Artwork GuidelinesThese guidelines are general and relate to any imprint. Specific products may have more restrictive requirements. If you are creating artwork specifically for the imprint, it is usually a good idea to discuss it with us before going past the concept stage as we may be able to provide a template, along with some tips specific to the product you are selecting to make your job easier.
If you do not have the software, staff, or the time to create the artwork yourself, just let us know what you are trying to accomplish and we will be happy to provide a quote to create it for you.
Vector Art
We need high quality artwork to insure a high quality imprint. That generally means vector art created in Adobe Illustrator (or similar vector art program) with all fonts converted to outlines (curves). Many imprint methods, such as laser engraving, debossing, and most silkscreen imprints cannot print halftones or other screens. Make sure your colors are specified as spot colors unless we are printing it as full color (see below). Please save your artwork to Illustrator version 10 or lower before sending it to us. Word and PowerPoint files or document scans do not create appropriate art files.
Full Color
If you are printing full color, you may provide the same vector art as above, or photo files created in PhotoShop (or similar raster art program). Again, all fonts must be converted to outlines. The file should be saved in CMYK format. Images should be 300dpi resolution. Remember that changing the resolution of an image from, for example, 72dpi to 300dpi will not improve the appearance of the file—it will actually be the correct resolution, but still appear "low res." It is also a very good idea to provide us with a color print-out you have made from your file so we know what you are expecting the imprint to look like. Keep in mind, no 2 monitors display colors exactly the same and no 2 printers print the colors exactly the same. It helps us a lot to have a “target.”
Bleeds & Reverses
If your artwork will bleed, please be sure to allow 1/8” all around for the bleed. And, with any item that will be trimmed to size, it is a good idea to keep all critical elements 1/8” away from the edge. If your art artwork has reverses, avoid making them too small as they may close up in printing.
Embroidery
If you are creating artwork for embroidery, please try to maintain a minimum letter height of 3/16” on lower case letters. Avoid fonts with thin lines. You can usually have up to 9 different colors at no additional cost. Keep in mind that embroidery is made up of individual stitches and therefore cannot reproduce halftones or gradations well. Embroidery cost is based on stitch count—plan your artwork to avoid excessive stitches. Again it can be very useful to show us what you have in mind so we can see how close we can get and make suggestions to maximize the impact of embroidery while keeping the cost in line. |
