What about transparency?

Also the beauty part of using image files is that it allows for quick updates when the client throws that last minute graphic at you.

I have considered the Photo Jpeg option before but requires a little more pre-production than I have time for sometimes.

I was thinking more of a way of nominating a folder to be pre loaded into ram that you might include as part of a mark cue. Obviously you are limited by how much ram you have installed.