Art file guide for promotional products and print

1. Raster vs vector files

Raster files (JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PSD, WebP) are made of pixels arranged in a grid. They look great at the size they were created at and degrade fast when you scale up - the pixels become visible blocks. Photos, screenshots, and most things you grab off the internet are raster.

Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) are made of math. Lines and curves are described as equations, not pixels, so they scale infinitely without losing quality. Logos, icons, and anything that needs to land cleanly on a tee, a billboard, or a coffee mug should be vector.

Resolution rules for raster

For raster art going to print, the rule is 300 DPI at the final print size. A 4-inch logo at 300 DPI = 1,200 pixels wide. Anything below that prints fuzzy on the press. For digital-only output (screen, social, email), 72 DPI is fine because screens render pixel-for-pixel.

The single biggest mistake

Pulling a small JPG off a Google search and trying to scale it up. A 200-pixel JPG looks fine on a phone screen and disastrous on a t-shirt. There is no software that recovers detail that was never captured. If the source is small and raster, the only fix is to run it through vectorization or have a designer redraw the logo as vector.

What to ask for from a customer or designer

• Vector master file: an AI, EPS, or SVG of the logo. This is the production file.
• High-res raster preview: a PNG at 300 DPI or higher, on a transparent background, for proofs and approvals.
• Brand color callouts: the Pantone, CMYK, or at minimum HEX values for every color in the design.

2. Embroidery files (DST, EXP, PXF)

Embroidery files are not raster or vector - they are stitch-by-stitch instructions a sewing machine reads. The most common formats are DST (Tajima, the de-facto industry standard), EXP (Melco), and PXF (Pulse). Resolution and color do not matter for an embroidery file; what matters is thread count, stitch count, and which areas use which thread color.

How embroidery actually works

Your supplier digitizes a logo once - converts the artwork into a DST that tells the machine which thread to load, where to start, and how to lay every stitch. Digitizing is one-time; the DST is then run on every order forever. Most suppliers charge a one-time digitizing setup fee ($45-$95 typical) for first-time logos.

Stitch count and pricing

Embroidery is priced by stitch count, not size or color count. A simple logo runs 4,000-8,000 stitches; a detailed one with fine text or gradients can hit 15,000-25,000 stitches. Suppliers price in stitch-count tiers (often per 1,000 stitches above a base), so a complex logo on a small left-chest area can cost more than a simple logo on a big back panel.

Limits

• Fine detail breaks down. Anything thinner than 1mm or smaller than 4-point type will not stitch cleanly.
• Gradients are not free. Embroidery thread is solid; gradients have to be approximated with thread blending, which adds stitch count and cost.
• Color limits. Most embroidery machines max out at 12-15 thread colors per design. Pick the colors that matter and let the digitizer simplify.

3. Pantone (PMS): the language of professional printing

Pantone, also called PMS (Pantone Matching System), is the industry-standard color system for spot-color printing. Each Pantone color is a pre-mixed ink with a specific number (PMS 186 C, PMS Cool Gray 11 U, PMS 281 C, etc.). When a logo specs a Pantone color, the printer mixes that exact ink and lays it down - the result is the same on every press, every substrate, every run.

Why Pantone matters

Brand consistency. Coca-Cola red is PMS 484 C, and that is why every Coke can, sign, and shirt looks the same regardless of who printed it. Tiffany blue is PMS 1837 C, John Deere green is PMS 364 C, UPS brown is PMS 4625 C. These brands lock the Pantone number in their brand standards because it is the only way to guarantee the color across thousands of vendors.

Coated vs uncoated (the C / U / CP suffix)

Pantone publishes the same color number across multiple guides:

• C (Solid Coated): ink on coated/glossy paper. Brighter, more saturated. Used for most marketing collateral, packaging, signage.
• U (Solid Uncoated): ink on uncoated/matte paper. Slightly muted because uncoated paper absorbs more ink. Used for stationery, books, business cards on uncoated stock.
• CP / UP (Pastel and Neon Coated/Uncoated): specialty Pantone palettes for pastel and fluorescent colors.

The same number on different substrates can look meaningfully different. PMS 186 C and PMS 186 U are not interchangeable - confirm with your printer which guide they are matching to.

When Pantone matters most

• Spot-color screen printing on apparel: the printer mixes the exact PMS ink. This is the gold-standard way to guarantee a brand color on a t-shirt.
• Embroidery: thread suppliers (Madeira, Isacord, Robison-Anton) publish PMS-equivalent thread colors. Specifying PMS 186 lets the embroiderer pull the right thread spool.
• Packaging and signage: high-volume packaging often runs spot Pantone inks alongside CMYK for the brand colors that need to be exact.
• Foil stamping and pad printing: solid spot colors only, so PMS is the only way to spec.

Limits of Pantone

Not every Pantone color converts cleanly to HEX, RGB, or CMYK - about 30% of the Pantone solid library cannot be reproduced accurately in CMYK because the four-color process can't mix the same range of colors that a single pre-mixed ink can. Pantone publishes "Color Bridge" guides showing the closest CMYK approximation for each PMS color, but a Pantone-to-CMYK conversion is always a compromise.

4. HEX: digital-only color

HEX is a 6-character code (e.g. #FF6B35) that represents an RGB color value in hexadecimal. It is the standard way to specify colors on the web - in CSS, in HTML, in design software, in brand standards documents that ship to web teams.

What HEX actually is

#FF6B35 breaks down into three pairs: FF = Red (255), 6B = Green (107), 35 = Blue (53). It is just RGB written in a more compact form. Two characters per channel, 256 possible values per channel (00-FF in hex = 0-255 in decimal), 16.7 million total combinations.

Where HEX works

• Web design and email: every CSS color, button, link, background can be specified by HEX.
• Social media graphics: Instagram posts, Twitter cards, anything destined for a screen.
• Digital signage: kiosk screens, video walls, conference displays.
• Brand standards docs that primarily live online.

Why HEX is the wrong spec for print

HEX is just a name for an RGB value, and RGB is additive light. Print is subtractive ink. A HEX value gives a printer a target, but the printer has to translate it to either CMYK or to a Pantone match. That conversion can lose vibrancy: a bright HEX #00FF00 green on a screen prints visibly duller in CMYK because no combination of cyan, yellow, and black ink can reproduce that level of green saturation.

Bottom line: HEX is great for digital, terrible as a sole spec for print. Always pair a HEX with a Pantone or CMYK target if the file is going to a press.

5. RGB: what your screen actually shows

RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue. It is an additive color system: each channel emits light, and combining all three at full intensity makes white. Black is the absence of all three. Every monitor, phone, TV, and digital camera works in RGB.

The two RGB color spaces you'll see

• sRGB: the web standard. What 99% of screens display. If you don't specify, assume sRGB.
• Adobe RGB: a wider color space used for high-end photography and pro printing. Captures more vivid greens and blues than sRGB. If a photo is exported in Adobe RGB and viewed on an sRGB monitor without color management, the colors look flatter than they should.

Why two monitors show the same RGB differently

RGB values are device-relative. A pure red (255, 0, 0) on a calibrated reference monitor looks different from (255, 0, 0) on a five-year-old laptop screen with a yellowed backlight. This is why graphic designers calibrate their displays and why "approve the proof in person under D65 lighting" is a common request from professional print shops.

RGB use cases in print

Most print processes do not use RGB directly - they convert to CMYK or a Pantone equivalent. The exception: sublimation printing (where ink is heated and transferred to fabric) and some full-color UV printing processes accept RGB files because their print heads have wider color gamuts than traditional CMYK. Even then, the printer's RIP software does the conversion.

6. CMYK: process printing

CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black). It is a subtractive color system: ink dots on paper absorb (subtract) light wavelengths, and the colors you see are what bounces back. Layering tiny dots of those four inks in different amounts creates the illusion of full color. Look at a printed magazine with a magnifier and you can see the dot pattern.

Where CMYK is used

• Business cards, brochures, postcards: standard offset and digital print runs.
• Full-color UV printing on hard-goods (drinkware, tech accessories, signage).
• Sublimation and DTF / DTG transfer printing for full-color apparel.
• Catalogs, posters, promotional flyers.
• Photo prints on a four-color press.

Why CMYK looks "duller" than RGB

The CMYK gamut (the range of colors that four physical inks can produce) is smaller than the sRGB gamut. Bright neon greens, electric blues, and saturated oranges that look punchy on a screen lose energy when converted to CMYK. This is not a defect; it is physics. Pigments can only reflect a subset of the visible spectrum.

How to design for CMYK

• Set your design file to CMYK from the start if it is destined for print. Designing in RGB and converting at the end is the most common cause of "the printed piece looks different than my screen" surprises.
• Use rich black for large solid black areas: 60% C / 40% M / 40% Y / 100% K instead of just 100% K. Pure K alone looks flat and washed-out on big areas.
• Avoid total ink coverage above 300% across all four channels. More than that and the paper can't absorb it - causes smudging and slow drying.
• Pair CMYK with PMS spot colors for brand-critical elements. The CMYK process handles the photos and the gradients; PMS handles the logo.

7. Decision matrix: which color system does my project need?

Match the system to the printing method, not the other way around. Here is the practical answer for the most common promo decoration methods:

8. Real-world scenarios

"Why does my logo look different on a t-shirt vs my business card?"

Two different printing methods, two different color systems. The t-shirt is most likely spot-color screen print using PMS-mixed ink. The business card is CMYK on coated paper. The PMS ink is a single pre-mixed pigment matched to your brand color exactly. The CMYK on the card is an approximation of that same color built from four-color dots. Even if both are matching to the same PMS spec, the substrate (cotton vs coated paper) and the method (ink vs ink-on-paper) make them look slightly different. Specify the PMS, ask for proofs of both, and approve them side-by-side under good lighting.

"My designer gave me a HEX. Can my screen printer use it?"

Not directly. The screen printer needs a Pantone number to mix ink. HEX is a screen value; PMS is a physical ink. A HEX can be converted to the closest PMS using a tool like our free color converter, but understand it's an approximation - the on-screen HEX color and the converted PMS will not look identical. For brand-critical jobs, get the brand's official Pantone number from their brand standards manual; never derive it from a HEX.

"What does 'rich black' mean and why should I care?"

Rich black is a CMYK trick to make large solid black areas look deep and saturated. Pure 100% K (black) ink alone looks slightly washed out on big areas because the paper white shows through the dot pattern. Adding small percentages of cyan, magenta, and yellow under the K (typical recipe: 60C 40M 40Y 100K) layers more pigment and gives the black weight. Use rich black for solid backgrounds, large headlines, big logos. Use pure K for body copy, small text, and anywhere fine detail matters - rich black on small text causes registration issues and looks fuzzy.

"My printer says my file is 'low res' but it looks fine on my screen"

Screens are 72-150 PPI; print needs 300 DPI at the final size. A 1,000-pixel-wide image looks fine on a 13-inch laptop because the screen has fewer pixels than the image. Print that image at 4 inches wide and you have only 250 PPI - already below print resolution. Print it at 8 inches and you're at 125 PPI - visibly fuzzy on press. The only fix is a higher-resolution source file, not a software upscale.

"What color system does each digital ad placement need?"

All digital. RGB or HEX. Facebook, Instagram, Google Display, LinkedIn, Twitter, programmatic display - all use sRGB. Specifying CMYK or PMS is meaningless because the rendering pipeline converts everything to RGB before display anyway. Save your CMYK values for print collateral and your PMS values for production deliverables.

9. Frequently asked questions