PlasmaDesign | Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a recurring subscription fee to pay? No. The membership fee is a one-time payment. Once you have made the initial payment you will have access to all content and wallpapers for the life of the site.

What happens after payment has been made? Upon payment your browser is immediately redirected to the members-only area of PlasmaDesign.co.uk where you can begin to download wallpapers. Within approx. 15 minutes you will also be sent a ‘welcome’ email containing your unique username and password. You can then login to the members area at your leisure using the ‘Members Login’ link at the top right of the PlasmaDesign.co.uk home page.

Do I need a PayPal account to become a member of PlasmaDesign.co.uk? No. PayPal have recently made a number of changes to their online payment system in an effort to ensure payment using the PayPal system is quicker and less intrusive. You can now make payment using a credit card without opening a PayPal account.

I have forgotten my password. Can you send me a reminder? Yes. You can retrieve your password by clicking here.

Can I change my password to something a little more memorable? Yes. Your password can be changed here or by clicking on the ‘Change Your Password’ link at the top right of the members home page.

How much is the £7 membership fee in US Dollars? The £7 membership fee currently equates to approximately $12.

How much is the £7 membership fee in Euros? The £7 membership fee currently equates to approximately €10.

Are the desktop wallpapers compatible with Microsoft Windows systems? Yes. All of the wallpapers available in JPEG format with minimal compression. Every image is compatible with Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT and XP (Professional and Home Edition).

Are the desktop wallpapers compatible with Apple Macs? Yes. All of the wallpapers are available in JPEG formate with minimal compression. Every image is compatible with both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X systems (including 10.1, Jaguar, Panther and Tiger systems).

Are the desktop wallpapers compatible with Linux systems? Yes. All of the wallpapers are available in JPEG format. All of the common flavors of Linux are capable of displaying JPEG’s as desktop wallpaper.

What systems are your widescreen wallpapers compatible with? Most widescreen systems use 16:10 ratio LCD monitors. The most common resolutions used by widescreen systems are...

1280x854 (e.g. 15 inch MacBooks)
1440x900 (e.g. 17 inch MacBooks, 17 iMacs)
1920x1200 (e.g. Apple HD 23 inch monitors)
2560x1600 (e.g. Apple Cinema HD 30 inch monitors)

The majority of widescreen images available to PlasmaDesign.co.uk members are rendered at multiple resolutions up to 1920x1200 pixels. A selection of our best images are also available at a resolution of 2560x1600. These can be found in the ‘30 inch Galleries.

What systems are your dual monitor wallpapers compatible with? Our dual monitor desktop wallpapers are rendered at 3200x1200 pixels. They are suitable for use on systems that use two 4:3 ratio screens. For optimal results the screens should have matching resolutions although many of the wallpapers will still work well on dual monitor systems with different sized monitors.

How do I display a dual monitor wallpaper on both of my monitors? Each ZIP file downloaded from the ‘Dual Monitor Galleries’ contains three files. One is a complete dual monitor image. The other two are left and right halves of the same dual monitor image. The exact instructions for applying dual monitor wallpapers to your screens is dependent on the graphics card you are using. You should consult the instructions that accompanied your graphics card for detailed step by step instructions. The following text provides a rough guide to using dual monitor wallpaper...

Windows - In general Windows systems require that you set the wallpaper to ‘tile’ in the display properties and that you use the complete dual monitor image (measuring 3200x1200 pixels).

Apple Mac - OS X uses a separate image for each monitor. When opening up the ‘Desktop & Screensaver’ preference pane you will be presented with a window on each monitor. You should then select the left and right halves of the dual monitor image on each monitor accordingly.

Can I share the desktop wallpapers with friends and colleagues? We ask that you refrain from sharing our desktop wallpapers. The artists behind the images found on PlasmaDesign.co.uk rely on the income generated by membership fees to pay their bills and put food on their family tables. We have made a conscience effort to keep the cost of membership as low as possible. By discouraging existing members from sharing our wallpapers we hope to keep the cost of membership low while securing the future of the site..

Can I use or reproduce the images found on PlasmaDesign, in part or whole, in print or online? The images available to members of PlasmaDesign.co.uk are licensed for use as desktop wallpaper only. We respectfully ask that you contact us using the form here to request permission before using any of the images found on PlasmaDesign.co.uk. Using images without permission may result in a breach of copyright law.

Can I link directly to images found on the PlasmaDesign.co.uk server? No. Please do not directly link to images on our server. PlasmaDesign is a bandwidth intensive site by its very nature, serving thousands of images a day to legitimate visitors. Linking directly to images on PlasmaDesign.co.uk without permission is considered to be theft of bandwidth. We reserve the right to remove or replace any image on the site. Beware. You might find we replace the image to which you have linked with something less desirable!

How many samples can I expect to receive? We aim to provide at least nine samples, each having a different font and/or lighting.

How long will it be before I receive my samples? We aim to turn around orders for personalized wallpapers within 48 hours. During exceptionally busy periods the turnaround time may be extended to 72 hours.

I don’t see the resolution I require in the drop-down list. Can I specify a custom resolution? Yes. Please use the contact form to specify your desired resolution and the characters you require.

Once I have selected my favourite sample how long will it be before I receive the final version without a watermark? Once you have selected your favourite sample we begin rendering the final version. This takes between 8-16 hours. In the meantime we also send you a link to the online payment facility. Once payment is received and the image has finished rendering we send the final version to you by email.

How thick are your plastic business cards? All of our plastic cards are 760 micron thick. This is the same thickness as an average credit card.

Do metallic inks cost more than regular inks? No. Metallic inks cost the same as regular inks. The exception to this rule is ‘holoprint’. This unique ink reflects light in the same manner as the surface of an audio CD might. Holoprint ink is charged at the same price as regular ink plus £20.

What are the dimensions of your plastic business cards? All of our plastic cards measure 88mm x 55mm.

Are you able to supply plastic cards cut into custom shapes? No. We do not currently have the capability to cut plastic into custom shapes.

Can I submit my own card design? Yes. We are happy to print your own design. Downloadable templates are available here. To help graphic designers further, we also offer PDF documentation providing practical advice on how to avoid common pitfalls associated with designing for unusual materials, such as plastic and stainless steel. Our PDF documentation can be downloaded here. Artwork should be sent to artwork@plasmadesign.co.uk.

What file formats do you accept? We can work with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Quark Xpress, CorelDraw & EPS files. Downloadable templates are available here. If using Photoshop please ensure the canvas measures 2102x1323 pixels. Artwork should be sent to artwork@plasmadesign.co.uk.

Can you create a design for me? Yes. We are happy to create a business card design for you at no additional cost. We will provide a digital proof of the design for your approval and work with you to achieve a finished design you are 100% happy with before proceeding to print.

I am happy with the design. What next? Once you have approved the digital proof we begin preparing the artwork for the plate making machine. In the meantime we send you a link to the online payment system where payment can be made using any popular credit or debit card. Once payment is received we begin printing the cards.

I reside outside the UK. How will my cards be shipped? We will ship your cards to you using Fedex International Priority service. On the day your cards leave our premises we will email a Fedex tracking number to you that will allow you to monitor their progress. Typically international shipments take between 3-4 days to reach their destination.

What software and hardware do you use to create the images found on PlasmaDesign.co.uk? Details about the software and hardware we use can be found here.

There seems to be a very heavy bias towards Apple products on PlasmaDesign.co.uk. Why is this? When creating new wallpapers, Apple Mac is our preferred system. We do not seek to ‘put down’ other systems and we have lots of experience with Windows and several distro’s of Linux. But as graphic designers we appreciate the aesetic quality of Apple hardware and the ease-of-use at the heart of Apple’s software and it’s operating system. All of the wallpapers available at PlasmaDesign.co.uk are compatible with Windows and Linux as well as Apple Mac.

I have sent you an email giving feedback on your artwork or suggestions for future desktop wallpapers. Why have you not replied? We receive over 200 emails a day at present. We read every single message sent to us but due to time constraints it is not always possible to reply to every email. Please rest assured that we use your feedback and suggestions to improve the content and usability of the site.