How to Prepare Your Artwork for Screen Printing: A Guide from CHUX Print

by mike ritter

At CHUX Print, we love turning your ideas into custom-printed t-shirts, hoodies, and other gear. But the quality of your finished product starts with one very important step: the artwork.

We get a lot of questions from customers about what kind of files they need to provide, what programs work best, and what happens if their design isn’t quite print-ready. So let’s break it all down. Whether you’re a design pro or just starting out with online tools like Canva or an AI art generator, this guide will help you understand how to get your design screen-print ready—or how we can help you get there.

Can I Supply My Own Artwork?

Absolutely—yes please! We love it when customers provide their own artwork. It saves time and ensures we’re bringing your vision to life. But not all files are created equal, and screen printing has some specific requirements when it comes to design quality and format.

To get the best results, we ask that your artwork be camera ready and submitted in one of the following formats:

  • .ai – Adobe Illustrator (vector only, text outlined)

  • .eps – Encapsulated Post Script (vector only, text outlined)

  • .pdf – PDF files (vector only, not flattened)

  • .psd – Photoshop Document (300 dpi at 100% print size)

  • .jpg – JPEG image (300 dpi at 100% print size)

If you’re not sure if your file meets these specs, just ask! We’re happy to take a look and advise.

I Don’t Have Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop—What Are My Options?

You’re not alone! Not everyone has access to professional design software like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Many of our clients use online tools like Canva, Figma, or even AI art generators like Midjourney or DALL·E to sketch out their ideas. These platforms can be great for brainstorming, but they’re typically not built with professional printing in mind.

Here’s the issue: most online design tools output low-resolution, raster images (like PNGs or flattened PDFs). These files often don’t meet the necessary resolution or file structure for screen printing. That’s why designs created with these tools often require additional production art time to clean up, re-vector, or make print-ready.

In short:

🖌️ Canva and AI-generated art are great for rough drafts—but not final production.

What If I Need Help Making My Artwork Print-Ready?

No worries—we’ve got you covered. If you can’t provide artwork in one of our preferred formats, we offer in-house design services and can work with you to convert your idea into a clean, print-ready file.

Whether it’s recreating your design from a rough sketch, vectorizing a raster image, or just setting up text properly, we’re happy to help. Just reach out to us and ask about our design rates.

Vector vs. Raster: What’s the Difference?

This is one of the most important things to understand when preparing artwork for screen printing.

✅ Vector Artwork (Preferred for Most Jobs)

Vector files are resolution-independent, meaning they can be scaled to any size without losing quality. They’re made up of paths and points rather than pixels, making them perfect for screen printing.

Examples of vector files: .ai, .eps, .pdf (vector)

To make your vector artwork print-ready, please:

  • Convert all text to outlines

  • Create outlines on strokes

  • Call out Pantone (PMS) colors when color matching is important

⚠️ Raster Artwork (Can Work With the Right Specs)

Raster images are pixel-based and can become blurry or pixelated if not prepared properly. For screen printing, your raster image needs to be at least 300 dpi at the final print size (i.e., if you want a 10" wide print, your file should be 300 dpi at 10" wide).

Examples of raster files: .psd, .jpg, .png

Raster artwork also limits some color matching capabilities and may not separate well for multicolor screen prints—so we always recommend vector when possible.

Color Matching and PMS Colors

Have a brand color that needs to be spot-on? No problem—we use the Pantone Matching System (PMS), which is the industry standard for consistent color across different printers, materials, and runs.

If color accuracy is critical, please provide us with the Pantone number (e.g., PMS 186 Red). We’ll match it as closely as possible to keep your branding tight and consistent.

Final Tips for Submitting Print-Ready Artwork

Here’s a quick checklist to make sure your artwork is ready to go:

✔️ Use vector formats when possible (.ai, .eps, .pdf vector)
✔️ Outline all fonts and strokes
✔️ Include Pantone numbers for color accuracy
✔️ If using raster art, export at 300 dpi at full print size
✔️ Don’t flatten layers (if you’re sending .psd or .ai files)
✔️ Let us know if you're using non-standard software (like Canva)

Let’s Make Something Awesome

At CHUX Print, we’re here to make the screen printing process easy and professional from start to finish. Whether you’re bringing a fully finished design or just a creative idea in your head, we’ll help you make it a reality.

Have questions? Need help prepping your artwork? Contact us today and let’s talk.

Bonus Tip: The cleaner your artwork is at the start, the faster we can move to print—and the better your final product will look!

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