FAQ

We pride ourselves on customer service, so we have collected the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Click on the FAQ questions to read our tips and answers on Printing and Multimedia/Web services.

If you don’t see your question listed, please feel free to contact us using our online contact form, or by phone at 856.486.1700
If I describe my idea to you, can you design it for me?

Of course! Creative’s design team is built around bringing new ideas to life. If you have an idea for a great-looking brochure, a custom marketing piece, or an eye-catching logo, we will sit down with you until that dream is real.

Remember that whenever Creative sets pencil to paper, we are using over 30+ years of experience in the field to find a solution that you will be happy with for years to come.
If I give you pictures, can you use them in your design?

Creative can use the following types of images with no problem:

• Photographs that can be scanned (not in frames)
• Line drawings

For the quality required in printing, the following guidelines apply to digital pictures:

• The resolution (dpi) of the image must be 300dpi or more if the photo is already sized correctly (5″ x 7″ photo to be used on a 5″ x 7″ card for example)
• If the resolution of the photo is less than 300dpi, we may be able to make it big enough to use in your design, but the trade-off will be poor quality. We would only recommend this as a last resort if a better photo cannot be found.
• If the photo was downloaded from a website, there is a good chance that we won’t be able to use it in your printed design. Sorry! Most website photos are heavily compressed to have them load on your screen faster. This compression will normally leave blotches and marks of discoloration in the photo that are overlooked onscreen, but appear as noticeable defects in printed material.
• If you are using a digital camera, you can check the picture resolution from the Picture Quality menu. Normally, it will show you the resolution in pixels (like 1024 x 768). In order to change this number for printing, divide your pixel number by 300 and that will be the photo’s print-size in inches. So, if the camera was taking photos at 1200 x 1500 resolution, the photo would print at 4″ x 5″ (1200 x 1500 ÷ 300 = 4 x 5).

As always, photos and graphics published on the internet are automatically copyrighted by the owner of the photos unless otherwise noted in the website’s user policy. This is true for works marked with or without a copyright notice (©). Creative cannot use copyrighted materials in any of our pieces without written permission from the copyright owner.
What programs do you use?

Creative uses the newest versions of Quark Express™, the Adobe Creative Suite™ (Illustrator CS, Photoshop CS, Acrobat, etc…) and the Microsoft Office suite on both Macintosh and PC platforms. We can accept work from a variety of different programs (such as MS Publisher and Adobe InDesign), but we prefer to stick with the industry standards.
What does CMYK, RGB, and Spot Color mean?

CMYK and RGB are different combinations of color used to represent the visible spectrum in printing and multimedia design.

In printing, we mix the colors Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Black (K) to make every other color. So, if your logo is green, we print it with Cyan (a light blue) and Yellow to make the green.

If your logo needs to be a very specific green, we can print it as a PMS or Spot color. That means that the green ink is mixed before printing with a very specific pre-set formula so that you always have the same shade and tint of green every time.

If your design is on a TV or on a monitor, then you’re probably seeing it in RGB color. This means that Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B) light is being mixed together to make the colors on your screen.
How can I save money if I’m on a tight budget?

Creative will do its best to use our 30+ years of experience to guide you in achieving your goal. If your brochure will look just as good on $3 paper as it will on $300 paper, then we’ll tell you.

We built our company on good customer service. We understand that everyone wants the best product for the best price, and we know that you’re not made of money. That’s why we always give you our pricing quotes up front at no cost and that’s why we use our experience in the field to help you make the right choices the first time.

If you are really interested in saving money, then the two biggest ideas to keep in mind are “organization” and “double-check.” The less changes that need to be made, the less your overall project will cost.

• Double-check your written content for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Make sure that any directions sent to the Creative office make sense.

Designers are creative people, so an idea that seems simple on your end may be seen in a hundred different ways on our end. If you need to send pictures or faxes to describe an idea, please do so.

Always keep in mind that every hour we spend organizing content, correcting spelling errors and deciphering instructions is another hour that the project isn’t finished.

Website/Multimedia FAQ

Why do I need a website?

Why would you hang a sign in front of your store or business? Why would you bother hiring sales people to talk to your clients or members? It’s all about making your ideas visible and attractive to your audience so that your business will succeed.

A website is like a TV commercial and an entire staff of sales people all rolled into one. It allows you the opportunity to respond to your audience’s questions and needs 24-hours a day and, unlike a printed brochure, can be changed and updated whenever you have new information to share with the public.

Some people think that a website is too fancy or too expensive for their needs, but that isn’t true. In the short-term, a website adds legitimacy to your company name by showing that you care about your audience and their needs. In the long-term, a website costs much less than printed media.

Is your brochure costing you in the hundreds or thousands to print every year? Let your audience read it online and let them print the pages they’re interested in at home. What if a class is cancelled or what if you want to advertise a special event? Do you print new brochures and flyers, or do you direct people to your website where they can see the new events and offers immediately?
Do you use templates to make your websites?
Creative stands by its name. We believe that your website should be a reflection of your company’s ideals and identity, not something pressed out of a cookie-cutter. Our design staff will work closely with you to create the perfect website for your identity and content from scratch. While this may stretch our brains a bit, we assure you that you’ll have a custom creation, unlike any other.

What programs do you use?

Creative mainly uses Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Fireworks, Macromedia Flash and EditPlus text editor to design their websites. Our multimedia team uses iPix 360º Studio, Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and MS Office along with our basic tools to add their special skills into our websites.
If I give you pictures, can you use them in your design?

Creative can use almost any type of photo or graphic on the web. If you have a special photo, or a new logo that you would like to show off, please let us know. It’s your idea; we’re just here to bring it to life.

As always, photos and graphics published on the internet are automatically copyrighted by the owner of the photos unless otherwise noted in the website’s user policy. This is true for works marked with or without a copyright notice (©). Creative cannot use copyrighted materials in any of our pieces without written permission from the copyright owner.
Can I have animation and sound on my website?

Of course! Creative has a team of people skilled in multimedia design, hand-illustration and storyboarding. Using the latest in Flashprogramming, we’re able to create anything you can dream of.
How do I make a change to my website?

There are three ways that you can make a change to your website.

The first, and easiest way to make a change is to write an email to the Creative staff describing what you want to do. Whether it be a simple text edit or price change, or a whole new page added to the website, we will work closely with you to make sure everything is perfect. Edits sent to Creative are typically handled within 1 business day.

If you’re handy with the programming that brings our websites to life, we can set up FTP access for you so that you can make your own edits on your own time. If you have the skills, we’ll hand you the keys.

Finally, if you want full control over your website, but can’t wrap your brain around all of the internet jargon, Creative can write a customized administration suite for your business. Let’s say that you need to add a new event or a new widget to your online business, just enter the admin suite with your username and password and start typing your changes. It’s really that easy!
Are your e-commerce sites secure?

Creative hosts a good number of secure websites and we make sure that they’re under lock-and-key 24-hours a day. From online banking and investment websites to online shopping carts, we make sure that every transmission back and forth from the website is secured with our personal Security Certificate (gold lock) and that your database information is stored behind lock, key and guard 24-hours a day.

How can I save money if I’m on a tight budget?

Creative will do its best to use our 30+ years of experience to guide you in achieving your goal. We built our company on good customer service. We understand that everyone wants the best product for the best price, and we know that you’re not made of money. That’s why we always give you our pricing quotes up front at no cost and that’s why we use our experience in the field to help you make the right choices the first time.

If you are really interested in saving money, then the two biggest ideas to keep in mind are “organization” and “double-check.” The less changes that need to be made, the less your overall project will cost.

• Double-check your written content for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Make sure that any directions sent to the Creative office make sense.

Designers are creative people, so an idea that seems simple on your end may be seen in a hundred different ways on our end. If you need to send pictures or faxes to describe an idea, please do so.

Always keep in mind that every hour we spend organizing content, correcting spelling errors and deciphering instructions is another hour that the project isn’t finished.
Call Today for a Price Quote!
Call 856-486-1700