CUSTOM ART / FAQ / ART SPECIFICATIONS / UPLOAD ART
Create custom shirts for special events.
Our art department is a team of expert designers with the knowledge and ability to save you time and money.
Why go through a learning curve when we've already done it for you? The one thing that always holds up production and creates headaches for customers is trying to figure out graphic design and meeting art specifications.
Stop the holdup.
Call us today for a free evaluation of your artwork. This will allow your sales representative to give you the most accurate quote possible. Let our experienced art staff save you time and money by doing it right the first time.
For all orders, artwork must be supplied according to the specifications found at the bottom of this page.
If artwork is not submitted properly you will be billed at a rate of $50.00/hour for our Art Department to make any necessary corrections.
Please call 800-262-5606 for personalized assistance with your custom art questions.
How long will it take to get my order?
Our normal turn time on most jobs is 7 to 10 business days after the final artwork is approved. Do not calculate this timeframe from the date you place your order. It can take 24-72 hours for our art department and production team to verify and approve your artwork for production. Your sales representative will give you an approximate date your order will be ready. Some promotional products can take longer. Your sales representative will communicate openly with you about all turn times. Shipping times are not calculated in turn times.
Can you help me create artwork?
Yes! Our talented team of designers can create original artwork or recreate existing art to suit your needs. Whether you need your company's logo printed on shirts for an event, or have an upcoming business or social event requiring a special touch, please contact us for design help.
How much does it cost for artwork?
Our design fee for custom designs is $50 per hour. With a minimum charge of a half hour. All artwork will be estimated up front.
Do I get a break on price if I order more?
Our pricing is quantity based. The more you order, the better the price.
Can I get a catalog?
Yes, if you would like to view a pdf of our 2008 Outfitters Catalog, please request a PASSWORD. Or let one of our sales representatives know what you are looking for and we can send you other catalogs to help locate the items that you want.
Can you match PMS colors?
We will match our stock ink colors as closely as we can to the PMS colors requested. View Pantone (PMS) chart. If an exact match is required, we can special mix PMS colored inks. The cost to do this is usually $25.00 per color.
What type of file can I submit?
Please see our Art Specifications page below.
ABOUT INK AND THREAD COLORS
Stock ink colors:
Any of our Stock ink colors (except 'Fluorescents') can be used in your custom art print without incurring any custom ink mixing charges.
View Our Stock Ink Colors
Pantone colors: View Pantone (PMS) chart
Refer to the Pantone color matching chart to indicate desired ink or thread color. Printed colors will not exactly replicate Pantone chart colors. We will select a stock ink color that is closest to your Pantone color choice.
OR: We can custom mix Pantone colors at a charge of $25 per color. Available thread colors are also somewhat limited. Please choose the PMS color closest to what you have in mind.
SCREEN PRINTING ART SPECS:
We use Macs. The software programs Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Adobe Photoshop (.psd) are our primary graphics programs. All other graphics must be saved in EPS or TIFF format. When sending files be sure spot and process colors are saved accordingly and the image is in high resolution (300ppi or better). Web art is not suitable for printing because it is saved in RGB color and low resolution (72ppi).
If you are sending art to be used for screen-printing, we prefer vector type files. These are files that have been created in programs like Adobe Illustrator and are usually saved out as an EPS file. Make sure to convert all text to OUTLINES, as this will eliminate having to send us any font files. Simply selecting the text and choosing the "Create Outlines" selection under the "Type" menu can do this. It is very important that you do this, as we may not have your fonts on any of our computers. If you are using another graphics program, please make sure all fonts are converted to "curves" or "outlines".
As always, be sure spot color art is saved in spot, not CMYK or RGB, color. For further information regarding color separation or four-color process (CMYK) printing, call us toll free at 800-262-5606, and ask for the Art Department.
Be careful when sending camera-ready artwork that includes halftone screens - screen rulings suitable for offset (paper & magazine) printing is usually unsuitable for screen-printing. If sending halftone images, keep in mind our maximum lines per inch (lpi) capability for printing on garments is 55 lines per inch.
Camera-Ready Art: Bitmap (.tiff, or .psd files) artwork for screen printing on garments should be saved at 300dpi. Ideally, the art will be saved precisely sized to the imprint area specifications of the item that will be imprinted. Black and white line art should be scanned at least at 600 d.p.i. Line art drawings are best if sent to us in vector format. (Adobe Illustrator or Adobe.pdf format)
EMBROIDERY ART SPECS:
Digital art files of logos or designs are created and saved from a professional graphics program or exported from a graphics program. Acceptable graphic program formats include files created in Photoshop, Freehand, Quark, PageMaker, CorelDraw, Illustrator, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint or any paint program that can export an image. Acceptable exported file formats include eps, gif, jpeg, or bmp at any resolution, but the higher the better. Any and all fonts and attachments must be included with every file type, or all fonts must be turned to paths.
Images taken from websites are acceptable for creating digitized embroidery files, so long as they are large enough to see clearly.
Paper copies of logos or designs can be used but should be presented at the highest resolution possible, and in a color format. Letterhead is an acceptable option (more so than business cards, because typically the logos on business cards are small and printed on textured paper). We can also use black and white line art as the tracing pattern, so long as any color breaks required are designated in some way.
The bigger and cleaner the provided art, the easier it is to digitize and the more accurate the final result. Color breaks must be made apparent on this artwork, so that these color breaks can be built in to the digitized file.