Good artwork is most of the difference between a job that looks sharp and one that looks homemade. This page covers what to send. If you are unsure, send what you have — we will look at it and tell you honestly whether it will print well before you commit to anything.
Best files to send
Vector, in order of preference: .ai, .eps, .pdf (vector), .svg.
Vector art is made of mathematical shapes rather than pixels, so it can be scaled to any size — a left-chest logo or a full back print — with no loss of quality. If your logo was made by a designer, they have a vector version. Ask them for it.
When sending vector, please convert your text to outlines or include the font files. Otherwise the type reflows on our machine and your logo is not your logo any more.
Raster files we can usually work with
.png (transparent background preferred), .tif, high-quality .jpg, layered .psd.
The rule for raster: 300 DPI at the size it will actually print. A 300 DPI file at two inches wide is not a 300 DPI file at twelve inches wide. A full back print is roughly 12" × 14", which means about 3600 × 4200 pixels.
What usually does not work
- Logos saved off a website — those are typically 72 DPI and about an inch wide.
- Screenshots, and images pulled from social media or a messaging app, which re-compress every time they are sent.
- Files embedded in Word, PowerPoint or Google Docs — the export is usually far lower quality than the original.
- Photographs of a printed logo.
None of this means we cannot help. It means the artwork may need redrawing, which we will quote before we touch it.
Screen printing
Price is driven by how many ink colours you use, not how complicated the design is. A detailed one-colour design is cheaper than a simple three-colour one. Each colour is a separate screen and a separate pass.
Separate any gradients, drop shadows and soft glows out of your design, or expect them to be converted to halftones — a dot pattern that reproduces shading with a single ink. Halftones print well but they are not invisible up close.
Printing light ink on a dark garment requires a white underbase printed first. It looks better and it counts as an extra colour. Small text and fine lines reproduce less cleanly on dark garments as a result.
Embroidery
Embroidery is thread, not ink, and it has its own rules.
- Your file must be digitized — converted into stitch instructions. This is a one-time charge per design and it is skilled work, not a file conversion.
- Fine detail disappears. As a rule, text below about a quarter inch tall will not be legible, and hairline elements will vanish.
- Thread colours are chosen from a standard thread palette. We match as closely as the palette allows.
- Very large solid areas are heavy, stiff and expensive in stitch count. Embroidery suits logos and lettering; it does not suit full back prints.
- Caps are embroidered on a different machine with a limited sewing field, so a cap design is not simply a shrunk version of a chest design.
Direct-to-film transfers
Full colour, photographic detail, gradients, and no per-colour charge — which makes it the right choice for small runs and complex artwork. Send the highest-resolution file you have. Transparent PNG works well.
Typical print sizes
- Left chest — about 3" to 4" wide
- Full front / full back — about 11" to 12" wide on adult sizes
- Youth full front — about 8" to 9" wide
- Sleeve — about 2" to 3" wide
- Cap front — about 4" to 5" wide, and limited in height
These are the sizes most jobs land on, not hard limits. Your proof shows the exact size and placement for your job.
Sending your files
Email your artwork with the style number, garment colours, sizes and quantities. If you have a deadline, put the date in the email. Large files are fine — send a Dropbox, Drive or WeTransfer link rather than compressing the artwork down to fit an attachment limit.
One thing we need you to confirm
By sending us artwork you are confirming you have the right to use it. We do not reproduce other people's logos, team marks, characters or brands without authorization — and if a job looks like it needs permission we will ask you about it rather than print it and hope.