Imagine – you’re all set to order your branded merchandise, and you’ve reached the artwork stage. Suddenly, you find yourself in a sea of unfamiliar terms—vector, raster, DPI, bleed, CMYK, RGB—the list goes on. It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin!
But fear not, because at Tangibility, we’re here to help! In this post, we’ll break down some of the most common artwork terms, making your journey to eye-catching branded merchandise a whole lot smoother.
Vector Artwork
Think of vector files as superheroes of the art world. They’re created using mathematical equations, which means they can be scaled to any size without losing quality. Perfect for crisp logos and sharp lines, vector files come in formats like AI, EPS, and SVG.
Raster Artwork
Raster files, on the other hand, are made up of pixels, like a photograph. They have a set resolution (DPI), so enlarging them can make them look pixelated or blurry. Common raster formats include JPEG, PNG, and TIFF.
DPI: Dots Per Inch
DPI, or dots per inch, measures the resolution of an image. For print, 300 DPI is the gold standard, ensuring sharp and clear results. When you’re designing or providing artwork, aim for this magic number to guarantee your promotional merchandise looks its best.
PMS
PMS is an acronym for Pantone Matching System, which is a standardised colour matching system, created for specifying ink colours for commercial printers around the world. Printers talk about “PMS colors” or “spot colors.”.
CMYK
This is the colour mode used for digital printing. It stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black).
RGB
RGB is the colour mode used for digital displays, like your computer screen or phone. Colours look vibrant and dynamic in RGB, but they may not translate accurately to print. So, if you’re designing for merchandise, switch to CMYK or PMS depending on the print method.
Bleed: Beyond the Edge
When your design extends to the edge of a printed item, you need “bleed.” Bleed is a little extra artwork that goes beyond the edge or dyeline, ensuring there are no white borders when the item is trimmed after printing. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference in the final product.
Phew! We hope this crash course in artwork terminology has cleared up some confusion. If you ever find yourself in a creative pickle or need assistance with artwork, don’t hesitate to reach out. We take pride in knowing all the small details, so you don’t have to.