File Formats for Product Customization
The right file shortens proof cycles, prevents pixelation, and cuts color-separation cost. For promotional product customization, “I have the logo in JPG” is often not enough—each technique (screen, pad print, laser, UV) has different requirements. This guide summarizes what to request from design and what to send the supplier.
Vector: The Foundation for Most Branding
Vector formats describe shapes mathematically, so logos scale without losing sharpness. Common formats are AI, EPS, or editable PDF from Illustrator (not a PDF exported from Word with an embedded image). Outline type if you cannot share fonts.
Why It Matters on the Shop Floor: For screen mesh planning, vinyl cuts, or laser paths, production needs clean curves. A “large” PNG can look crisp on screen but carry anti-aliased edges that look soft on a small object.
Raster: Photos and Complex Backgrounds
JPEG, PNG, or TIFF work for continuous-tone images (photos, gradients not feasible in spot ink). Practical rule: effective resolution at 100% final size at 300 dpi for quality offset or digital print; on very small items, 300 dpi at actual size remains the baseline, though the vendor may ask for larger art if they scale.
- Use PNG with transparency when art must sit on the product color.
- Avoid heavily re-saved JPGs (compression artifacts).
Color: RGB, CMYK, and Pantone
Displays use RGB; many physical inks map to solid Pantone. Provide Pantone codes when the brand requires them. CMYK-only art can shift by substrate (plastic, metal, fabric). A good supplier matches your reference to their ink system and flags technical substitutes.
Print-Ready Documents by Technique
For laser, monochrome vector is often enough (black = engrave, white = no mark in the template). For UV or direct digital, PDF with embedded fonts or outlines. For multi-color screen, layers or separated files speed prepress.
Naming and Versions
Name files with project, version, and date (e.g. brand_logo_v3_2027.pdf). A single source of truth stops production from using an old logo attachment.
Templates and Prepress Communication
When the supplier sends a PDF or AI template, use it as provided with locked layers where marked; moving the “safe zone” on your own can clip your logo on the real press. If you must rotate art 90°, ask whether the machine registers the same way in that orientation.
Office files (PowerPoint, Word) rarely work as final ink art; they embed raster and substitute fonts. Prefer native designer files—and if you only have PPTX, expect retracing time and cost.
Always archive the project “closure package” (vector + linked images + licensed fonts or outlines) in a dated zip; it speeds incidents six months later.
Accessibility and Contrast on Small Areas
On tiny print areas, legal copy and QR codes fight for millimeters. Export art with clear hierarchy: mandatory readable elements first, decorative second. Check contrast not only on screen but simulating the product base color behind.
If you use QR codes, test scanning from distance and in dim light; a pretty QR that fails on the show floor is a lost lead.