Among the many advantages of choosing Digital garment printing over traditional screen printing is the texture, the detail, and the infinite array of colors that are possible. This allows for limitless possibilities in your design. The quality of the design and artwork provided, determines the end result.
We want your finished product to exceed your expectations. The best way to achieve that is by using finished artwork that is clean, clear, and properly sized for the items to be printed. If you create your own art or have a designer that you use, follow the specifications below to assure your results.
Begin with the basics. At Latitude 41N, Inc., we are compatible with both Macintosh and PC computers. We use standard graphics applications to prepare art for printing:
Adobe Illustrator (up to CS3)
FreeHand (up to MX)
Adobe Photoshop (up to CS3)
Other applications/file formats must be reviewed by Latitude 41N
The following applications are not suitable for high quality art preparation and we do not support these files:
Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, or Publisher
Quark Xpress (is a high quality page layout application)
Pagemaker
There are two forms of graphic files - Vector and Bitmap. Each form is better suited for a particular style of artwork. If your project requires screen-printing, Vector art is most suitable. Illustrator and FreeHand create vector art. Photoshop creates the continuous tone style bitmap files. These can be like photographs.
Photoshop file specifications:
Prepare the file at the size to be printed (If you want it 10" wide, it should be 10" wide)
Minimum resolution should be 300 ppi (pixels per inch).
Color format can be either RGB or CMYK (It will print CMYK*).
Files can be saved as: psd, tiff, eps, or jpg*.
*Note that CMYK has a different visual spectrum than RGB so colors may print different than they appear on the monitor. Also, jpg format compresses the image by removing color data. Do not edit and re-save jpg files or you may lose image quality.
Illustrator and FreeHand file specifications:
Prepare the file at the size to be printed (If you want it 10" wide, the design should be 10" wide)
All text must be converted to paths or outlines (this avoids font issues).
If other files (like photos) are included in the design file, both the files must be sent for printing.*
Resolution does not apply to vector art.
Color format can be either RGB or CMYK (It will print CMYK*).
Files can be saved as: ai, fhd, eps, or pdf.
*If images are placed into these files follow these guidelines: Do not resize the image in Illustrator or FreeHand, size them in the original application (like Photoshop). The original file should meet all the criteria listed for Photoshop specifications above. Note that CMYK has a different visual spectrum than RGB
so colors may print different than they appear on the monitor.
Look at a layout template
At Latitude 41N, Inc. we want to share our experience with you to help you exceed your expectations. We have created template files to guide art placement specifically for Digital Garment Printing. The image to the left shows the guidelines included in the templates. They represent the different press configurations that can be used. You can size your graphics within the guide lines to assure they will fit. We are happy to provide any guidance that you require to make your project smoother that you are used to. Let's work together.
Click HERE to download an archive that includes Illustrator, FreeHand, Photoshop, and PDF versions of the template for you to use.
