Almost every print job that gets held up is held up for the same reason: the artwork is a small image file, and small image files do not get bigger. Blowing one up to A3 doesn't add detail, it just makes the missing detail easier to see.
Pixels versus vector
A photo is made of pixels — a fixed grid. Enlarge it and the grid stretches. A vector file is made of instructions: this curve, that thickness, this colour. Scale it to the side of a lorry and it's still sharp, because it gets redrawn rather than stretched.
Logos should always be vector. If yours only exists as a PNG or a photo of a business card, it can be redrawn — that's a job we do most weeks and it's usually an hour or two.
What to send us
- Best: AI, EPS, SVG or PDF with the fonts outlined
- Fine: PNG at 300dpi at the size it'll be printed, transparent background
- Not usable: a screenshot, a WhatsApp image, or anything lifted off a website
The white box problem
A JPG can't be transparent. Send a logo as a JPG and the white rectangle behind it is part of the image — which is how people end up with a white square printed on a black hoodie. PNG or vector, always, for anything going on a garment.
Got a job this applies to?
Send it over and we'll tell you what it takes before you commit to anything.
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