June 2026 · 6 min read
Preparing artwork that prints well
Files that print cleanly share five technical traits. Knowing them in advance avoids a back-and-forth that delays production by days.
Most artwork delays in fulfillment are technical, not aesthetic. The file looks correct on a designer's monitor but reveals a problem when the production team opens it: wrong color mode, wrong resolution, embedded fonts that did not travel, a transparent background that was meant to be white. The five technical traits below resolve about ninety percent of those delays.
Resolution. For direct-to-garment, ship art at three hundred dots per inch at the final print size. For embroidery, vector source is required — a 72dpi web logo cannot be digitised cleanly. For sublimation on drinkware and posters, three hundred dpi at the unfolded artboard size is the safe baseline. Upscaling a 72dpi web file in software does not add resolution; it adds soft pixels.
Color mode. For digital decoration (DTG, sublimation), submit files in RGB color space. For screen printing and offset, submit in CMYK so that color separations match the production output. If you have brand Pantone values, list them alongside the artwork rather than trusting the screen-to-print conversion.
File format. Preferred order: native vector (SVG, AI, EPS, PDF) for anything with type or geometric shapes; high-resolution PNG with alpha channel for photographic work; flattened TIFF or JPG only as a last resort. Outline all fonts before sending unless you are also sending the font file with appropriate license.
Bleed and safe area. For posters and cards, include a 3mm bleed on all sides and keep critical content 5mm inside the trim line. For all-over print apparel (cut-and-sew), the pattern needs to repeat or extend beyond the cut line; your fulfillment partner will share the template per garment.
Background and transparency. Be explicit about which areas print as ink and which remain garment color. A photograph with a soft drop shadow on a transparent background may need that shadow knocked out before DTG, depending on the design intent. State the intent in your order note: "print exactly as shown" or "knock out the white background and print only the figure" removes ambiguity.
There are two file naming conventions worth adopting. First, include the SKU short code and decoration method in the filename, e.g. TWGAP01-front-DTG.png. Second, version files when you iterate: ...v1.png, ...v2.png. Most production back-and-forth comes from "I sent the wrong version" replies that simple naming would prevent.
If you are unsure whether your file meets these traits, send it before the order is placed. We will check resolution, color mode, and bleed in one reply and tell you what to adjust if anything looks off.