Artwork Embroidered: File Types

You're ordering embroidered organic cotton polo shirts. When you inquire about acceptable artwork formats you learn that vector files are best. After checking your artwork you realize that although you don't have a vector file you have access to software that will save files in a vector format. Will that work? No.

Although the file extension should indicate the artwork file type there can be exceptions. For example, if a file extension is ai or cdr the artwork should be a vector or line art image but if a pixel-based image is imported into a vector program and saved as a vector file then the image isn't automatically vectorized. Although this procedure produces a file with the correct extension, it doesn't convert a pixel image into line art. Therefore, it doesn't improve the quality of the artwork.

So what should you do if you want want to supply the best possible artwork for your custom embroidery? Email all your files to your embroiderer so they can choose what will work best. If none of the files are acceptable then your artwork will need to be vectorized or redrawn. Many people don't like the additional cost for vectorization but usually the fee is minimal (approximately $15.00) but the result is artwork that can be easily resized and edited without sacrificing quality. Also, once your artwork is in vector format it can be used for a variety of mediums ranging from embroidery to print advertising to promotional products.