Artwork · 5 min read
Getting your logo print-ready, in about ten minutes
Most delays are a file problem, not a printing problem. Four checks you can run yourself before sending artwork, whichever process it ends up on.
The single most common reason an order sits waiting is that the artwork cannot be used as sent. Almost none of those cases need a designer to fix — they need four checks that take about ten minutes and can be done by whoever has the file.
One: find the best version you own
Logos accumulate. There is the one on the website, the one in the email signature, the one somebody pulled off a business card with their phone. What you want is whatever came from the designer originally — a file ending in .ai, .eps, .pdf or .svg. Those are vector files, which means they can be scaled to any size without going soft. If you have one, send it and skip to the last check.
Two: if all you have is an image, check its size
| What you have | Good enough for | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Vector (.ai .eps .pdf .svg) | Anything, any size | Send it as is |
| PNG at 2000px wide or more | Most print work | Send it, note the print size |
| PNG or JPG under 1000px | A small left chest at best | Ask us before ordering |
| A screenshot or a website image | Nothing | Find the original |
| A photo of a printed logo | Nothing | Find the original |
The test is simple: open the image and zoom in to the size it will actually print. If the edges look soft on your screen, they will look soft on the shirt. Enlarging a small image does not add detail back — it just makes the softness bigger.
Three: kill the white background
This one catches people constantly. A logo on a white square looks fine on a white page, so nobody notices the square is part of the file. Printed on a navy shirt, that square prints — as a white box around your logo. If your file is a PNG, open it and check the background is actually transparent rather than white.
Four: say how big, and on what
- The finished width in inches at its widest point. "Left chest" is roughly 3.5 in; a full back is usually 11–12 in.
- The garment color, because it changes how the artwork is prepared.
- Where it goes — left chest, full front, back, sleeve.
Ninety per cent of artwork delays come down to a file that is too small or a background that is not transparent.
If any of that is unclear, send what you have and say so. It is a five-minute conversation now against a reprint later, and we would much rather have it before anything goes on a garment.
Next step
Let’s outfit your team.
Tell us about your team, the garments you have in mind and your target date. Need help choosing? Include that in your request.
Or email DigitalxBoutique@gmail.com