More custom orders are delayed by artwork than by production. Almost all of it is avoidable, and almost none of it is the customer’s fault — nobody is taught this.
Vector versus raster, without the jargon
A raster file is a grid of colored squares. JPG, PNG, GIF. Enlarge it and you get bigger squares — the blur you have seen when someone stretches a logo too far. The detail was never there to begin with.
A vector file is a set of instructions: this curve, this angle, this color. It can be printed on a pen or a billboard with identical sharpness because it is redrawn at whatever size you ask for.
Vector formats: .AI, .EPS, .SVG, .PDF (if it was made from vector — a PDF of a photograph is still a photograph).
We ask for vector art every single time, and it isn’t a preference. A logo pulled off a website can’t be made print-ready — it has to be redrawn.
Derek Capo, owner, CustomMark
Quoting with your artwork
Send us whatever logo file you have, in whatever format, along with the item and quantity you are considering. We will tell you whether the file is usable as is or needs to be redrawn, and come back with pricing either way. Every quote includes a free virtual proof, and nothing goes to production until you approve it in writing.
Reply within 24 business hours · no order minimum — per-item minimums typically start around 100–250 pieces · setup charge waived above $500 in product · artwork kept on file two years, so an exact reorder carries no new setup charge
Get a quote and artwork check call 1.888.452.0027, Mon–Fri 9–6 ET
The website logo problem
Logos on websites are deliberately small and low-resolution so pages load fast. Typically 72 DPI, a few hundred pixels wide. Print needs 300 DPI at final size.
You cannot convert one into the other. Software that claims to “upscale” is inventing pixels, and on a hard edge like a logo it invents them badly — soft edges, color fringing, wobbly type.
The fix is redrawing it in vector. We can do that; whether we charge for it, and how long it takes, is confirmed on your quote. It is a one-time job and the file is yours afterwards.
What each method needs
Vector is the safe answer for all six. On screen printing the color count also drives cost directly, because each color means another screen and another setup.
The two digital methods are the exception: a good PNG is genuinely fine there, as long as it is 300 DPI at the size it will actually print. Embroidery is the opposite extreme. Thread has a minimum size, so text under about 1/4 inch tall will fill in no matter how clean the file is.
Color modes, briefly
Swatches above are illustrative. You are reading them on a screen, so they show what each system is made of rather than how it will print.
If your brand guidelines specify PMS numbers, send them. Bright orange and deep blue are the usual casualties when a vivid screen color has to be reproduced in four-color printing.
If you do not have PMS numbers, we will match as closely as the method allows and show you on the proof. Expect small variation across substrates — ink on cotton and ink on ceramic will never be identical.
The checklist
- Vector logo (.AI, .EPS, .SVG)
- PMS numbers if you have them
- A one-color version of your logo — you will need it more often than you expect
- A reversed or white version for dark garments
- Fonts outlined, or the font files included
If you only have a PNG, say so in the first email rather than the third. We will tell you immediately whether it is usable or needs redrawing, and that conversation on day one costs nothing.
Ready to price it? Send us the item, the quantity, your in-hands date and your logo in the best format you have — vector if you have it, PMS numbers if your brand guidelines list them — and we’ll come back with real pricing. Start a quote or call 1.888.452.0027.