Customers are free to submit there own artwork for decal consideration. However there are several major things to consider:

I can only use artwork generated on a PC - sorry, MAC users can generate an unprotected PDF file so I can then see what the decals actually looks like. See "Note 5" below . . .

1.Take a piece of paper and draw a rectangle that measures 1/2" x 2-1/2" in size. If you artwork will fit inside this space, you may be good to go for a decal. If not, then a redesign will be in order.

The above rectangle size represents a decal that will fit a blank that has a butt diameter of at least 1/2" to 5/8" - which is probably a fairly heavy fishing rod. If you build lighter action rods, then reduce the height of this rectangle accordingly. See the section on Ordering Decals for more information.

2. If you have had a designer create a logo for your website, keep in mind that the size of a website logo will probably not fit in the aforementioned box - it will look great on a website, but cannot be reduced to allow a great looking decal for a fishing rod. All of the details will be "scrunched" together into one mass of pigment!

3. Decals for fishing rods should be designed at the size needed for the fishing rod - not excessively larger as they may not work well when reduced to the smaller size needed.

4. Submitted artwork in full color cannot be reproduced in opaque pigments of gold, silver or white because all detail will be lost when the printer halftones the color image. When waterslide decals are produced in full color, the decal disappears when applied over anything except a white background. The color pigments used in my printer are translucent and not opaque. The only opaque colors I have are gold, silver and white. Black is dense enough to be used on light colored blanks with no problems.

5. ARTWORK SUBMITTED AS ADOBE PHOTOSHOP or ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR Format: When submitting a Photoshop or Illustrator file for consideration, send it UNFLATTEND and in its original form so I can modify it as needed. If it is received after it has been "flattened" or "rasterized", I can't get access to the layers of the design for modification. Also send any typefaces used in the creation of the file as I may not have the one you used.

You are welcome to submit your artwork in WORD as long as you attach the fonts you used to create it as I may not have the same font on my computer. Give the name and size that you have used so I can match them in my layout.

MAC Users: If you have the capabilities to generate a .pdf file of your layout, that is the best way to let me see exactly what your layout looks like. I can't use fonts for the MAC platform but if I have the name, I can usually find it on the net. If you have found it on the net, then send me the link, or at least the name of the website, and I can get it for Windows.

If your artwork is finalized and sized exactly as you want it, save it as an .eps file and send it. But, all parts of the image must be in BLACK.

6. "BLACK" ARTWORK: If you are ordering silver, gold, black or white decals of your own artwork, it must be submitted having all elements of the design shown as black. Customer artwork with multiple colors in the design cannot be printed as one color of gold, silver, etc, so design your decal as a solid black decal and I can print it as needed in the color of your choice. (Multiple METALLIC colors together on the same decal may be in the near future - stay posted!!)

7. SCANNED ARTWORK: All scanned images should be scanned as 1-bit B/W, not grey-scale unless this effect is what you really want. Use at least a 200 dpi scan or higher for the best quality. When scanning a very small image, scan the size at least to 200% and then I can scale it down to the size needed as long as the details you need are preserved.

If you send scanned artwork to be used with text, it should be in .tif format with no compression. Some people like to use .jpg format because it creates a smaller file. Just remember, each time a file in .jpg format is modified and then saved, the image quality is degraded. However, if that format is all you have, I can certainly work with those in a manner that preserves the quality to its highest level.