Q. Graphic Arts - What are they and how do I contact them?

Graphic Arts is a division of the Department of Biomedical Communications. It is responsible for the design, production and pre-press of printed materials used by the various departments of the Institution. To contact Graphic Arts by phone call the Graphic Arts Coordinator at ext. 2022 or the department receptionist at ext. 2470. Work orders can be sent via interoffice mail to Graphic Arts or dropped off at the receptionist's desk located in LIB136.

Q. Hours of operation?

Normal business hours are 8:00 am to Noon and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. There is usually someone available throughout the day to accept your work order or answer any questions you may have.

Q. Work order forms - how do I obtain one?

Work order forms can be found online in our department forms area or picked up in LIB 136.

Q. Cost - How much is this going to cost me?

The in-house cost for design and production is $20.00 per hour with a one hour minimum plus materials. Some of our services have a flat rate and these are listed on our schedule of Design and Production Rates. To get a better idea of what your particular job will cost, contact our Graphic Arts Coordinator at ext. 2022.

Q. Why am I being charged for this service?

Graphic Arts operates off of a service account. By mandate from the Administration all service accounts must operate on a zero-plus balance. This means we have to charge our clients a fee which will allow us to recover our expenses.

Q. What can Graphic Arts do for me?

Graphic Arts has the ability to meet most of your print graphics needs. If you have something in mind, give us a call and we will discuss it with you.

Q. Why do I have to sign a proof sheet?

When we finish a design project, we send a copy to the requestor along with a proof sheet. This is done so that the requestor can make sure that what we have done is correct and meets with their approval. By signing the proof sheet and indicating whether or not any changes were made verifies that the requestor has seen the product. Once a proof sheet is returned with no changes to the project, it signifies that the requestor has accepted the project and it is ready for printing.

Q. What can I do to help Graphic Arts complete my job faster?

To help Graphic Arts complete your job faster, make sure you bring us the complete job when you first bring it down. Add-ons can change the entire direction of a job and create unnecessary delays. If you are not certain about what you want, contact us and we can discuss your needs with you and find an appropriate solution.

Q. Who will print my job?

Most printing projects can be designed to be completed by our Print Services division. In the event that a project must be sent to an outside printing company, Graphic Arts will act as the liaison between purchasing and the selected vendor to help insure a timely, quality product.

Q. What if I want to use my own digital graphics?

If you are supplying us with digital graphics for a job that will be printed, be sure that they are high resolution photo images (300 dpi or higher), or EPS formatted line art. Graphics downloaded from the internet are usually low resolution and do not print well.

Q. What do I need to know to make a wide format poster in PowerPoint?

If you are designing a wide format poster using PowerPoint, please read our tip sheet. It is important to note that due to a known OLE problem, graphs that are produced in SigmaPlot or other similar applications can not be effectively inserted into PowerPoint using the cut and paste method. If they are they will not print correctly. To use graphs from these programs, export them as a .wmf or .jpg file. These files can then be inserted into PowerPoint where they will be seen as native objects rather than embedded objects. It should be noted that this problem is not related to the type of computer used to design or print the poster.