Question 1

Vivtrack User Guide

Accepted Answer

Vivtrack User Guide We like to think our UX is pretty intuitive, but here are some features which may not know about. Shop online Choose from hundreds of customisable products.  Enter the quantity and size and add to your shopping cart   Add to Cart   Enter a line reference Edit the line reference to something which identifies the item and gives it some context    Upload your artwork to the shopping cart Your artwork will be preflight checked for problems such as low resolution elements and correct proportions. You can download a report which details the issues.   Generate Approval Documents with your company logo Send us your logo and we will add it to your approval document. This will appear on the packaging.   Check and Approve your Artwork On-Line   Select a shipping method Shipping is based on packing dimensions and destination. You can add frequently used  addresses. If you are an account holder, you can come back and change the shipping once the order is placed. Place your order Track your Job   Add a Purchase order Number   Download Multi-page PDF Download a multipage PDF document of all of the approval documents in your job. Great for checking deliveries and briefing installers.   Share Link Copy a link to your job and Share with your job to other Vivtrack members who are in your trusted group.   Add Vivtrack users to your Trusted group    ->Click your name, Account->Settings Add the email addresses of other Vivtrack users to your trusted group      Convert your shopping cart into a quote If you have many jobs on the go, once you have added all of your items to your shopping cart, you can convert your shopping cart to a quote. This will free up your cart for another job and allow you to complete your order at a later date.    Download a Quote document Whether you have created your own quote from your shopping cart or you have been emailed a quote, you can download the quote document. Edit Shipping Account holders are able to change the shipping address and carrier right up to the time of despatch.   My Jobs My Jobs allows you to search your Quotes, Current Orders and Completed orders.       View Jobs by users who have added you to their trusted group   Apply for a credit account and avoid the Pay-wall Credit account holders can place orders without having to pay with their credit card each time. Email us to request an account application form to set up a 30 day account.

Question 2

Placing your order online from a quote email

Accepted Answer

When you are ready to place your order, you can easily do this online by clicking on the "place order" link within your quotation email. This allows you to enter all the details of the job, upload your artwork, specify the delivery date and address and any other special instructions you may have.

Question 3

Sending us your files

Accepted Answer

The following is a list of accepted media or methods of submitting your artwork files:   Upload your files to the shopping cart and they will be preflighted automatically For general uploads use Vivtrack FTP WeTransfer Hightail  Dropbox  Supply your FTP details DVD or CD (Mac/PC) USB stick Email to prepress@vivad.com.au for files up to 20MB

Question 4

Setting up your files

Accepted Answer

To ensure that your file is correct, please follow the below requirements:   Ensure that your artwork is set up to the dimensions that you have selected in your quote Any images are high-resolution All fonts are to be outlined All colours are converted to CMYK (For colour matching, please refer to the Colour References and Pantone Matching System PMS section further down in the help section) Any overprint is turned off All artwork requires 10mm bleed all around, to be provided outside the trim box **Some web products have a link to a template, which can be downloaded and used to set up your files.

Question 5

Accepted file formats

Accepted Answer

Vivad accept the following file formats:   PDF - Generated from an Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop file (use profile of "Press Quality") Adobe Photoshop PSD, TIFF, JPEG - CS2 and above (flatten images / supply fonts) Adobe Illustrator EPS- CS2 and above (outline all fonts) Adobe InDesign INDD- CS2 and above (supply links and fonts / outline fonts)

Question 6

Adding your logo to approval documents

Accepted Answer

We can personalise your approval documents by adding your logo to your approval document template. Simply email your logo to prepress@vivad.com.au and we will set you up.

Question 7

Generating approval documents

Accepted Answer

You can generate an approval document in the shopping cart by adding the line item to the shopping cart, uploading the artwork and then adding any notes which you want to appear on the approval document. Click next to generate the approval document. You can download the approval document and send to your client before approving it on line and placing the order. We can set up the approval document template to include your logo, simply email your logo to prepress@vivad.com.au

Question 8

Convert cart to quote

Accepted Answer

You can convert your shopping cart to a quote, which will create a new shopping cart with a new Job number. You can use the Jobs filter to find the newly created quote. This feature is useful if you have multiple jobs on the go at one time.

Question 9

Preflight your files online

Accepted Answer

Vivtrack’s powerful preflight engine allows you to upload your files and have them checked for any problems prior to approving them to print. Our preflight system checks that your file is set up to the correct proportions (if the file is more than 5% out of proportion, it will fail preflight). The preflight will also check to see if there are any low resolution elements in the file and will inform you of a suitable approximate viewing distance for each element when scaled to the finished size. Once your file has been preflighted, Vivtrack 2 will produce a PDF that you can download and view the report that was generated.  NB: It is best to download the report and view it in a pdf reader rather than view it in your browser, as this allows you to turn the problem layers on and off in the report.

Question 10

Difference between DPI and PPI

Accepted Answer

Often there is confusion in regards to Dots Per Inch (DPI) and Pixels Per Inch (PPI). Generally, printer resolutions are quoted in DPI and reflect that printers print dots of 4 colours CMYK. In your graphics software, your file is set up in PPI. A pixel can be one of 16.7 million colours. The printer renders the colour of any one pixel by laying down a combination of CMYK which approximates the colour of that pixel.

Question 11

Calculating sizes for Keder banners

Accepted Answer

At Vivad, when we talk about the Finished size of a keder banner, we are referring to the measurement from the outside edge of the keder to the outside edge of the keder when it is in it's non stretched state. In other words when it is laid flat on our table and it is measured when the banner is not under tension.  It is important that you calculate and specify the correct finished size when ordering your keder banner. The sail track will add 20mm to each edge of the banner. In addition, you will be able to get approximately 0.25% stretch out of the banner without mechanical assistance. That is 10mm for every 4 metres. For example If you have a pre-existing perimeter frame  made of 40mm Rectangular Hollow Section and let's say the outside dimensions are 3000mm (w) x 2000mm (h) The width of the banner = 3000mm {the outside width of your frame} - (20mm * 2) {for two sections of sail track one left one right}  - (0.0025 * 3000) {to subtract  0.25% for stretch}  = 2952.5 mm outside of keder to outside of keder (you can round it up or down to the nearest mm so say 2953mm The height of the banner = 2000mm {the height to the outside of the frame) -(20mm *2){for two sections of sail track one top and one bottom} - (0.0025 x 2000)   {to subtract  0.25% for stretch} =1955mm So the banner size is 2953mm (w) * 1955mm (h) Disclaimer These suggested calculations are a guideline only. Some installers prefer to use tools to get additional stretch. most materials you will get more stretch across the direction of the roll than along the length of the roll. Some materials you will get more stretch than others.  The temperature of the day will affect the amount of stretch you get. If the dimensions are critical then you are advised to perform your own tests and satisfy yourself that the sizes meet your specific requirements.

Question 12

Tracking your job

Accepted Answer

To Track your job, log in, select "My jobs", set the job filter to current jobs and click search Expand the order and click on "Workflow Progress" When your job is ready to be dispatched, you will receive a despatch notification which will have the contact details of the courier and the consignment note number. You will be able to track the parcel directly with the courier.

Question 13

Cut Contour Instructions

Accepted Answer

If you are setting up a CutContour line, set your cut contour die line as a contrasting colour to your background on a new layer in your file. Save this as a new Swatch colour named CutContour (The colour name is case and space sensative) and set the Colour Type to Spot Colour rather than Process Colour. Please never set your cut contour die line to Overprint. Please note that portal prices are for a single outline at the finished size. Nested or complex contours will attract additionl charges which will be added to the job. See our Additional cut contour rates to calculate the additional cost.

Question 14

Make payments online

Accepted Answer

Non account holders can now make secure payments online using the secure Eway payment gateway. For more information about Eway, please visit their website at www.eway.com.au.

Question 15

Are Vivad and Vivid Ads the same company?

Accepted Answer

No. Vivad is an independent, Australian owned and operated signage and print manufacturer and is not affiliated with, associated with, or connected to Vivid Ads or any similarly named business.

Question 16

Viewing distance, resolution and file size

Accepted Answer

When considering the minimum acceptable resolution to supply your photographic images for graphic reproduction, you first need to consider the intended viewing distance of the image once installed. As a rule of thumb, the minimum viewing distance, which allows the whole image to be viewed in its entirety, can be calculated by multiplying the length of the diagonal of the image by 1.5. For example, if I am designing a 6m x 3m billboard as in the photo below, with a little bit of help from Pythagoras, the minimum practical viewing distance would be: 1.5 x sqrt(3x3 + 6x6) = 1.5 x 6.67 = 10 metres The following table shows the maximum resolution in PPI (pixels per inch), that a person with 20/20 eyesight in ordinary viewing conditions, can see. In other words, any resolution higher that the resolution quoted will be indistinguishable at that viewing distance.   0.15 583 2.107 0.3 292 529 0.6 146 132 1.2 72 33 2.4 37 8.5 3 30 5.58 6 15 1.40 10 9 0.50 20 5 0.16 30 3 0.06   For our 6m x 3m billboard skin example, if it is being viewed at 10 metres, you can see from the table above that we are not going to get any better than a file which is 9 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) at the actual output size. So the size of the file we require will be (the width X the height of the banner X the TIFF file size based on 9 PPI)  6 x 3 x 0.5 = 9MB, probably smaller than you thought right? The other thing to point out is that even though the photographic image might be pixelated at shorter viewing distances, generally the text and any vector graphics should be supplied as paths, so you will enjoy the highest resolution that the printer has to offer for these vector elements. It is important to consider the context or situation that the final output is going to be seen. In our billboard example, a 10 metre viewing distance might be appropriate, however, what about if you want to do a giant wall mural in an internal environment? Rather than considering the context of someone standing back and observing the whole print, you want to consider an observer who is up close. The industry standard resolution for internet graphics is 72PPI, from our table above we can see that the viewing distance for this resolution is 1.2 metres, yet you and I know that usually we are sitting closer than half that distance away from our screens. If we were to use 72PPI for our 6m x 3m billboard, then the TIFF file size would be in the order of 600MB file, which is overkill. In reality, the limitation is not going to be the file size as much as limitations of the capturing device. Even your 10 megapixel digital SLR is only going to give you around 12MB in RAW format, so unless you are using a number of images, are step and repeating, are adding noise and other filters in an attempt to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, then supplying us with 600MB files is only going to slow everyone down and cost you money in couriering disks. In general, keep your file sizes down to under 300MB and then everyone will be happy.

Question 17

Colour References and Pantone Matching System PMS

Accepted Answer

When you want us to match a particular colour, for example the paint colour of your car's petrol cap, then it is better to supply the actual physical sample rather than pull out a Pantone book and tell us to match the closest Pantone colour. If we do print to the closest Pantone, we print out our four colour equivalent to that Pantone, which will be different from the Pantone you specified and different again from your true reference. This is called successive approximation and every time you make an approximation you introduce an error, then these errors accumulate, which takes you further away from your reference colour.  In this scenario we have two approximations, if you supply the definitive reference we only have one. If there is one or more PMS colours that you want us to match, then make sure you clearly specify the PMS colours, and as well as setting them up in the file, make sure we have got them all listed on the approval document when you receive your 'Artwork Ready' notification from Vivtrack - more on this later. Usually if there is a corporate logo or a solid colour dominating the design, then the chances are that there will be a PMS colour associated with it. Many corporate style guides give a four colour breakdown of the corporate PMS colour, which designers will merely put into CMYK values and hope for the best. If the colour is set up as a spot PMS, two things happen. Firstly the RIP treats the colour as a Pantone spot colour and gives it special attention resulting in a closer match. Secondly the printer operator responsible for making your job look great has a Pantone book on his desk, against which he will stringently check all the PMS colours that are listed on the approval document that you have approved. This is all done on a scaled down version of the job called a ‘press proof’ and if we are not entirely happy with the colour, we will tweak it before we run the actual job.

Question 18

Overprint

Accepted Answer

Overprint is not recommended for use in large format digital printing. It can lead to unpredictable results such as image dropouts and colour changes. It is recommended that you check for any overprint in your files and turn it off before uploading your artwork to Vivad.

Question 19

Day/Night Backlit

Accepted Answer

There are two ways to illuminate a banner. One way is to light it from the front and the other is to light it from behind. Front lit banners are printed on a more opaque material which has a lot of titanium dioxide in it to make it white. Backlit banners are more translucent allowing light to pass through. The printing process is also different for a backlit banner, if you were to print a backlit banner the same way you were to print a frontlit banner, it would look a bit washed out. To overcome this, printers often lay down two layers of ink, this is called double striking the banner. The problem with double strike is that unless you backlight the banner during the day, it can look too dark. The solution is to print the banner using Day-Night print technology. The way it works is one layer of CMYK ink is laid onto the material, then a layer of white ink is printed over the top. A second layer of CMYK is then printed over the white ink. The three layers are laid down in the one process so the layers align perfectly. When the banner is lit from behind the light passes through two layers of ink giving the correct colour. When the banner is lit from the front the light passes through one layer of ink and reflects off the white layer of ink giving correct colour during the day. The process is more expensive than double striking due to the extra layer of white ink but it does give a better result for backlit banners which are not being illuminated during the day.

Question 20

Scaling

Accepted Answer

Most applications such as Indesign and Illustrator are not going to allow you to set the document up at 100% when you are working with large sizes, so you are going to have to scale your document. Generally 10% of the final size is the norm, but feel free to use others. Example: For a 6m x 3m banner, we can set the document up at 60cm x 30cm with a resolution of 90 PPI.

Question 21

Trusted Groups

Accepted Answer

Trusted groups are a great way to collaborate on jobs. If you work with a team of people, you can add their email addresses to your trusted group. This will allow others to be able to see your jobs in the jobs filter. If you want to see their jobs they will also have to add you to their trusted group. To add people to your trusted group go to your Account > Settings tab. Type their email into the trusted group field and press enter. Their email should appear in a grey box below the text field. You can add multiple addresses in the same session. Hit the green save button to save your trusted group before leaving the page.

Question 22

A note on JPEGs

Accepted Answer

JPEG images are fine and a good way of compressing large images into files which are a fraction of the size of a TIFF file. The downside is that with this compression there is a loss of image information, so the higher the compression the greater the loss. But you are going to get more bang for your byte out of a JPEG than out of a TIFF. So if you insist on sending us a 500MB Tiff, send it as a JPEG with low compression and no-one will ever know.

Question 23

Packing and shipping algorithm

Accepted Answer

Vivtrack 3 uses a powerful packing algorithm which calculates the theoretical dimensions of your customised print job. The packing dimension and weight are calculated based on the predefined packing method, the material weight and print finishing. Whether it is:  a backlit banner rolled on a core, or a billboard skin which as folded and wrapped or a stack of flat packed core flute prints;  you know that you are paying a commensurate price for your shipping rather than an arbitrary cost. Vivtrack 3 uses the theoretical packing dimensions and weights as well as the destination post code to calculate the freight cost. You can choose from a number of freight companies and services to get your print job where it needs to be by when it needs to be there. Interstate freight is handled by either Direct freight or TNT and you can choose; Road express, Overnight, or same day service if required. Local couriers are costed depending on the vehicle required and the service required including standard, VIP or premium door-to-door service

Question 24

My Vivad Page

Accepted Answer

If you have a job that is repeated quite often, you can talk to us about setting up you very own "My Vivad" page. This means that when you log on, you will be able to re-order your more frequent items, which are customised to your specifications. So all you need to do is upload the artwork and you are good to go.