Gobo Projector

How to Set Up a Gobo Projector

This is the procedure for preparing the Source Four and Source Four JR Ellipsoidals (also called Lekos) for gobo projection and it is similar for other projectors (Lekos).

What’s needed?

Projector

Light bulb

Gobo holder

Gobo

Donut (optional)

If you put the projector on a stand, you will need:

Stand

Probably a Stud Adapter that goes between stand and light.

Projector Set Up

Prepare the projector as described in the user manual that comes with the projector.

Here are the steps:

1.          Insert the light bulb as described in the user manual.

2.          Center and adjust the lamp as described in the user manual. This is done to achieve a flat and uniform projection field. Please see details in the document Source Four Focus & Tuning. This procedure is also referred to as “adjusting the hot spots”.

3.          If you purchased an optional donut, insert it in the front of the projector as shown in the user manual under “Color frame retaining clip.” Don’t mistake the color frame, which is used for holding color gels with the donut. The color frame usually comes with the projector, while the donut is optional. The donut has a smaller opening than the color frame.

4.          Open the shutters of the projector completely by pulling the four shutters outward; they can later be closed a bit if appropriate.

5.          Mount the projector in the desired position.

6.          Identify the gobo holder, also called pattern holder. The gobo holders are typically “sandwich type” holders as shown in Figure 6 of the user manual. These gobo holders don’t come with the projector and have to be ordered separately.

Artwork Guidelines for Custom Gobos

Artwork Quality

Our gobos can only be as good as your artwork. We make our gobos in an ultra high optical resolution. However, the quality of the gobo is limited by the quality of your artwork. Please help us to provide you the best results by providing us clean, crisp images by following our artwork guidelines.

We cannot process artworks of insufficient quality but we can rework your artwork and we can give you a quotation in advance if this should be necessary. We do smaller adjustments at no charge.

Artwork Dimensions

The artwork does not need to be sized to the gobo dimensions. We automatically adjust it to the correct gobo image diameter suitable for the fixture. Let us know if you have special requirements.

Color Reference

We usually match the colors of your artwork with the colors of our Standard Color Palette. If you require us to match your colors exactly, please state this in the order sheet. This may incur additional costs. We are able to match virtually any color, but we cannot guarantee the exact match of your colors in the resulting projection due to variations in the fixtures and projection surface. Please let us know if you have special requirements.

Electronic Format

We prefer your artwork as electronic file per e-mail to us in the following formats:

Vector Format

For line art designs or typical illustrations, we require vector format. Please convert text to outlines or vector art. This prevents possible problems with font substitutions and interpretations. The file format should preferably be

.EPS (Encapsulated Postscript)

.AI (Adobe Illustrator)

.CDR (Corel Draw)

.FHX (Freehand)

.WMF (Windows Meta File)

If you can only provide bitmap format, such as .jpg or .gif for our line art gobos, we may need to rework your artwork at an additional charge of $49.00. Please save the design in the highest possible quality (lowest compression).

Bitmap Format

For halftone, raster, gradients or photographic oriented designs, we require bitmap format. The file format should preferably be

.EPS (Encapsulated Postscript)

.PSD (Photoshop)

.TIF

.bmp

If you can only provide compressed bitmap format, such as .jpg or .gif, we may need to rework your artwork at an additional charge of $49.00. Please save the design in the highest possible quality (lowest compression).

Please provide a minimum resolution of 600 dpi and a size of minimum 4 x 4” but not larger than 8 1/2 x 11”. Higher resolution will provide better results.

How to submit

Your artwork can be submitted electronically in PC or Macintosh format. You can email your files to us . Please make sure your email, including the attached file(s), is no larger than 99MBytes (megabytes). If you wish, you can send a CD with your files to us follow our email.

Alternatives

If you cannot provide your artwork in electronic format, here are some alternatives. Please note that such artworks usually have longer turnaround times and add additional cost because we need to convert your artwork. You may submit:

Actual photograph

35mm slide

As a last resort: Good quality fax (use fine resolution). Please provide a minimum resolution of 600 dpi and a size of minimum 4 x 4” but no larger than 8 1/2 x 11”