General FAQs

Below are the most common general support questions asked regarding our software. If you don't see an answer to your question, please check the Usage FAQs also.

Question: Can I use the flag illustrations on things I intend to sell or give away?

Answer: When you purchase any of our flag illustrations you are actually purchasing a "limited use" license that allows you to use the illustrations for many, but not all purposes. The usages that are allowed are "Royalty Free" meaning that you do not have to pay any additional fees. This includes many, but not all, types of commercial usage on printed materials. For more information, please take a look at our actual Software License as well as this page that has frequently asked questions about usage of our flag illustrations.

Question: What program is used to create the flag illustrations?

Answer: All of the flags are originally created in Adobe Illustrator as vector based graphics and save as vector based EPS graphics. Those files are then used to create the various other file formats.

Question: I have the CD version of the Cliptures Flags of the World and am using a Windows based computer. Which version of the flags should I use?

Answer: If the software program you are using supports EPS format graphics, then that is the best choice. For more info, see the page on computer file formats.

Question: Can I use the flags with CorelDraw?

Answer: Yes, you can open and edit the flags with Corel Draw. The best choice is the EPS version of the flags. CorelDraw will let you simply place the flag illustrations in a layout, or, you can actually open them in and editable state if you want to modify anything in a file. (Tech note: The same is true for Adobe Illustrator.)

Question: Do you have the flags available in PMS or spot colors?

Answer: Sorry, we don't.

Question: What size are the JPG versions of the flags?

Answer: The JPG flags are 900 pixels tall by however many pixels wide are called for in the particular flag's specifications. The resolution is set in the files at 300 dpi. Assuming your software program reads the resolution data in a JPG file and prints it at that resolution, the JPG flags will print with a uniform height of 3 inches.

Question: Are the flags created with any auto tracing software?

Answer: No, not at all. Each and every part of every flag is drawn by hand, by a professional graphics artist using Adobe Illustrator. To create the most accurate illustrations, this really has to be done by hand. This not only produces the most accurate designs, but the most efficient computer files as well.

Question: You have several flags for country "X". Which flag should I use?

Answer: It really depends on how you will be using the flag. The page on Flag Classifications has some general guidelines on flag usage for the various different flags for a particular country.

Question: Can I use the EPS versions of the flags in Adobe Photoshop even though they are vector graphics?

Answer: Yes, you can use them in Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements too. Just select the OPEN command from the file menu and select the flag illustration you want to open. Photoshop will pop up a "Rasterize" image window where you can specify the size, resolution, and color mode you want the image to be opened as.

Because our EPS images are vector based, you can specify the image to be as large as you like without any loss in sharpness. Open the image as large as or larger than you need for the final size. Once you open the image in Photoshop, it is no longer a vector based image.

Question: Your license restricts distributing the flags in electronic format but I need to send my layouts to a commercial printer for printing. Is that OK?

Answer: Yes this is fine as long as your printer understands that they are not to keep or use the flag files for any purpose other than printing your material. If possible, ask the printer to return to you or destroy all copies of the files after your printing job is complete.

Question: How long have you been doing flag illustrations?

Answer: The first version of Cliptures Flags of the World was released in 1990.

Question: The flags look dull when I open them as CMYK images in Photoshop. Is there something wrong?

Answer: There's nothing wrong. That's the nature of the appearance of CMYK mode images in Photoshop. Whether or not you open them in CMYK mode in Photoshop, or RGB mode depends on your project. If you're going to press and need accurate flag colors, leave them in CMYK. Otherwise, you can open them in RGB mode and adjust / brighten / tweak the colors with Photoshop's image tools.

Question: I'm using Adobe PageMaker to create a brochure that will printed commercially as a 4-color job. Do I need to do anything to the EPS flag illustrations before I place them in my layout?

Answer: No, you should not need to do anything beforehand to the flags. The illustrations are all specified in CYMK colors. When you printer or service bureau creates the color separation films, the colors in the flags should separate correctly. (Tech note: This is also true for any other program that is capable of generating process color separations. You do need to make sure that your project is specified within your program for process color printing.)

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