How to prepare print-ready artwork for merch
A technical guide for marketing and design teams in Italy — file formats, colour spaces, resolution, bleed, and the difference between artwork that prints first-time-right and artwork that needs a redraw.
File formats — vector first, raster second
Always send your logo as vector artwork: .AI (Adobe Illustrator), .EPS, .PDF (with vector content preserved) or .SVG. Vector artwork scales to any size without quality loss and converts cleanly to silk-screen films, pad-print clichés and embroidery digitisation. If you only have a raster file (.PNG, .JPEG, .TIFF), we can redraw it at a one-time fee of €40–80 — but plan an extra 2 days into the timeline.
Files exported from Canva, PowerPoint or Word should never be the only source — they almost always contain transparency artifacts, low-resolution images and uneditable text. Request the original logo file from your brand team before starting an order.
Colour space — Pantone, CMYK and never RGB
Send Pantone (PMS) colour codes whenever possible — that's how spot-colour silk-screen, pad-print and embroidery are mixed. For full-colour digital print (DTF, sublimation, UV), CMYK is the production colour space — never RGB. RGB is for screens; CMYK is for ink. If you send an RGB file, we convert it but the result is approximate — for brand-critical work, always start in CMYK or Pantone.
For PDF artwork, use the PDF/X-1a:2001 standard: it flattens transparency, embeds all fonts and locks colours to CMYK + Pantone. This eliminates 90% of pre-press headaches and is the format every European printer expects.
Resolution, size and bleed
Raster images (if unavoidable): 300 DPI at print size minimum. A logo that needs to print 200 mm wide on a tote bag must be 2,362 pixels wide. Anything lower will print pixelated.
Bleed: any colour or image that extends to the edge of the print area needs 3 mm of bleed beyond the final cut line. Without bleed, a 1 mm trim shift produces a visible white edge. Bleed is mandatory on business cards, gift-box wraps, custom inserts, sticker sheets and labels.
Safe area: keep critical text and small details at least 3 mm from any cut line or fold. On hard goods (bottles, pens, USB drives), safe area is even more important — print position can shift ±1 mm per part.
Special cases — embroidery, foil, debossing
Embroidery requires digitisation — a one-time conversion of your logo into stitch instructions. Cost: €25–60, takes 1–2 days, stored free for 5 years. Send the highest-quality vector you have plus your Pantone codes; we send back the Madeira / Gunold thread-colour report for sign-off.
Hot foil stamping and debossing/embossing require positive line artwork: solid shapes only, no gradients, minimum line weight 0.5 mm. We produce a one-time brass die (€60–180); subsequent reorders avoid this cost.
Laser engraving requires 1-bit black/white artwork: pure black is engraved, pure white is left as substrate. No greyscale, no gradients (or they'll be dithered).
Italy delivery notes
Send files via WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive or our upload portal — email attachments are limited to 25 MB. IVA 22% is added via SdI (Sistema di Interscambio) — the mandatory Italian B2B e-invoice channel routed through Agenzia delle Entrate under your codice destinatario or PEC address. Artwork files we receive are stored encrypted on EU servers for 24 months for reorder convenience; you can request earlier deletion in writing. We sign mutual NDAs on request.
FAQ — artwork preparation
My logo only exists as a PNG screenshot — what now?
We can redraw it as vector at €40–80 one-time. Send the highest-resolution version you have, and any printed material that shows the logo at high quality.
Can you match a Pantone from an RGB hex value?
We convert HEX→nearest Pantone via the Pantone Color Bridge — but it's approximate. Strike-off sign-off is essential for brand-critical work.
Do you need separate files per print position?
One master file is fine if all positions use the same artwork. If positions differ (front vs back), label each on a separate Illustrator layer or send separate files.
What about transparency and drop shadows?
Flatten before sending — soft shadows do not survive screen-print or embroidery. For digital print they're fine if exported as PDF/X-1a.
Can you redraw my logo in higher quality?
Yes — vector redraws are €40–80 depending on complexity. Send everything you have; we deliver an AI + EPS + PDF set licensed for your use.