Concealed Campus protest graphics

[Oana]

Let's try this again. Sorry for the thread-jumping.

Here are the graphics I've designed (unofficially) for the Empty Holster Protest Week. Two button versions, some different colors for tee shirts, etc. You can print these out and use them as long as they're for you/your friends (i.e. not for profit), and as long as they'll be used for a pro-gun/CC purpose. I keep dibs on any "commercial" printing (like CafePress), though.

 

[Oana]

And more...

 

[Oana]

And yet more.

 

[igpoobah]

Maybe put the 'gun free' in quotations, mocking the official policy...

 

[CNYCacher]

I applaud your effort but none of those are printable for their lack of resolution.

Unless you are printing them really small.

 

[Oana]

I applaud your effort but none of those are printable for their lack of resolution.

Are you clicking the tiny image to get to the large size?

I personally haven't tried printing any of them yet. I was trying to make them an appropriate size for printing as-is, vs. having to resize. I'm not sure what sort of file to make them otherwise; I could offer the original Adobe Illustrator files, but not everyone has Illustrator.

 

[CNYCacher]

Yes I am clicking on the thumbnails.

What looks big and nice on the computer screen doesn't generally print out all that well.

Ever look at a 5 megapixel digital camera image at actual size on the screen? your monitor is not nearly big enough.

Don't know much about illustrator, but you can either save them as much bigger jpgs, or perhaps output a PDF or something.

 

[lanternlad1]

Size is not really the issue when it comes to resolution. For print, you want 300 dpi, these examples are only 72 dpi, which is only good for screen (as in computer screen) and web use. If you design something at 72 and stretch it to 300 dpi print size, you will see a lot of artifacts and blurs. Also, for print, you want to make sure that you are using a CMYK pallet, not RGB. RGB is for screen, CMYK is for print. The pallets are very different. What is red in RGB might be orange in CMYK. You must also be aware of your bleed measurements for trim to final size.

You can also design in Illustrator, which can save your designs in Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) which can be increased in size without loss in resolution. (Say, if you wanted to take a shirt size design and make a billboard out of it)

If you don't have Photoshop or Illustrator, let me know. Once a design is chosen I will be happy to render it for you for free.

 

[Halo is for Kids]

I like this one but I agree that Gun Free Zone should appear in quotes.

I like the fact that the important text is a contrasting color, draws the eye. I prefer the one on the right with no border.

 

[Oana]

Clearly, print isn't my specialty. The problem was in the conversion to PNG, which I thought would be fine, but I didn't consider the resolution and RGB factors. *oops*

So, all of you in the know, what format would be best? The original is Illustrator (CMYK), which I can convert to just about anything, but remember that I'm trying to go for something easily printable for folks for the protest next week. Professional printing is another animal. These are the immediate end uses I've thought of:
1) printing on paper or other material for buttons, pins, etc.
2) heat transfer paper for shirts, other clothing/fabric articles
3) sticker paper

Thanks!

I prefer the one on the right with no border.

The left-hand image is to show how it would look as a 3" button.

 

[JeremySmith]

I'd stay away from the "I'd rather save your life" - it'd make the wearer out to be a vigilante. Personally, I like it, but most people see "vigilante" as a bad thing. Head down to the office suppy store - they should have a good selection of iron-on papers, stickers, and magnetic backing you can print directly on. Just make sure you spray anything you print out in ink with a clear protective layer (like krylon clear uv spray). Next week might be tight, but you also might look at a couple online printers:

http://www.cafepress.com/
http://www.koolprint.com/ (I've used these guys before - they were great!)

 

[bogie]

You want them to be a minimum of 300dpi. I usually run stuff at 720dpi.

You don't have to spray my stuff with Krylon.

 

[Fletchette]

How about:

College students are often told to "behave as adults"

But when it comes to self protection we are called "kids"

Let us be adults: concealed carry now!

 

[Picknlittle]

How about

Gun free zones = Fish in a barrel

Gun free zones= unprotected zones

Fight victimization, Carry Concealed

 

[bogie]

How's this?

(image is highly compressed, original isn't...)

 

[engineer151515]

'Haven't heard of a massacre at a gunshow"


or

It is Immoral to disarm the Innocent.

 

[OpFlash]

This is my favorite:

 

[chipperi]

For shirts or bigger you need to create the image in a Vector format. the Program I use for screen printing is adobe illustrator. A vector image can be blown up indefinitely without distortion. Files like jpg bmp png etc are bitmaps and will distort if blown up too much over their original resolution.

 

[bogie]

Well, for bumper stickers, I start with a nice high res image, and go from there. Yeah, I can do Corel X3 or Illustrator CS3 (and I create a lot of stuff in X3), but since Flexi prefers tiffs over Corel files, I just export a monster file, and then RIP that sucker and print at 720dpi.

If I'm having screenprinted transfers made, I usually use Corel, and convert to curves first. At any rate, I don't do low-res compressed jpegs except for stuff that needs to load fast for the web.

 

[Oana]

Thanks for all the tips. I've played with the graphics a little, tried a TIFF file, didn't like the way the color turned out. When I get the chance I'll try to go back and put up some higher res images that will actually be usable.

In the meantime, I printed out one of the button graphics on glossy photo paper and turned it into a pin. Class was out, but I wore it to the store, and didn't really get any comments. *Maybe* a strange look. I'm moving on to the T-shirt. Larger print.

Haven't spotted anyone else wearing CC stuff, sadly. I've thought about setting up a small club so next year could be different. We could put up flyers, do interviews, etc.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I'd stay away from the "I'd rather save your life" - it'd make the wearer out to be a vigilante. Personally, I like it, but most people see "vigilante" as a bad thing.

I am sorry, Jeremy, but apparently you are unaware of what the word "vigilante" means. You seem to be under the impression that a vigilante can be a person acting lawfully to commit an act of violence against another person. You would be in error. Lawfully acting in self defense or defense of another is not a vigilante act.

Acting outside of the law is. For example, a lynching of a person accused of a crime that has not been convicted and gone through due process of law would.

Being a vigilante is bad. The shirt slogan is not about vigilantism.

 

[North of 49th]

+1 OpFlash. That is a good one. Still you guys in the states have less to caomplain about than us north of the border. the most we can carry legally is a knife or and expnadable baton.

 

[bogie]

Guys, let's not get hung up on who can carry what where... What we have is a media/protest opportunity. How can we learn from it? How can we refine it? How can we make it STRONGER?

 

[M_Olson]

Thanks for all the tips. I've played with the graphics a little, tried a TIFF file, didn't like the way the color turned out. When I get the chance I'll try to go back and put up some higher res images that will actually be usable.

dont forget that what it looks like on your monitor may not be what it looks like on paper, or someone elses monitor.

 

[bogie]

Yup. The color calibration stuff is worth it.

That and paying attention to Mr. Pantone...

But the one thing I see with homemade stuff is that people don't go high enough on the resolution. If the file isn't several megs in size, forgetaboutit!