Artwork Guidelines – Midas Print Press

Providing properly formatted artwork guarantees the highest quality outcome for your awards, apparel, and promotional items. Please review our technical specifications below before uploading your files. If you need assistance, our in-house design team is ready to help.

Acceptable File Formats

We work heavily with vector files to ensure crisp, clean edges on automated engraving and screen printing equipment. Vector graphics can be resized infinitely without losing quality. We categorize our accepted file types as either Preferred (Vector) or Secondary (Raster).

Preferred Formats (Vector)

Best for Laser Engraving, Screen Printing, and Vinyl Cutting.

.AI (Adobe Illustrator)

.EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)

.SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

.PDF (Vector-based)

Secondary Formats (Raster)

Best for Full-Color Printing, Sublimation, and DTG Apparel. Must be high resolution (300 DPI minimum).

.PNG (With transparent background)

.JPG / .JPEG (High quality)

.PSD (Adobe Photoshop, layers intact)

.TIFF

Resolution (DPI/PPI)

If you are submitting raster imagery (PNG, JPG, PSD) for full-color printing (such as sublimation plaques or DTG t-shirts):

All files must be at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) at their actual printed size.
Do not increase the resolution of a low-quality web image (72 DPI) in Photoshop; it will result in pixelation and blurriness.
Ensure that edge-to-edge images (bleeds) have 0.125" extra margin on all sides.

Color Modes

How colors appear on screen (RGB) often differs slightly from how they look when printed (CMYK).

For Full-Color Printing: Please set your document color mode to CMYK.
For Screen Printing: Use solid, spot colors. Please provide Pantone (PMS) Solid Coated color numbers for precise matching.
For Laser Engraving: Artwork must be submitted as 100% Black & White (No grayscale, no gradients, no shading).

Typography & Fonts

When providing vector files (.AI, .EPS, .PDF) that include text, it is crucial to convert the text to outlines before saving.

                            In Adobe Illustrator: Select all text, then go to `Type` > `Create
                            Outlines` (Shift + Ctrl/Cmd + O).
                        

This ensures your fonts will not default to a basic system font when we open the file, retaining your exact typographic intent.

Line Weight & Fine Details

To ensure visibility and structural integrity during the production process:

Screen Printing: Minimum line weight is 1.5 pt. Minimum text size is 10 pt.
Laser Engraving: Minimum line weight is 0.5 pt. Gradients and drop shadows cannot be laser engraved.
Embroidery: Avoid extremely detailed micro-text smaller than 0.25 inches tall; it will not stitch cleanly.

Ready to Submit Your File?

Use our secure upload gateway to submit your artwork alongside your order details.

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