Each section, logically, considering that the site hosts various types of media, has a pre-set format for the work submitted. In some cases there are many different types of format – all more or less valid – with characteristics that make them more or less convenient. Since we cannot carry all of them, we have decided to accept only certain formats for each section. We have chosen the most widely used and functional. We know that in doing this we will displease some users, but we are confident that all the works published are available to the maximum number of users.


Here are the formats we use:

• Music section: MP3
• Books section: PDF & DOC
• Visual Arts section: JPEG, GIF, TIFF

The format of the files that you send is important, but so are also the specifications and the size. The quality is fundamental, but it is necessary to compromise with size and therefore download time for each work. Our recommendations for each section are:

Music section
The files must be mp3 sampled at 44 KHz. The result, roughly, should be a file of about 1 MB per minute of music.

Books section
The .pdf format is certainly the most suitable for texts. It is recognised as standard and is used by all the popular operating systems. It is possible to set up the works as true virtual books using this format. If you wish to include illustrations with the text, save them in resolution 300dpi (max) so that the result is a file of only a few megabytes and easy to download.

Visual Arts section
Images, whether they are photographs or completely digital creations, can be any size, even very large. For publication we advise sending them in a size less than 2000 x 2000 pixels. If you are painters or sculptors, you can send in digital photographs of your work and create a sort of "Virtual Gallery".

The presentation of a work is fundamental: an attractive cover is striking and appealing. You should therefore put a lot of effort into creating an eye-catching cover that communicates as much information as possible to the various users.
On ARS box the covers are associated with each work and are therefore visible at all times, both on the Home Page and in the details for each section. As always, we recommend care with copyright. Covers must not infringe the rights of other copyright holders. So, if you have used somebody else’s image for your cover, you must be authorised to reproduce it and use it!

Apple operating systems have always been the preferred medium of those working in the artistic sector. Nowadays all Windows software for PC can operate on Apple computers and, above all, the majority of the software is created for both platforms. For the creation of .pdf files the Mac has the option, in the print menu (for any application), of printing a document in a file format .pdf rather than through the printer. The result is a perfect .pdf file in just a few seconds.

Other software for managing images, for encoding videos and so on can easily be found on the excellent website: www.versiontracker.com.