The short answer
Send the original file. If you made the design in Photoshop, send the PSD. If you made it in Illustrator, send the AI file or a PDF saved from it. If all you have is a picture, send the largest PNG or JPG you have, not a copy forwarded through WhatsApp, which makes pictures smaller. Custom Lab and the product designer open all of these, and you see the design on the garment before you pay.
Which file types does BISHH accept?
| File | Where to upload it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop (PSD, PSB) | Custom Lab or the product designer | Up to 200 MB. In Custom Lab on a computer or tablet, turn on Advanced to split a layered file into its layers, then move, hide or recolour each one. |
| Illustrator (AI) | Custom Lab or the product designer | Up to 200 MB. Outline the text before you save, so the words print in your exact font. |
| Custom Lab or the product designer | Up to 200 MB. A PDF saved from Illustrator keeps its shapes sharp at any size. | |
| PNG | Custom Lab or the product designer | The best choice for a picture or a logo, because it can have a transparent background. |
| JPG | Custom Lab or the product designer | Fine for photos. A JPG has no transparent background, so its background prints too unless you remove it. |
| SVG | Custom Lab or the product designer | Sharp at any size, and you can change its colours. Custom Lab takes SVG files up to 5 MB. |
| WebP, GIF, BMP, TIFF, AVIF | Custom Lab or the product designer | Accepted as pictures. Check the size table below before you upload. |
| EPS | Upload my artwork, on a product page | Sent to our team as it is. The designers do not open EPS files. |
| CorelDRAW (CDR) | Save it as a PDF or SVG first | The designers do not open CDR files. |
How big does my picture need to be?
Size matters more than format. The product designer checks every picture at the size you place it: 150 pixels per inch or more prints sharp, between 100 and 150 may print soft, and under 100 may print blurry. To work out what you need, multiply the print width in inches by 150. One inch is 2.54 cm.
| Print width | Sharp from | May print blurry below |
|---|---|---|
| 8 cm, a chest logo | 473 pixels | 315 pixels |
| 20 cm, a small front print | 1,182 pixels | 788 pixels |
| 25 cm, a full front print | 1,477 pixels | 985 pixels |
| 30 cm, a large back print | 1,772 pixels | 1,182 pixels |
The table counts pixels across the width. For a tall design, check the height the same way, because the print check goes by the weaker side. A vector file, meaning an AI file, a PDF made of shapes, or an SVG, has no pixel limit: its lines stay sharp at any size.
Should I send a PSD or export a PNG?
Send the PSD. The designers read the file as it is, so you skip a step and nothing is lost in an export. In Custom Lab on a computer or tablet, turn on Advanced to split a layered file into its layers, then move, hide or recolour each one. If a text layer uses a font we do not have, the file stays as one picture, still looking as you designed it. Rasterise that text first if you want to move it on its own.
Transparent backgrounds and see-through edges
Whatever sits behind your design prints too. A PNG with a transparent background prints only the design, while a JPG prints its white or coloured box as well. Soft glows, shadows and feathered edges are partly see-through, and partly see-through ink prints paler or patchy. When 5% or more of a picture is see-through, the designer warns you. The free Dots tool turns those soft parts into halftone dots that print cleanly.
Fonts, small text and colours
- In Illustrator, select the text and choose Type, then Create Outlines, before you save the AI or PDF file.
- Make words big enough to read from a step away. The product designer warns you when text may be too small to print clearly.
- RGB and CMYK files are both fine. A CMYK file is converted for printing, so a few colours may look slightly different, and the designer tells you when that applies.
- A white picture on a white shirt, or a black one on a black shirt, will not show. The preview on the garment makes this easy to spot.
How to send your file
- Open Custom Lab, or a product page and its designer.
- Upload your file. A design file takes a few seconds to read, and splitting it into layers takes a little longer.
- Read the print check notes and look at the preview on the garment.
- Choose your sizes and order. One piece is a normal order.