Logo and Artwork Guidelines
The short version: send whatever you have. We will review it for free and tell you honestly whether it will work before you commit to anything. You do not need to read this page to get a quote — it is here for when you want the detail.
File Formats, Best to Worst
- Vector — AI, EPS, SVG, or vector PDF. Ideal. Scales to any size with no quality loss, which matters when the same logo goes on a hat and a tote bag.
- High-resolution PNG with a transparent background. Usually fine. Aim for at least 300 DPI at the size it will actually print — roughly 3000 pixels wide for a full-front design.
- High-resolution JPG. Workable, but the white box around your logo has to be removed, and edges can go rough. Send a PNG if you have one.
- A logo pulled off your website, a screenshot, or a photo of a business card. Almost never usable at print size. Send it anyway — we will tell you, and often we can redraw it.
Do not have the original file? It happens constantly, usually because the person who made the logo left years ago. Send the best version you have and we will work from there.
Embroidery Is Different
Worth its own section, because it surprises people. Embroidery is thread, not ink, and thread cannot do everything a printer can.
- Fine detail disappears. Thin lines, small lettering, and intricate linework close up into a blob at hat size. Anything under about a quarter inch tall is at risk.
- Gradients do not exist. A gradient becomes a set of solid color blocks. Sometimes that looks great; it needs deciding, not discovering.
- Photographs do not embroider. Not a limitation we can work around.
- Simple, bold shapes work beautifully. This is why so many hat logos are simplified versions of the full mark.
If your logo is detailed and you want it embroidered, we will usually suggest a simplified version for that product and keep the full logo on printed items. You get one that looks deliberate rather than one that looks like a mistake.
Color
If you have brand colors, send the codes — Pantone if you have them, otherwise hex or CMYK. If you do not, we will match as closely as the method allows.
Two honest notes. Screens are backlit and fabric is not, so a color always reads slightly differently in hand than on your monitor. And the garment color underneath affects the result, particularly on lighter inks over dark fabric. We will flag it if a combination is going to be a problem.
What you will not pay is a per-color charge. We do not screen print, so the number of colors in your design does not change the price. A full-color illustration costs the same to decorate as a single-color wordmark.
Placement and Size
Common placements are full front, left chest, back, and sleeve. Some rough guidance if you are choosing:
- Left chest reads as professional. The right choice for staff uniforms and client-facing teams.
- Full front reads as merchandise. The right choice for events, giveaways, and anything people wear by choice rather than at work.
- Back prints suit sponsor rosters, event dates, and team names.
Additional print locations cost more to produce, so they are priced into your quote rather than published as a surcharge. Tell us what you want and it appears in the number.
If You Need Artwork Made
Basic design work is free on orders of 25 pieces or more, with two rounds of revisions. Under 25 pieces it is a $50 flat fee with the same two rounds, credited back in full if your order reaches 25 pieces.
That covers adapting an existing logo, cleaning up or redrawing a low-resolution file, laying out text, and building a simple event or team design. Detailed illustration or full brand identity work is quoted separately, and we will tell you that before starting rather than after.
Adjusting the mockup — moving your logo, resizing it, trying a different garment color — is not a design revision and is never charged. Change it as often as you like.
Send It Over
Attach your logo to the quote form, or send it after — neither will hold up your quote. We will review it free and tell you exactly what we can do with it.