What is Camera Ready Art?
  Although an oxymoron now, with cameras mostly given over to computer scanners, camera ready line art consists of dark, black words and/or artwork on a white or light background that can be scanned. These words or artwork must be smooth and finished looking. Rough, hand drawn sketches are not camera ready artwork, since we scan exactly what you send. If your artwork doesn't look just like what you want on the label it will not be suitable as artwork. Photographs, charcoal drawings, pictures from magazines or books are not usable as line artwork. We print using spot colors; which means each color is printed separately with no colored dots overlaying each other to create many or multiple colors. Multicolored clip art in word processing or drawing programs generally cannot be used on fabric labels.

  While we prefer actual artwork or digital files for logos, many times a good copy can be made using your letterhead, business card or other printed items. A logo printed on red or other dark colored paper normally isn't usable. Photocopies may not be dark enough and can have fuzzy edges. However, photocopies that are dark with sharp, clean edges are fine. Faxed artwork is not usable.

  Logos previously printed with four color process aren’t usable for fabric labels. Always try to send the largest artwork you have so we can reduce it to fit. (Maximum, 8½x11 page) Having us reduce your design in the art/setup process may help minimize small imperfections. Please be careful sending artwork! Don't fold it, draw on it, staple through it or tape over it. Doing this may render your artwork useless, or make a clean up fee necessary, delaying your order. You'll find more suggestions about artwork in the HELPFUL HINTS section of the printed brochure.

  If your artwork is not usable or requires extra charges to clean up, we’ll notify you. Art time is $60ºº per hour with a $15ºº minimum which must be agreed to and payment arranged before we can proceed.

 Sending Artwork You Print From Your Computer File
  The quality of laser and especially ink jet images has improved dramatically in the past few years; but no matter what type of printer you use to output artwork, we can't make it any better than what you send.

  Newer ink jet printers usually produce a good image. Don’t use ink jet printers to print dot screens. Images should be printed on paper designed for ink jet printers. The surface is specially coated (glossy, photo paper is best) to provide the highest quality image.

  Our scanner has a very telling eye. If the lines on your artwork are rough, jagged or stair-stepped, the final print won't be any different. Additionally, if the lines are very thin and/or broken, they won't look any better without further art time on our part—requiring an art fee. Provide an exact size copy with a thin line border to indicate the label size as well as copy and logo placement within the label area. Then use a dotted line to indicate your sewing allowance. Doing this will show us exactly how you want your label set up.

  Be careful sending computer generated (or any) artwork. Protect it. Laser printed images are powdered toner bonded with heat to the surface of the paper. Take care to support your artwork.

Two Color Artwork
  When you send your artwork, two color logos should be supplied color separated; which means there is a different printed page for each print color with registration marks to align the colors. If your artwork has colors that touch in some manner, or has colors which are intricately intertwined, it usually cannot be separated by us at a reasonable cost. For this type of design you must supply color separated artwork. If the colors do not touch, then sending the artwork on one sheet, together, is fine-and preferred. If you're at all unsure, fax a copy or e-mail a JPEG mockup and we'll get right back to you.

  If your logo design has two colors that touch or overlap, tell your designer or set your computer to give us .012 - .014 (12-14 thousands of an inch, or about 1 point) trap. We need this small overlap between colors that touch because label fabric stretches and bounces slightly as it moves through our presses.

  If you need us to create artwork for a second color (such as a fill color inside the outline artwork you've drawn) there is an art charge for the time needed to do this. Before sending your order, please fax a copy of your artwork and requirements so we can quote exact set up/art charges. This will help speed your order through the production cycle once it arrives here.

Overprinting Colors
  Unlike offset printing we are not able to “overprint” one color on top of another. If we did this on fabric labels, the color printing on top wouldn’t look right and has nothing to “grab” on to, so it would wash out. Areas where color “just touches” are OK, but if you wish to print a company name on top of a large color block, there needs to be a knockout around the type. Leaving a thin white area is an excellent way to achieve this effect.

Sending Computer Artwork Files
  We accept native files in Illustrator, Photoshop (.psd) layered files or Corel Draw. Please convert all type to curves/paths/strokes or send the original PC font files. Vector based EPS files are usually fine. Monochrome 1200 DPI Tiff files work, too for single color labels.

We’ve not had any success using word processing programs. Most clip art brought into these programs and most of the word/art manipulation features are multicolored RGB artwork. They are NOT line art and cannot be color separated.