DIGITAL ART REQUIREMENTS

We gladly accept camera ready art that was created on a computer.

The information below will help you prepare your artwork so that problems (or additional costs) can be avoided in preparing your film. These are general guidelines. Specific questions about your art can only be answered after viewing your image. Please feel free to send a low resolution copy for us to review.

Minimum specifications are required to achieve good print results. Please follow the instructions below.

Digital artwork must be submitted in accepted formats only.

All files must be in .EPS or .AI format.

All fonts must be converted to outlines.

All colors must be converted to spot colors with correct Pantone numbers.

Please submit files with images SIZED for printing.

Compress large files (over 20 MB) using Stuff-it or Winzip.

Send additional .JPG version of file to communicate color representation if file does not display color the way you want it printed.

SUPPORTED APPLICATIONS: We print color separations/film for images from: Illustrator or Freehand. Files created in other applications can be read if they are constructed properly and saved in a Macintosh .EPS format. Corel Draw files should be saved as .ai (Adobe Illustrator) files. Word processing and presentation applications such as Publisher do not allow for separating colors. We cannot use art created in these programs. We can recreate or make your art "printable" from these applications for an additional fee.

When printing camera ready art from digital files, it is important that your file be constructed properly. Screen printing textile requirements are very different than those for printing on paper.

Applications Accepted:

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR - Create outlines for fonts. Save as .EPS

FREEHAND - Convert text to paths. Save as .EPS.

COREL DRAW - Convert text to paths. Save as .AI file.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP - Should be used only for photographic images, not great for type or logos.

Applications NOT Accepted:

The following programs do not allow us to create proper separations:

PUBLISHER

POWERPOINT

WORD or any word processing program.

WEB IMAGES: Most images that are displayed on web sites are created at very low resolution in order to transfer or download quickly. Typically web site graphics are 72 dpi and physically small (1-3 inches wide).

Images for screen printing must be at least 150 dpi at the size you wish them to print on the garment

If you want to use a web graphic, contact the designer for a high resolution version. If you want to use a graphic found on someone else’s site, most likely we will be unable to use it.

SPOT COLOR: The following information applies only to spot color jobs. If you are unfamiliar with this format please contact us.

COLOR SELECTION: When assigning colors please use Pantone or custom colors (not CMYK) so that your files separate and print properly. Do not create separate files for each ink color.

FONTS & TYPE: Please convert fonts to curves (create outlines) before sending your files.

IMAGE SIZE: It is best to present your files with the image at the size you want to print on the garment.

HALF TONES: We use halftone line screens between 35 lpi (lines per inch) and 65 lpi. Most spot color halftones are printed at 45 lpi. When combining solid line art images (bold type or graphics) and very fine halftones (55+lpi) in the same design/ink color we are often required to separate them and print them independently. This requires the use of two films and two screens for that one ink color.

GRADATIONS AND BLENDS: Halftones assigned a percentage of a color between 1% and 14% print as 0%. And conversely, those assigned between 85% and 99% print as solid. (Be sure that your colors are Pantones or custom colors NOT CMYK!)

TRAPS & KNOCK OUTS: For screen printing t-shirts we use a wet-on-wet process. We use butt traps (no traps) and knock outs so that one ink color does not print on top of another ink color. Most programs do this automatically.

RESOLUTION / FILE SIZE: Scanning resolutions (from original photographs or graphics) should be 2.5 times the line screen. For example: If we are to print a black and white photo at 45 lpi then you should scan it at 113 lpi. Do not present files or images with a resolution over 300 lpi. Higher resolutions greatly increase the file size hence the time it takes to transfer and print without benefit.

Artwork for screen printing needs to meet minimum specifications in order to reproduce well. One of the requirements is the quality of resolution.

Most graphics created for web sites are made in very low resolution formats (72 dpi) so that they may be transferred quickly over the internet. These images are NOT usable for screen printing.

Professional artists that create web graphics normally begin the process in a format that is printable. They may use Adobe Illustrator or Freehand. Then the graphic is converted to a low resolution format for use on the web.

You may be able to obtain a usable version of your logo for our purposes from your graphic artist. If not, we'll be happy to recreate the image for you.

Pantone Matching Info

Are you screen printing a business or corporate logo?

Do you need the colors to be exactly the same as your logo's colors?

Do you need to colors of your design to be EXACT?

If the answer is yes to any of those questions is "Yes," than you will need to supply us with the correct PANTONE numbers for the job. There is a custom mixing fee of $15 for each color. Remember, due to variation in color of computer monitors, online pantone swatches cannot be trusted.

Without a Pantone #, we will do our best to match the colors presented (as we see and interpret them), but we do not, and cannot guarantee the accuracy of those colors.

*Matching DTG ink is not so simple. It is a very time consuming "guess and check" process that we usually only do for very special orders.

© 2009 CLEVELAND PRINTWEAR

13300 Madison Avenue • Lakewood, Ohio 44107 Global 888.521.5501 Local 216.521.5500 24 Hr. Fax 216.521.9210