Answering One of the Most Frequently Asked Questions
When you run a custom product company, the number of questions you get from customers is never ending. No company that provides a service can last long without an FAQ section, but as with anything, as time passes, the types of questions you get asked change. And every FAQ section can use a little supplemental help from time to time.
One of the questions we receive more often than the others is what type of format the artwork for your patches should be in, and what’s the best way to deliver it to us? In the interest of answering that question as completely as possible, we thought it would be a good time to give you a blog on that very subject.
How Should My Artwork Be Formatted Before Submission?
Before we get into the formatting, it’s important for you to know that we have a team of highly skilled graphic artists working to take your artwork and turn it into great looking proofs. Our artists have created patches based on as little as scribbled notes on a napkin, or as much as the highest resolution photographs. So really the answer to the question is we’ll take your artwork in any format possible and create a patch you’ll love.
However, for the customers interested in creating as little work for us as possible, our preference is that you submit vector artwork for any projects. Vector art is created using vector illustration software programs, such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. How can you tell if your art is vector art? One easy way is by the file type. Modern vector art is usually created in Adobe Illustrator and is commonly saved with certain file extensions. The four most common vector file extensions are .ai, .pdf, .eps and .svg.
Vector artwork gives us the clearest image of what you want your final patches to look like, making it the best option. However, it isn’t the only option. If you don’t have access to a vector file of your artwork, we also accept .jpeg, .gif, .png, .ppt, .doc, .tiff, .psd, .cdr (ver9) and .pub files.
The Best Way to Get Your Artwork to Us
Once you’ve got your artwork created and saved in the proper format, getting it to us is a breeze. In a number of different places on our site, you’ll see links to start your free quote. The free quote form is the best place to go to get your order started and to submit artwork.
On the quote form itself, you’ll see a place to upload your vector artwork. You won’t see a file size upload limit, but our system will allow you to upload up to 255mb, which is larger than the average size of a vector artwork file, so you don’t have to worry about your upload being rejected.
Once you upload the artwork and submit your quote request, you’re on your way. Our team of highly skilled artists will take your vector artwork and turn it into your first free proof for your patch in 48 business hours or fewer. Your free proof will have your patch set in the required size to best convey your artwork (so make sure you know the size you need your patch to be beforehand), and all of the different design options and patch upgrades you request.
Translating your artwork into a proof that accurately presents your final patch takes skill. Our artists are required to enlarge and shrink your artwork over and over again to make sure we capture even the smallest details in the design, and the best way to make sure we get every aspect of your patch just right is to send us your artwork in a format that will remain crisp and clear no matter how far we have to zoom in to the image. For that reason, among others, vector artwork will always be your best bet.
