Though you can submit your artwork in a wide variety of formats, some formats will require less work from our art department than others, which can result in a savings to you.  Here is a list of formats we can use to reproduce your artwork. If you have artwork in a format not listed here, please feel free to contact us to determine how best to submit your artwork.

Vector Format
Vector formatted artwork is the preferred method for art submissions. Vector graphics are graphics that use individual lines and points to create all the images in your artwork. For a more detailed explanation of vector graphics vs. bitmap graphics, please click here.

Vector graphics are the least time-consuming format for our art department, as they usually do not require re-drawing the artwork in order to create the film color separations. The majority of the artwork created in-house at Bayou City Shirts is created in CorelDraw X4 (Version 14), a vector-based program. Below is a list of several vector-based program formats that can often be imported into CorelDraw X4 and (often) easily color-separated.

• CorelDraw Version X4 or earlier (.cdr)

• Adobe Illustrator Version 10 or earlier (.ai)

• Windows Metafile (.wmf)

• Portable Document Format (.pdf)

• Encapsulated Postscript (.eps)

This is not a complete list of usable formats, but are the most common. If you have art in a format not listed here, please go ahead and submit it and we will let you know if it will work or not. However, if your software will allow you to convert it into one of these formats, please do so before submitting your art.

NOTE: All vector format artwork must be supplied in PC format. Macintosh files should be converted to PC format prior to submission.

Bitmap (Raster) Images
Bitmap formatted artwork is acceptable, though it usually requires reproduction in vector format before color separations can be generated.  (The only exception to this would be when the artwork is to be printed using a 4-color process. Click here for more information on 4-color process.) Converting bitmapped artwork to vector artwork is more expensive than submitting vector artwork, since an artist has to basically re-draw the image. However, this is the most common form of submission we receive. Charges can range from $10 to several hundred dollars depending on the complexity of the design. Most any format of bitmapped image can be submitted and reproduced. Here are just a few of those we can accept.

• JPEG

• TIFF

• GIF

• BMP

• Adobe Photoshop

Again, this is not a complete list of acceptable formats. If your art is in a format not listed here, please feel free to submit it and we'll see if it will work.

All artwork, whether vector or bitmap, should be saved in PC format rather than Macintosh format. We cannot accept artwork in Macintosh format.

Additional Information on Art Submissions:

4-Color Process

Four-color process is a process that uses 4 colors of ink to produce literally millions of colors, such as a color photograph. Though more commonly used in magazine and other paper printing, it can also be used on garments. Because of the nature of this process, we tend to steer people away unless it is the last resort for reproducing their image. If 4-color process must be used, please note the following requirements and limitations.

• The original image needs to be of the highest quality prior to submitting the artwork. Due to the way this process works, the image will only degrade when printed...it will not improve.

• The image should be printed only on white, higher quality shirts. When attempting to print on non-white shirts, one or more extra layers of white ink must be applied first, which tends to cause the final print to blur and get "muddy".

• We cannot guarantee the colors in the original will reproduce exactly on the finished garment. Due to the blending of 4 colors to make all the colors, there will always be color variations from the original.

• We cannot guarantee the colors will be 100% the same from the beginning of the run to the end. Though they will be fairly close, just the slightest change in the amount of pressure or ink during the printing process can cause variations in the color from one shirt to the next. We do our best to keep them as consistent as possible, but it is impossible to guarantee 100% consistency across the entire run of the order.

If your order absolutely MUST be printed using the 4-color process, the following requirements would apply:

• The original image you submit must be sized to the actual size of the final print or larger.

• The original image must be at a resolution of 300 dpi or higher.

Though we will run 4-color process orders, we strongly recommend using other methods when possible.

If you would like a free quote on art charges to reproduce your artwork, please email it to art@bayoucityshirts.com for evaluation.