Good screen printing depends on good artwork.  In this case, we're not even talking about the quality of the design itself -- we're talking about the quality and the artwork file format in which the design is being submitted.

In screen printing, we deal mainly with two types of artwork file formats:  VECTOR and BITMAP.

Our preferred vector format is Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and preferred bitmap format is Adobe Photoshop (.psd).

Vector Files (AI, PDF, EPS):

• Artwork must be sized to actual print size
• All text / type layers must be converted to outlines (How?)
• File must be compatible with Illustrator CS (How?)
• This is the most ideal format for screen printing designs with sharp lines and minor / simple color blending (i.e. logos, line art, vector designs)

Bitmap Files (PSD, EPS, PDF JPG, GIF):

• Artwork must sized to actual print size
• Artwork resolution must be at least 150-300 dpi
• This is the most ideal format for screen printing designs with complex color blending and gradients
• With the exception of layered Adobe Photoshop files, these flattened file formats usually require Color Separation or Digitizing / Vectorizing (which converts them to vector files).

Color Separation, also know as Seps / Color Seps, is the process of preparing multi-color artwork with shading and color blending for screen printing.  There are a number of methods and techniques to achieve this, depending on the design, and the resulting format is a PSD file.

Applications for screen printing:

• For multi color designs with color blending and gradients
• Ideal for printing realistic images or more complex colors
• Designs that require specialty printing such as index, halftone, or color process may require additional time to color separate and may be priced higher (please contact us for more information).
• Cost:  $15 per color

Digitizing (also known as vectorizing) is the process of converting bitmap art (i.e. PSD, JPG and GIF files) to vector art (AI).

Applications for screen printing:

• Small digital logos or designs that need to be enlarged / cleaned up
• Scanned drawings or line art (i.e. hand-drawn illustrations)
• Flat, multi-color bitmap artwork with little to no blending (simple blends and gradients only)
• Cost:  $35 per design

Video explaining how to setup artwork designed using Adobe Illustrator for screen printing.