How to Properly Put Your Logo on Apparel
Branded items are a standout marketing tool. With your logo on a T-shirt, sweatshirt or hat, you (and your customers!) are walking billboards for your brand. Plus, it’s so much more comfortable than walking around wearing an actual sign!
Branded apparel is a fun way to commemorate a special event, recognize key staff or volunteers, or use as a thank-you gift for donors or customers. You can even stock your business with branded merch to sell.
Because everyone loves a T-shirt, right? Why do you think so many college students wind up with a credit card (free shirt, anyone?).
OK, we’re not advocating signing up poor college students for high-interest credit cards, but we are advocating for branded apparel. It works! But here’s the catch: It has to be done right for maximum impact. That means your logo or artwork needs to be the right size, in the right proportion, and in the right location.
Who wants to wear a T-shirt with a pixelated or stretched-out logo? No one. And you don’t want that as a reflection of your business and brand.
It’s important to understand the printing requirements and what you need to provide so your items look awesome. Here are a few of the questions we get most often:
How big should the image or logo be?
Great question! Here’s where proportions come into play. The actual image size for your design will depend on the smallest size of the garment you have ordered. For example, your design will look much larger on a youth XS versus an adult XL.
To ensure all the garments look good and the design is in proportion, we’ll set your imprint size to either the height or width maximum of the smallest ordered garment size.
Where will the image be placed?
Just about anywhere you want. We have quite a few imprint locations on both short- and long-sleeve shirts. Our standard design placement options include the front center, full front, pockets and sleeves. We can print on the back of the garments, both the full-back and a back tag. Pro tip: If you want to print in the back tag location on a hooded shirt, keep in mind the hood will cover the image.
And this leads nicely into our next question …
What kind of artwork or files should I provide?
This is super duper important so pay attention! We prefer to work with Illustrator files (those would have file extensions of .ai or .eps). You might also hear that referred to as “vector artwork.” Basically, that means the design, fonts and colors of your logo or design stay intact during the printing process.
What about a Word document? Nope. Can we send you a PDF? Nope. What about a napkin sketch? Still, nope. A napkin sketch is great for an initial idea but not for the final production artwork. Trust us, if we tried to use those file formats to screen print your logo onto shirts, hats, or anything, you would be very unhappy with the results.
Here’s the good news: Our garment gurus are here to help! We have an entire team dedicated to design. If terms like “vector artwork” and “.eps” are completely foreign to you, our designers can assist in getting your logo or artwork cleaned up, in the right format and ready for printing.
Or, if you need help with a whole new design, we can create an awesome one from scratch.
Can I have my logo embroidered on an item?
Absolutely! Embroidery is one of our specialties! Consider sewing your logo on jackets, backpacks, vests and polo shirts as a way to uplevel your look and enhance your brand.
A couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to embroidery:
- Embroidery has more technical limitations. Very small lettering, fine lines and gradients do not generally reproduce well with embroidery.
- Techniques also vary depending on the type of material and garment chosen (polos versus fleece, for example). We want to make sure your garments and logo look their best so we may recommend minor changes to ensure a top-quality finished product.
Why can’t I use the Nike swoosh as part of my artwork?
The short answer is that you don’t want to be sued by Nike (and neither do we!). Here at Charleston Cotton Exchange, we take copyright and trademark laws seriously. If a customer submits artwork that uses another company’s logo or looks similar to another company’s logo, we will refuse to print it.
You wouldn’t want another company to print your logo on their T-shirts, would you?
Tap into our expertise!
Our team prints thousands of garments every day. We’ve seen just about every request and gotten every question imaginable. So, use our expertise! Don’t hesitate to ask questions about your design. And, rest assured, we always provide customers with a digital proof before we start printing. That’s your opportunity to make changes or ask additional questions about the final product.
We want you to be 100% satisfied and that starts with making sure the artwork is properly formatted, in proportion and located on the garment in a spot that makes sense and will look great.
Request a quote or stop by our showroom (1758 Ashley River Road in Charleston) where you can chat with our garment gurus and get advice from our design team.