Preparing Artwork Files for Custom Clothing Printing
By The Velocity Wear Team
Supply vector artwork — AI, EPS or vector PDF — wherever possible, because it scales to any size without losing quality. If you only have a raster image, supply it at high resolution at the actual size it will be printed, and specify colours as Pantone references rather than describing them.
Vector Versus Raster
A vector file describes shapes mathematically, so it can be scaled to any size and stay perfectly sharp. A raster file is a grid of pixels, so enlarging it means inventing detail that was never there — which is why a logo pulled from a website looks acceptable on screen and terrible at 30cm across a chest. For logos, type and graphic shapes, vector is always the right format.
When Raster Is Unavoidable
Photographic artwork is genuinely raster and cannot be vector. In that case, resolution is what matters, and it has to be measured at print size rather than in the abstract. An image that is 300 DPI at 5cm wide is only 50 DPI at 30cm wide. The practical rule is to supply the image at 300 DPI at the dimensions it will actually be printed, and to be honest with yourself about whether the source has that much real detail — upscaling software cannot create information that was never captured.
What to Send
A short checklist that prevents most proofing rounds.
- Vector artwork in AI, EPS or PDF, with fonts converted to outlines so type reproduces regardless of what fonts are installed elsewhere.
- Pantone references for every colour that matters, rather than screenshots or verbal descriptions.
- The intended print size and placement, stated explicitly — not left to be inferred from the file.
- A note on which elements are essential and which can be simplified if the method requires it, which saves a whole round of questions.
Method-Specific Requirements
Different methods want different things. Screen printing works from separated spot colours and is happiest with flat, defined areas. Embroidery needs artwork simplified for stitch — no gradients, no hairlines, no tiny text — and has to be digitised for a specific size. Sublimation works at full colour but only onto polyester and only on light bases. DTF and DTG reproduce what you supply faithfully, including any flaws in the source file.
“"Send outlined vector artwork with Pantone references and a stated print size, and there is almost nothing left to go wrong."”
Common Problems
The recurring ones are predictable: a logo taken from a website at screen resolution, live text in a font nobody else has, a JPEG with white background artefacts around a design intended to print on a coloured garment, colours described as our blue, and artwork supplied at a size unrelated to how it will print. Each of these costs a round of back-and-forth, and each is avoidable before you send anything.
Checking Before You Commit
Preview placement and scale in the free Design Studio before approving — print size that looks balanced on screen is frequently too large on the garment, and this is where that gets caught for free. Remember that production starts at artwork approval, so getting files right first time protects your delivery date. Orders start at 20 pieces with mixed sizes, with bulk discounts up to around 40% as quantities rise.