Resource Center

Color Grapics, Digital Graphics


The power of full-color images is unmistakable. They grab your customers’ attention, instantly bringing their focus to your product or service. A major advance in visual technology, full-color graphics make a strong statement about your company's leadership in the marketplace.

Full-color graphics:

  • Enhance your professional image and credibility.
  • Build customer awareness in record time.
  • Draw a dynamic distinction between you and your competition.

Among the many marketing messages we encounter each day, only a few have lasting impact.

With full-color graphics (also referred to as large-format prints or digital graphics) from FirePower Graphics, your messages cut through the clutter.

Sign Applications
  • Banners and flags
  • Labels and decals
  • Vehicle graphics
  • Posters
  • Tradeshow exhibits and displays
  • Dynamic Digital Signs
  • Electrical signs
  • Point-of-purchase signs
  • Building signs

Color Displays

One of the greatest challenges of full-color digital printing is ensuring that the colors printed are the colors you expect. FirePower Graphics staff will take the necessary steps to ensure that your colors are produced as faithfully as possible within the limits of our technologies. Here’s how different devices (scanners, monitors and printers) display color.

RGB Color

The RGB color model uses a dot pattern of red, green and blue light to reproduce a full color image. It is used by scanners and monitors.

CMYK Color

The CMYK color model uses a dot pattern of cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks or toners to reproduce a full-color image. It is used by virtually all digital printers.

Spot Color

There are many spot color models, but the process is simply that of printing a specific solid color.

  • The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a defined set of spot-color inks used in the commercial printing industry
  • CMYK printers can only simulate spot colors, some better than others. The best way to ensure a match is to pick a CMYK color from a chart printed on the machine that will ultimately make your full-color graphic

Color Facts

Full color adds a new dimension to your graphics and involves some new considerations. Below are a few key terms you'll want to know, plus some examples of how variations in resolution affect the appearance of a graphic.

Full Color

The reproduction of any color image by applying certain ink colors in varying proportions. Originals can be either RGB or CMYK files.

Spot Color

The addition of one or more colors to a graphic by applying inks of those specific colors. Spot color cannot reproduce full-color images.

DPI

An abbreviation for "dots per inch", DPI is a measure of the density of ink dots used to reproduce the image. The more dots in the image, the higher the image clarity and the better the ability to enlarge that image.

More important than the DPI is the total number of pixels in a file. Pixels determine the final file size for processing and image quality. For large-format printing, a good rule of thumb is to plan for 100 to 150 pixels per inch (ppi) at the final printed size. PPI is commonly referred to as DPI. For example, if you wish to have an image printed 24" x 36", your computer file should have a minimum of 2,400 pixels (24" x 100 ppi) by 3,600 pixels (36" x 100 ppi), for a total of 8,640,000 pixels. At an average of 3 bytes of storage per pixel, that's about a 24MB file. Anything less simply won't have the quality you expect.

The distance from which your graphic will be viewed determines the DPI required:

  • If it will be viewed at close range, you will need a higher DPI
  • If it will be seen from a distance, a lower DPI image may give you all the resolution you need, saving time and money
  • For large applications such as vehicle graphics, you can often come down from the 100 to 150 dpi ideal without sacrificing quality

Viewing Distance | Resolution
1-5 feet                      150 ppi
5-10 feet                    100 ppi
10+ feet                     50-72 ppi

File Formats

The equipment used to produce full-color digital graphics is different from that used in standard service-bureau output, so your files should be formatted specifically for large-format, full-color techniques.

  • Contact FirePower Graphics before creating your documents, if possible, to ensure that you are taking the most direct route to the desired finished product
  • We have detailed guidelines for file conversion, and your consultant will help you determine how to prepare your files for output as full-color graphics
  • We can accept originals in a variety of media, though technologies can vary by center
  • FirePower Graphics also offers professional scanning and design services. We can build your custom graphic from your artwork and photos or help you select just the right image from stock photography

Let the sign experts at FirePower Graphics put full-color digital graphics to work for you today.