Getting your artwork right before it goes to print avoids delays, extra fees, and a final product that doesn't match what you had in mind.
Screen printing has specific technical requirements that differ from digital design. Understanding them before you submit artwork saves time, avoids unexpected fees, and gets you a result that actually matches what you had in mind.
Screen printers create a physical screen for each color in your design, and that screen needs clean, precise edges. A vector file (EPS, AI, or a high-resolution PDF built from vector art) allows that separation to happen cleanly. A low-resolution raster image (a small JPG or PNG pulled from a website) often needs to be redrawn before it can be printed accurately — an extra step, and sometimes an extra cost.
Screen printing uses a separate screen for each individual ink color in your design — this is different from digital printing, where any number of colors prints in a single pass. A logo with 2 solid colors is straightforward and economical to print. A logo with gradients, shadows, or photo-realistic detail requires many more screens (or a different printing method entirely) and costs significantly more.
If budget matters, simplifying your design to 1-2 solid colors before submitting it for screen printing is the single biggest cost lever available.
Screen printing ink is typically mixed to match a specific Pantone Matching System (PMS) color — this ensures your brand's exact shade of blue or red prints consistently across every order, rather than approximating it visually. If you don't already know your brand's PMS colors, this is worth establishing once and keeping on file for every future order.
This is extremely common, and it's not something to worry about — most logos start as a simple raster file, and getting it converted to a clean, print-ready vector is a standard part of the process. We handle this at no extra cost as part of every promotional products and apparel order.
As a general rule, avoid text smaller than about 1/4 inch and lines thinner than about 1 point when designing for screen printing — anything finer risks not holding up in the actual printing process, especially on textured fabric.
Printing a light-colored logo on a dark garment (like a white logo on a black shirt) requires an additional step called an "underbase" — a layer of white ink printed first so the top color shows accurately rather than being muddied by the dark fabric underneath. This adds a small cost but is standard practice and necessary for a clean result on dark apparel; skipping it produces a dull, inaccurate color.
Most screen printing orders include a digital proof for approval before the physical screens are made and full production begins — this is the point to catch any color, sizing, or placement issues, since changes after production starts are far more costly than a revision at the proofing stage. Taking the time to carefully review a proof against your original brand guidelines (not just glancing at it) avoids the most common source of post-production disappointment.
Send us your artwork and we'll handle the rest — including cleanup if needed.