Promotional Products Buyer's Guide

Artwork and logos for promo items

Updated: September 2008

Once you choose the promo items you want, you'll need to supply your logo to the vendor for imprinting. Sending the logo file via email is fairly straightforward, but getting the right type of file in the first place can be a challenge.

First, it's important to know that the logo used on your web site is not sufficient for the job. It may be the wrong format, the wrong size, not detailed enough, or all three. Sending non-standard graphics can result in delays and additional charges when the vendor has to covert the file for you before printing your promo items.

As you get into the world of digital artwork, you'll need to know the difference between vector and raster files. Vector artwork is easily scaled up and down without loss of quality, while raster artwork quickly gets “blocky” and jagged as it's enlarged. Raster file formats like JPEG and GIF are standard on the Web, but usually aren't acceptable for imprinting. Vector-based EPS files are almost always a better choice, but check with your vendor as to what type of files they prefer.

The files you send need to supply the correct color information for the printing process you'll be using. Vendors may ask for RGB, CMYK, or spot color, depending on the type of printing your project calls for. And the images will need to have an adequate resolution. Most web images have a resolution of only 72 DPI (dots per inch), but imprinting promo items works best with 300 DPI or higher.

This may seem like a lot of details, but to someone familiar with graphic file formats, it's all routine. The main point you should come away with is that to get the best results from an imprinted promo item, your images should be prepared by a qualified professional using graphics software like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand, CorelDraw, or other publishing tools. You may be able to copy an image file into Microsoft Word and make it look good on screen, but you won't wind up with satisfactory results.

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