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Art Instructions

We are always available to help you with advice and guidance if you are unsure of how to send art.  Please refer to the instructions below.  Feel free to call us if you do require additional assistance.

We recommend www.camerareadyart.com to assist with conversion of art files that aren't print ready or if you need help creating art.  They are inexpensive and fast.

The following guidelines for art submission will ensure that you get the best quality design reproduction on all items you order.

For ALL Printed Items:

• The file must be an 'EPS Vector Graphic' with the file extension .eps at the end.
  Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, FreeHand and similar programs are capable of saving in this format.
• All text/fonts in the design must be converted to outlines.
• Multi-color graphics imported / placed into Illustrator and converted to an EPS such as a multi-color .tif or .jpg files will not work.  If you can't click and select different components of the design from inside an art program like Illustrator, there is likely a problem with the artwork.
• Only use Photoshop to send art if it is for four color process CMYK designs or if you can set up the file so that each individual color is a separate channel/layer that can be output separately as a spot color.
• The design must be color separated.   Since printers need to output each color of your design separately, each component of the design should be set up as a separate color layer. You can test this by printing out each color plate as a separate color separation.  If you cannot print each color component on a separate sheet of paper, there is likely a problem with the design.
• Design Resolution should be 300 dpi [dots per inch] or higher.  Images grabbed from the web are usually not high enough resolution to be printable.
• The following file types are not acceptable for printed merchandise: .dat, Word .doc, Bitmap .bmp, JPEG .jpg, Microsoft Powerpoint .ppt, Microsoft Paint, GIF .gif, and PDF's .pdf.
• Be aware that some promotional items cannot include halftones, and some cannot include tight registration.  If your design contains colors that touch or contains halftones, we recommend that you send it to us so we can forward it to the factory for review so they can advise of printability.  The print registration tolerance achievable on items varies by item and printing process.  Be aware of the print registration abilities of the product you are printing so you know what to expect when you actually get the printed product.  Print registration is how much one color can shift in relation to another color during the printing process.  Since printers print one color of your design at a time on a product, the colors do not line up perfectly though they do come very close.  Their ability to line up the colors accurately is referred to as print registration.  Print Registration can range from less than 1/64" to more than 1/4" between colors depending on the product and printing process.

For Embroidery:

• We prefer .eps 'EPS Vector Graphic' files created in Illustrator, we can also accept high resolution .tif, .jpg, .gif, .pdf, .ai, or .bmp files.
• When submitting your design be sure to specify how wide you want the design to be on the garments.
• Lettering should be 3/8" tall or higher (including lower case letters) to embroider nicely on garments.
• Color blending is hard to achieve with embroidery.  If you require color blending, send us your design for review so we can discuss it.
• Fine lines and detail should be avoided when possible with embroidery but we will adjust your design as needed to achieve optimal results.

For T Shirt Printing:

• If you are printing colors on a dark shirt, be sure the design includes a white underlay.
• If your design was created in photoshop or if you intend to design in photoshop, send us the file or the concept to review and discuss.  Photoshop is best used for four color process CMYK designs.
• If your design contains white components, show them in the design as some other random visible color (Blue, Red, Green, etc. label the color as white).  Also clearly state on your order that 'The red component of this design should be printed as white).  If white isn't shown as a color and plate sometimes it is not seen by the printer.
• If your design contains halftones or CMYK, the design should be set up at 55 to 65 lpi for halftones and use an elliptical dot pattern.
• If you are unsure of the number of colors in your design or think it is CMYK and want to print it on black shirts, send it to us for review and we will give you guidance on how to make the design print friendly.
• The print resolution of t shirts is 55 to 65 lines per inch.  Very fine lines and very find details will not print well.  Be sure your design does not contain very thin line elements or tiny elements if possible as they will not print successfully.