Product Description
*****Questions Regarding Custom Gobos? PLEASE CALL 856-753-9801 OR E-MAIL SALES@LIGHTTHEATRICS.COM *****
Custom steel gobos are the most inexpensive way to project an image. Whether you need to project a monogram of the bride and groom at a wedding, a specific breakup pattern onto your set, or a company logo at a corporate event – custom steel gobos can sculpt the light into the letters and patterns your design needs.
Custom Gobos
Substrate: Stainless Steel
Gobo Thickness: 5mil
Size Range: 10mm round - 28cm x 28cm square (additional charges may apply for extra-large sizes)
Guidelines For Your Custom Steel Gobo Order
Artwork Requirements
Minimum Image Resolution
Notes: 150 dpi Line art is not usually degraded by low resolution files. But small text may be difficult to render.
Custom Steel Gobo Artwork Disclaimer: We strive to replicate the original artwork received as much as possible when rendering it as a custom gobo. Please note that metal tabbing is almost always necessary for this type of gobo, and that smaller sized gobos with detailed art or several characters may need to be changed.
Gobo Size and/or Fixture Type
Rosco can manufacture custom steel gobos to fit virtually any light fixture available. The fixture you use will determine the size of the gobo you need. If you know the gobo size (B-size, M-size, etc) your fixture requires, then that’s all we need. If you don’t know the actual gobo size, many times the fixture manufacturer will provide its gobo requirements, including the gobo’s outer diameter (O.D.) and image area (I.A.). To be sure you get a gobo that fits your fixture, it's always best to provide the make and model of the lighting instrument you are using when ordering.
Logistics
How many gobos do you need? Remember that the original gobo has a higher price to cover the design and tooling of your custom pattern, while copies of the same artwork and gobo size will cost significantly less. Do you want an extra copy to have on-hand as a backup? When do you need the gobos? What is the Ship-To address and what shipping method should we use to get your gobo to you on-time? Remember that Rosco Custom Steel Gobos ship the next day after we receive the order.
Artwork Specifications
Adobe Illustrator (.ai)
For almost any style design except for photographic images, the preferred, ideal file format is a native Adobe Illustrator file. This kind of vector-based artwork creates the best gobo toolings.
EPS Files (.eps)
A close second to Illustrator files are files saved in eps format. This format can be created from many of the popular graphics programs available. EPS files maintain excellent image qualities and allow for moderate resizing without degrading the image quality.
PDF Documents (.pdf)
PDF files are usually created from good art files such as above but have been converted from the original file to pdf so that a dealer or customer can open it. If you have an art file you can't open due to format, always send us this file first. We are happy to then convert it for you to an easier format for you to see the art as well. This helps us to get the best art possible and to keep it from being down graded to lesser art quality.
Word Documents (.doc)
Word Documents generally are not great art files but can be used for text-only art. We ask that you please include the font name & or the actual fonts when sending over this type of file. A faxed copy of the actual artwork is also requested for Word Document text art.
Rasterized Formats
Adobe Photoshop (.psd, .eps)
Native Photoshop files provide tremendous versatility by allowing all the elements of a design to be edited by Rosco's graphic designers. This file format maintains text editing (v.5 and higher) and preserves layers. In addition, Photoshop is the ideal format for photographic designs or Hi-Definition Photogobos.
TIFF Files (.tif)
Digital cameras and many graphics programs provide means for saving images in TIFF format. These files are uncompressed and maintain a very high image quality. However, they are often extremely large, so much so that electronic transfers are difficult. Despite that, this file format produces excellent gobos. TIFF files work wonderfully if they are a Photoshop created, layered file and are unlocked. This is especially so for full photographic quality gobos.
JPG (.jpg), GIF (.gif)
These file types are commonly found in use on the World Wide Web. In general, they are less well suited as artwork for custom gobos. GIF files are 72dpi, and contain a limited color table. This means that altering the file in any way - resizing, adjusting contrast, color correcting - is virtually impossible to accomplish without significantly degrading the image. So unless the file provided needs no alteration at all (very uncommon), it is a poor format choice. JPG files are a compressed file type that helps to keep even very complex images relatively small. But this compression makes it difficult to alter the image without introducing artifacts which degrade the image quality. If you will be submitting jpg files, make sure to submit a file that is 2x the size of the finished gobo.
CAD Files (.dxf, .dwg)
CAD files should not be submitted at all. Despite claims by the software companies to the contrary, these file types almost never successfully convert into a usable file format.
