72ppi image to 350ppi the application has to input extra data for all those missing pixels. It does this by looking at the 72 ppi pixel data and filling in the gaps around those pixels with a similar colour. Much like when a TV upscales HD 1080 to 4k. It’s not really true 4k, but it has the same amount of data.</p><p>Now there is also compression when it comes to raster files, such as jpeg. This is done by reducing the amount of colour data within the file. The application looks at the overall colour data of the images and starts to reduce it into blocks of similar colour. So gradients can start to appear blocky rather than smooth. The higher the compression the more colour combination happens. The best form of raster file is a TIFF, so that no compression has occurred. Bear in-mind that there is not point converting a jpeg to a TIFF as the image data has already been compressed.</p> </div> </div></div></div></div></div></div><p>The post <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk/2019/11/12/raster-vs-vector-graphics/">Raster vs Vector Graphics</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.stickythings.co.uk">Printed Labels & Stickers - Stickythings Limited</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">5985</post-id> </item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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