ARTWORK TIPS: WHAT KIND OF ART DO YOU NEED TO PROVIDE?
Vector Art is Different from Bitmapped/Raster Art
Having the smoothest artwork possible is critical. Vector frequently is the only type of art that a factory or manufacturer will accept. If a factory declines to reproduce a logo on one of their products, that decision is beyond the control of Image Marketing Specialists. The only choice is to provide vector art.
The beauty of vector art is that it will enlarge or reduce in size and maintain top-notch quality. A logo can be as small as a dime or as large as a billboard while still looking clean and crisp. Colors can easily be changed to fit the different needs of each printing process.
File names for vector art files must end in one of these: “.eps”, “.ai”, “.svg”, and maybe “.pdf”.
Example: “MyCustomLogo.eps” or “MyCustomLogo.ai"
Changing the characters from “.png” or “.jpg” to one of the examples above will not change the file quality. They must be properly exported from the original software/application that they were created in.
Keep in mind that “.png” and “.jpg” files are the lowest resolution of bitmapped or raster art. They are very grainy around the edges, which looks sloppy and unprofessional. Bitmapped files do not allow for easy editing, such as quick color changes or enlargement. Reducing their size may even give an undesirable quality.
In most cases, we will be producing your art on a product or on paper so CMYK is necessary. PNG files will always be in the RGB color space no matter what it was originally created in. This is another reason for sending vector files. If they currently are in RGB, it is a simple process to convert to CMYK.
If you have a photo in your art, please ask us how to make sure the resolution is high enough for great printing results. We have tricks of the trade.
No matter the decorating process, low resolution art can impact a project. Here are some examples of art so that you can see for yourself that there is a difference.
Note: Small and low resolution files can also have a negative effect on embroidery.
Fonts and Text Within Your Art:
Please make sure that all your text/fonts have been converted to Outlines (also called Boxes) before saving to another file format or sending to FiF Marketing.
Why? Because the fonts you use may not be on our computers. Once you convert the text to Outlines, they become objects instead of editable text. Even if our computers have a font with the same name, there is no guarantee that our version is identical to your version, which can cause the written word to look different and for it to flow in undesired ways.
Example of original/editable text vs. outlined text:
