Artwork guidelines

Getting your custom apparel, embroidery, and promotional items right starts with great files. Review our guidelines to understand our preferred file formats, production requirements for screen printing and direct-to-film, and how our design team can help prepare your vision for print.

Screen Printing
Screen printing works well for logos, graphics, and designs with larger areas of color.

  • Multiple colors are possible, but each color may require a separate screen.
  • Very fine lines and tiny details may not print clearly.
  • Small text needs to be large enough to remain readable.
  • Gradients, shadows, and photographic images may require special artwork preparation.
  • High-resolution PDF, PNG, or vector artwork is preferred.

DTF (Direct-to-Film)
DTF is great for detailed, colorful designs and is especially useful for smaller orders or designs with multiple colors.

  • Allows for many colors, gradients, shading, and detailed artwork.
  • Fine details generally reproduce better than with traditional screen printing.
  • Small text and extremely thin lines can still cause problems if they are too small.
  • Transparent backgrounds are preferred when the design should have no background.
  • High-resolution PNG or PDF artwork is preferred.
  • Artwork may need to be cleaned up or adjusted to ensure a smooth transfer.

Embroidery
Embroidery is different because your artwork is converted into stitches. Extremely small details, thin lines, and tiny text may not translate well into thread.

  • Fine lines may need to be thickened.
  • Very small text may need to be enlarged or simplified.
  • Detailed artwork may need to be simplified for stitching.
  • The complexity and size of the design can affect the final result.
  • Some artwork may require digitizing before it can be embroidered.

Artwork & Design Support

Whether you have vector art ready to go or need help building a concept from scratch, we are here to ensure crisp prints, sharp stitches, and smooth turnarounds.

Please Note: Providing a low-quality image does not automatically mean it can be used as-is. Artwork may need to be cleaned up, recreated, or redesigned to achieve a clean, professional finished product.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Artwork: Images created using ChatGPT or other Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are not considered print-ready artwork. In most cases, AI-generated images will still need to be cleaned up, converted, or completely recreated into a production-ready format before they can be printed or embroidered. Additional artwork fees may apply depending on the work required.

Why Artwork May Need Adjustments

A design that looks perfect on a computer screen may not produce the same results when printed or stitched. Depending on the decoration method, we may recommend adjustments to line thickness, text size, spacing, colors, or fine details to achieve the best finished product.

Not sure if your artwork is ready?

We can review your file and let you know if any adjustments are needed before production.

Design From Scratch

If you don't have artwork yet, we can also help create a new design based on your ideas, instructions, or reference materials. More extensive design work or creating a completely new design may require an additional design fee.

 

Artwork Fees

Minor file preparation may be included depending on the order. If your artwork requires significant cleanup, recreation, digitizing, or a new design, an artwork/design fee may apply. We will let you know if a fee is needed before moving forward.

Do you offer embroidery digitizing?

Yes! Embroidery artwork must be converted into a specialized stitch file before it can be embroidered. Our digitizing process converts your artwork into a format that tells the embroidery machine how to stitch your design.

Depending on the complexity of the artwork, an embroidery digitizing fee may apply. We’ll let you know if a fee is required before moving forward.

How many colors can my design have?

The number of colors depends on the decoration method you choose.

Screen Printing: The number of ink colors can affect production time and cost, as each color may require a separate screen.

DTF: DTF allows for full-color designs, including gradients, shading, and detailed artwork.

Embroidery: Designs can use multiple thread colors, but the number of colors and level of detail may affect the complexity and cost of the embroidery.

We'll help recommend the best decorating method based on your artwork, desired look, and order.

Is there a minimum quantity I need to order?

No! We specialize in custom orders of all sizes—even if you only need one item.

Whether you need a single custom shirt, a few embroidered pieces, or a larger order for your business, event, team, or organization, we're happy to help.

That's what sets GravyTrain ScreenPrinting & Embroidery apart—we believe you shouldn't have to order a large quantity just to get something custom-made.

 

 

 

Do you guarantee the quality of your work?

Absolutely! We take pride in providing clean, professional, high-quality printing and embroidery. We carefully review each order to help ensure the best possible finished product. If there is an issue caused by our workmanship, we’ll work with you to make it right.

 

Ready to bring your ideas to life?

Send us your artwork files or reach out to our team in Callaway, Maryland for custom design support, screen printing, and embroidery quotes.