Design Tips

Logos and Graphics

Please consider the following guidelines when submitting your artwork for screenprinting and embroidery. Doing so will speed up our turnaround and give you exactly what you’re looking for. Pre-press and print-ready art should be made available in a suitable electronic format. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Artwork Formats

• The standard resolution for all formats is 300 dpi (dots per inch)
• Camera-ready black-and-white art supplied on a sheet of white paper or bromide should be no larger than 8.5″ x 11″
• Graphics and logos created in Adobe Illustrator, Adobbe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word, and some other programs are preferred over mechanical and hand-drawn artwork for quality of the end result and faster turnaround. However, digital artwork may still require modification and/or preparation for the design process.
• File suffixes we accept include txt, doc, rtf, xls, gif, jpg, pdf, ppt, tiff, psp, sps, ai, ps, img,jp2, jc2, j2k, jpc, jpx, pct, mac, msp, psd, pbm, bmp, raw, tif, pcx
• We accept files on CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, floppy, flash drive. You can also use the upload function on our website under the contact us form.
• We cannot accept art via fax

Apparel and Accessory Considerations

• When designing your artwork, please keep in mind where on the apparel or accessory you are placing the image.
• On t-shirts we can print almost anywhere you please but the most common places are center front, pocket, sleeve, center back, and the back yoke.
• Make sure your art reflects the correct size you wish to appear on your final product.

Screen Printing Specifics

• It’s important to remember that every color you want used in your artwork means another screen to create, set-up, and print through. The costs connected with these screens depend on the techniques used.
• It’s always beneficial to print more items than less because of the set-up charges involved. If in doubt about the final quantity of screenprinted items you’ll need, it’s often more economical to order more than you think will be required.
• Drop shadows, shading and anything that blends from light to dark will probably end up looking like a series of dots and should be avoided. (This does not apply to single-color halftone gradients).
• Most likely, the following special requirements will add to your screenprinting costs:
  - If you need your screenprinting to match an exact color, requiring inks be custom-mixed to achieve that PMS color
  - The process that allows colors to show correctly on dark goods
  - Additional locations on a garment
  - Special (not the normal) logo locations

Size Selection Specifics

• Buying for Men: Any style listed as Adult are sized for men. Adult Golf-cut styles generally offer a better fit for beefier male builds.
• Buying for Ladies: Styles listed as Ladies’ are women’s sizes. If the women in your group prefer a Men’s or Adult style, select one size smaller than what they would wear in Ladies’ sizes.