You've designed the perfect logo. The colours are on-brand, the font is crisp, and your team loves it. Then you send it to a printer — and you get an email asking for a "vector file" or telling you the resolution is too low. Suddenly, a simple order becomes a back-and-forth that adds days or even weeks to your timeline.

This guide explains exactly how to prepare your logo for custom apparel printing — what formats printers actually need, why resolution matters differently for embroidery vs. screen printing, how colours behave across decoration methods, and what to do if you're starting with nothing but a JPEG. By the time you finish reading, you'll know more about print-ready artwork than most of our customers do when they place their first order.

Why logo file quality matters so much for printing

Digital screens forgive a lot. A logo that looks sharp on your website at 72 pixels per inch can appear perfectly fine on a phone or monitor. Printing is different. When ink is pressed through a mesh screen onto a cotton t-shirt, or thread is stitched through a fleece jacket, the output is only as good as the file that drives it.

Poor-quality artwork leads to blurry edges, colour banding, broken fine lines, and embroidery stitches that don't follow your logo's intended shape. More practically, it leads to reprints — which cost time and money. Providing the right file upfront is the single most effective thing you can do to ensure your order arrives looking exactly the way you imagined.

Vector vs raster files — the most important distinction in custom apparel

Every logo file falls into one of two categories: vector or raster.

Raster files (also called bitmap files) are made up of pixels — tiny coloured squares arranged on a grid. Photographs are raster. Most files you find on websites are raster. JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP are all raster formats. The critical limitation: if you enlarge a raster image beyond its original size, those pixels become visible as a blurry, blocky mess — commonly called "pixelation." A logo saved as a 200×200 pixel PNG looks fine as a thumbnail on Instagram, but it cannot be cleanly reproduced on the back of a hoodie.

Vector files are built on mathematics, not pixels. Instead of storing colour information for each dot, vector files store instructions: "draw a curve from point A to point B, fill with this colour, apply this stroke." Because the image is defined by equations, it can be scaled to any size — the side of a bus or a lapel pin — without any loss of quality. AI, EPS, SVG, and PDF (when created correctly) are vector formats.

For custom apparel, vector files are almost always the correct choice. They allow your print provider to resize your logo to exact garment dimensions, separate colours for screen printing, and convert paths to stitch lines for embroidery — none of which is possible with a raster file.

The file formats your printer actually wants (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG vs PNG, JPEG)

Here's a practical breakdown of the formats you'll encounter:

Format	Vector or Raster?	Best For	Can We Use It?
.AI (Adobe Illustrator)	Vector	Screen printing, cut vinyl, embroidery digitizing	✅ Ideal
.EPS	Vector	All decoration methods, universal compatibility	✅ Ideal
.PDF (vector-based)	Vector (if exported from Illustrator/InDesign)	All decoration methods when created from vector source	✅ Good
.SVG	Vector	Web-native vector; usable for most print methods	✅ Acceptable
.PNG	Raster	Digital transfers if high-resolution (300 DPI+)	⚠️ Sometimes
.JPEG / .JPG	Raster	Photos only; compression artifacts ruin logos	❌ Avoid

One important note on PDFs: a PDF exported from Microsoft Word or Google Docs is typically raster, not vector. A PDF that originated in Adobe Illustrator and has the fonts outlined is genuinely vector. If you're sending a PDF, let your provider know how it was created.

Resolution requirements explained (what 300 DPI actually means for apparel)

DPI stands for "dots per inch" and refers to how many ink dots are packed into one inch of a printed image. The higher the DPI, the sharper the output — but only up to the point where the human eye can't detect the difference.

For raster-based decoration methods (direct-to-garment printing, heat transfers, dye sublimation), the industry standard is 300 DPI at the actual print size. This is the key phrase people misunderstand. A file might be 300 DPI at 2×2 inches — which means it's only 600 pixels wide. If that same logo needs to be printed at 10×10 inches on a jacket back, the effective resolution drops to just 60 DPI, which is far too low for crisp output.

For vector-based decoration methods (screen printing, embroidery), DPI doesn't apply in the same way because vector files are resolution-independent. What matters instead is the precision of the paths and the overall complexity of the design — something we'll cover in the embroidery section.

The practical takeaway: if you're working with raster files, make sure the file dimensions — in pixels — are large enough to fill your print area at 300 DPI. A front chest logo printed at 4×4 inches needs to be at minimum 1200×1200 pixels. A full back print at 12×14 inches needs to be at minimum 3600×4200 pixels.

Colour modes: RGB vs CMYK vs Pantone — and why it matters per decoration method

Colour mode determines how colours are defined in your file — and how they'll be reproduced by your printer. Using the wrong colour mode is one of the most common causes of disappointing results, because the colour you see on screen can look dramatically different once it's printed on fabric.

Colour Mode	Best For	Limitations
RGB	Screens, digital displays, DTG printing	Can't be exactly replicated in ink; colours often appear duller when converted
CMYK	Digital transfers, heat press, sublimation	Not ideal for spot-colour screen printing; neons and metallics fall outside CMYK gamut
Pantone (PMS)	Screen printing, embroidery thread matching, vinyl	Requires Pantone swatch book for accurate specification; not all colours available in thread

For screen printing, Pantone colours are the gold standard. Each colour in your logo is mixed as a separate ink and printed in its own pass. Providing Pantone numbers eliminates guesswork and ensures your brand colours are reproduced consistently across every order, every year.

For embroidery, thread manufacturers publish their own colour systems (Madeira, Robison-Anton, Isacord). Most embroidery shops cross-reference your Pantone colour to the nearest thread equivalent. Providing your Pantone numbers makes this conversion accurate.

For direct-to-garment (DTG) and heat transfer, CMYK or RGB files are acceptable since the process is essentially inkjet printing — but screen-printed jobs should always specify Pantone.

How to simplify a complex logo for embroidery

Embroidery is a beautiful decoration method — but it has hard physical limits that screen printing doesn't. A needle and thread can't reproduce the same level of fine detail as a squeegee pushing ink through a mesh screen.

Here are the most common adjustments made when digitizing a logo for embroidery:

• Thin lines and strokes get thickened. Any line thinner than approximately 1.5mm will not stitch reliably. Thin letterforms, hairline borders, and delicate graphic elements are either thickened or removed.
• Very small text is simplified or dropped. Text smaller than about 6mm in height becomes illegible once stitched. Taglines and URLs are often removed from embroidered versions entirely.
• Gradients don't translate. Embroidery is a solid-colour medium. Gradients are approximated with thread blending or halftone stitch patterns — or simply converted to flat colours.
• Complex shapes are redrawn. If your logo has hundreds of anchor points or intricate geometric patterns, a digitizer will simplify the paths to ensure the machine doesn't jam or produce inconsistent stitching.

If your logo is highly detailed, we recommend having a simplified version ready — sometimes called an "embroidery-friendly" version — with thick strokes, fewer colours, and legible text at the sizes you'll be printing. Our team can advise on what will and won't translate when you submit a quote request.

Common logo file mistakes that delay orders

After working with hundreds of clients across Ontario and across Canada, we see the same artwork issues come up repeatedly. Here's what to watch for:

• Low-resolution screenshots or website grabs. Right-clicking your logo from your website gives you a 72 DPI raster file — completely unusable for printing. Always go back to your original design files.
• Fonts not outlined. If your logo contains text and the font isn't embedded or outlined in the vector file, it will render incorrectly on any computer that doesn't have that font installed. In Adobe Illustrator: Type → Create Outlines before saving.
• Raster images embedded in vector files. An EPS file can contain raster elements — most commonly photos or gradients. This doesn't make those elements vector. Ask your designer whether all elements in your file are truly vector paths.
• Multiple colour layers not separated. For screen printing, each colour is typically a separate layer. Sending a merged, flat file forces the print shop to manually separate colours — which takes time and can introduce inaccuracies.
• Incorrect colour profiles. A file in RGB mode submitted for screen printing will be converted to Pantone by the shop — but the conversion may not match your expectations. Specify your Pantone colours upfront.

What to do if you don't have vector files

Not everyone has access to original vector files — especially if your logo was designed years ago, you've lost the originals, or you're working from a file a non-designer created. Here are your options:

• Ask your original designer. Most professional designers keep working files and can supply an AI or EPS at any time. This is the fastest and cleanest solution.
• Use a redraw (vectorization) service. Many print shops — including us — offer logo vectorization. A designer manually traces your raster logo in Illustrator, producing a clean vector file. This typically takes 1–3 business days and costs $50–$150 depending on complexity.
• Try an auto-trace tool. Adobe Illustrator's Image Trace function and tools like Vectorizer.ai or Adobe Express can auto-convert simple logos. Results vary: clean, flat logos with defined edges trace well; complex or photographic logos rarely produce usable results.
• Start fresh. If your logo is old, low-quality, or due for a refresh, this can be an opportunity to have it professionally redesigned in vector format from the start.

Not sure which option is right for you? Our team can review your file and give you an honest recommendation when you request a quote.

How Only Custom Apparel handles artwork — what we do for you

We know artwork can be the most stressful part of placing a custom apparel order — especially for customers who aren't designers themselves. Here's how we work to make the process as smooth as possible.

When you submit a quote request, upload whatever files you have. We'll review your artwork before providing a price and flag any issues we spot. If we need a different format or higher resolution, we'll tell you exactly what to provide — or let you know if we can handle the conversion on our end.

For screen printing orders, we build a full colour-separated film file before production and send you a digital proof for approval. For embroidery, our in-house digitizer converts your logo to a stitch file, and we run a test sew-out on fabric before stitching your order. You'll see the result and approve it before we touch a single garment.

We also offer a logo redraw service for clients who don't have vector files. If your artwork needs to be rebuilt in Illustrator, we quote that separately and turn it around within 2–3 business days.

Explore our full range of decoration methods and capabilities on our services page, or read our detailed comparison of screen printing vs embroidery to decide which method is right for your project.

Frequently asked questions

Can I send a PNG file for screen printing?
Only if it's very high resolution — at least 300 DPI at the actual print size, with a transparent background. Even then, we'll need to manually trace colour separations, which takes extra time. A vector file is always faster and more accurate for screen printing.

My logo has a drop shadow and gradient. Can those be embroidered?
Not directly. Gradients and shadows don't translate to thread-based decoration. Our digitizer will convert these elements to flat colour equivalents or discuss a simplified version of your logo that looks great as embroidery.

What Pantone colours are available for embroidery?
Thread manufacturers carry thousands of thread colours that correspond closely to Pantone swatches, but there isn't a 1:1 match for every colour. We'll cross-reference your Pantone numbers against the nearest available thread colour and show you a match before confirming your order.

I have my logo in black and white only. Can you add colour?
Yes — if you have a vector file in black and white, we can easily recolour it. If you have Pantone numbers for your brand, share those and we'll apply them during the pre-press process.

Do you keep my artwork on file for future orders?
Yes. Once we've prepped your artwork — whether that means vectorizing, colour-separating, or digitizing — we keep it on file. Repeat orders for the same logo are faster and typically don't incur additional artwork setup fees.

Ready to get started? Request a free quote and upload your logo files. We'll take it from there.