Artwork Guidelines - L.F.C. Custom Apparel Printing

Artwork Guidelines

Welcome to our Artwork Guidelines page! The quality of your final product depends heavily on the quality of the artwork you provide. Following these guidelines will ensure your custom apparel looks sharp, professional, and exactly how you envisioned. Let's make something great together!

Vector vs. Raster: The Most Important Difference

The single most important factor for a perfect print is the type of file you send us. Think of it like cooking: a vector file is the recipe, while a raster file is a photo of the finished meal. We can do a lot more with the recipe!

The Gold Standard: Vector Files

Vector artwork is built from mathematical equations. This means it can be scaled to any size—from a small chest logo to a giant banner—without losing any quality. It will always be perfectly sharp and crisp.

  • Common File Types: .AI, .EPS, .SVG, .PDF (vector-based).

The Acceptable Alternative: Raster Files

Raster artwork is a grid of tiny colored squares called pixels. Its quality is fixed and depends entirely on how many pixels it has (its resolution).

  • How it affects quality: Enlarging a raster file results in a blurry, "pixelated" image. The printer can only print the information it's given.
  • Common File Types: .PNG, .JPG, .PSD, .TIFF.

Resolution Explained: What is DPI?

DPI (Dots Per Inch) is the key measure of quality for raster images. For a print to be sharp, it needs to be at least 300 DPI. Printing a 72 DPI image from a website onto a t-shirt is like trying to stretch a postage stamp to the size of a dinner plate—all the details become a blurry mess.

Other Critical Guidelines

Transparent Backgrounds

Unless you want a colored box printed behind your design, your artwork needs a transparent background. JPG files do not support transparency.

  • Good: .PNG, .EPS, .AI, .SVG can all have transparent backgrounds.
  • Bad: .JPG files will result in a white box around your logo.

Convert Text to Outlines

If you send a vector file that uses a specific font, our computers might not have that font, causing it to be replaced and changing your design.

  • The Solution: In your design program, select all text and "Create Outlines." This turns the letters into permanent shapes.

Low-Quality Artwork & What to Do

Submitting low-quality artwork is the number one cause of printing delays and disappointing results. Here's a quick checklist of what to avoid sending us:

Files We Cannot Use

  • Images saved directly from a website or social media.
  • Screenshots from your phone or computer.
  • Photos of another t-shirt or a business card.

What If My File Is Low-Quality?

Don't worry, we're here to help! If you don't have a high-quality version of your logo or design, we offer professional vectorization services.

  • Our Vectorization Service: For a fee, our artists can manually redraw your design into a perfect, print-ready vector file.
  • Contact Us: Just send us what you have, and we'll assess it for free.

Test Your File Now

Upload your design file below to get instant feedback and see which guidelines apply to your artwork.