Basic instructions for using the templates:
#1 Open the PDF templates in Illustrator or Photoshop.
#2 Place your artwork in a layer underneath the template lines.
#3 Arrange your artwork underneath the live area lines to see what will be visible on the final product.
#4 Pay attention to parts of the graphic that are close to the live area lines as a small amount shifting may happen and cut off an important part of the graphic.
Tips:
More Info:
Do pay attention to the live/safe/bleed areas (explained below).
Our templates are PDFs exported from Illustrator. Illustrator is the best program for for laying out art with absolute precision. When creating art there are 3 main areas to consider: live, bleed, and safe. Live area is the actual area of the item to be printed. Bleed is the size you need to create the artwork(bigger than live). Safe area is the area that will be visible no matter how much shifting. Every printed item has a margin of error (margin of shifting). When creating art for skateboard decks an extra .25inch of graphic area is required to compensate for the possible shifting.
More information is available on our main information website pointdistribution.com in the artwork section. Our reps do their best to review potential production issues but understanding the different variables in skateboard manufacturing will help you get the best possible finished product. The process is complex so don’t hesitate to contact a rep for more info.
Helpful tips:You can use the same graphic on multiple size decks if you size the graphic to the largest size deck. For digital skateboard deck printing use files 300dpi at actual print size in CMYK colorspace. Tiff files are what we use internally but we can start with just about any raster or vector format.
