Technical Specs

Materials Due: All materials are due 3 business days prior to posting.

File Formats: .jpg, .gif, .png, .swf, html

Hyperlinks: Please indicate the URL that you wish your ad to be linked to (e.g., http://www.yourcompany.com).

Resolution/Color: 72 dpi max / RGB Color

Flash Animations: Flash files can be used for the website ONLY.
Flash files must have the hyperlink embedded.
Flash files cannot be used for email newsletter advertising.
For email newsletter advertising, please send an animated .gif.

Editing of Files: If any changes need to be made to an ad, clients must submit a new file; changes to online ads cannot be made by the publisher.

File Submission:

E-mail: ads@solarindustrymag.com – Please include hyperlink and alt text for ad, as well as any contact information.

General Guidelines:

• Ads cannot be designed to blend into page content. A 1px border is required or the ad must be clearly defined within the allowable ad space.
• Ads may not blink, shake, flicker or flash in a disruptive manner. The look and feel of ads cannot match the MS Windows Alert scheme or misrepresent a user’s prompts as an ad. False functionality (a.k.a. fake buttons) is not allowed.
• The action of clicking on ads must not initiate an application download, and all clicks must open a new browser window.

Audio Guidelines:

• All audio must be initiated by mouse-hover or user-initiated clicks, with an area of the ad clearly labeled with “hover for sound,” “sound on” or appropriate icons, such as a G clef or speaker. Once initiated, there must be a clear way to turn off the sound with an area of the ad labeled with “mouse over to turn off audio,” “sound off” or an appropriate icon.
• All ads are subject to review.

Deceptive Functionality:

• All functionality visually indicated within ads must be working and not designed to deceive.
• Non-functioning drop-down menus, radio buttons and text boxes will not be accepted.
• “Close” or “Skip’” buttons must function as labeled and cannot link users to a new website.

Expandable Creatives:

• Leaderboard and superleaderboard may be supplied as an overlay* or a pushdown** expandable ad.
• Pencil ads may only be supplied as a pushdown** expandable.
• Ads may only be expanded by a user-initiated action***.
• Ads may NOT be expanded by mouse-rollover or on page load.
• Ads must display a clearly marked “Close” button that contracts ads to their original dimension.
• “Close” or “Skip’” buttons must function as labeled and cannot link users to a new website.

*Overlay defined: Displays over the webpage content briefly when initiated.

**Pushdown defined: When the ad is expanded, it “pushes” page content down rather than displaying over the top of page content.

***“user-initiated action” defined: User initiation is the willful act of a user to engage with an ad. Users may interact by clicking on an ad (or a portion of an ad).

Clicking to Other Web Sites:

• All click interactions that initiate the load of a new Web page must open that Web page in a new browser window.
• A click-thrugh can launch only one new browser window.
• Any click-thrugh included with an ad must take users to the website of the advertiser who purchased the ad space unless the advertiser has provided written permission from the site allowing the link to be used.
• Mouse-over interaction cannot link a user to a new website.

Content Guidelines:

Prohibited: Advertisements that contain fraudulent, deceptive or misleading statements or illustrations, or attacks of a personal nature. Advertisements that are overly competitive or that refer abusively to the goods or services of others. Indecent, vulgar, suggestive or other advertising that, in the opinion of Solar Industry, may be offensive to good taste. Advertisements that fail to comply with the express requirements of federal and state laws. Advertisements that violate copyrights. Advertisements that, in our opinion, simulate solarindustrymag.com Web pages and/or Solar Industry or editorial matter, or that may be confused with our Web pages and/or news or editorial matter.