Merch 101: from Winter Issue #14 of fiveonfive magazine
Detailed Merch 101 article including art specs, best practices, and much more - written by yours truly!
Art files need to be in Vector format
Typical vector format files end in .ai or .eps (Adobe Illustrator), or .pdf will work if it was saved from an original vector file. Note: You are able to save a JPG file as an EPS file in several programs, but just saving it does not turn it into a vector file. See useful terms below. *Note: If you send me a high resolution JPG file, I can convert it for you. You need to select the "Logo Conversion to Vector" option during checkout.
Imprinting on black
For imprints on black, the logo art needs to be reversed, because anything that is black in a logo will print in white which can lead to an inverse logo being imprinted, like in this example. Also, if your main logo is within a black circle, you will need to put another thin white circle outside of it or the outermost ring will disappear (as in the example on the left). Converting a file to the inverse is morecomplicated than converting to vector. If you are unable to do this yourself, contact me directly and I'll let you know the cost involved.
I'd like my logo on a 1.5" wide keychain, can you do that?
First, every logo sent to a distributor for imprint on a promional product needs to be in vector form, most commonly .eps, .ai, or .pdf. There are online conversion tools you can use if you have a high quality .jpg file, search for "jpg to vector conversion." Then do a quick test: shrink down your logo to 1.5" and print it, is it even recognizeable? Can you read the font, see the details?
Every league should consider putting together an alternate logo specifically for printing on small things. Also, you should have a logo that translates into one color imprinting, either all black or all white. Some items aren't "imprinted" with ink, they are laser etched (like my rollerskate keychain bottle opener) so the mark is white on whatever color item you choose. Don't be afraid to do something totally different. For example Victorian Roller Derby League has a very detailed logo that wouldn't work on the keychain, so they chose to just order them with text that said "I 
VRDL" and they look great!
You should also have two versions of the one-color logo, the regular version and the negative version. For items where you are imprinting white on black, you need to send the inverse logo because what shows in black in the file actually prints in white (see above). Rat City got lots of inverse logo products our first couple years - we even gave her a politically incorrect nickname I won't mention here...but we've finally eradicated that problem now that we know what we're doing!
Useful Terms:
Vector Artwork: Artwork that stores mathematical information about shapes and lines is called vectors. They can be scaled easily without producing the "stair-step" edges you will see in pixel-based (raster) images. They adapt to the resolution of any output device and are considered to be resolution independent. They are produced by programs like Adobe Illustrator®, Macromedia FreeHand® and CorelDRAW®.
Raster Artwork: Artwork and images that are defined by a checkerboard pattern, similar to viewing mosaic tiles. Raster images are limited by the number of pixels and cannot be enlarged without producing noticeably jagged, stair-stepped edges. They are produced by digital cameras, scanners, and can also be created by programs like Adobe PhotoShop and CorelPHOTO-PAINT (among others).
Spot Color: Solid, generally flat fields of color. Used for silk screening where a printer can lay down several solid areas of color to produce multi-colored artwork; also used to identify additional colors in a four-color process file or print job.
RGB: Colors defined as a combination of three colors red, green and blue to produce millions of other colors.
CMYK: Colors defined using a combination of four colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black to produce millions of other colors; often refered to as four-color process.
Resolution: The measurement of quality (pixel per inch in file or dots per inch in output). Low-resolution images may be as low as 72 dpi (or less). High-resolution images may be as high as 600 dpi (or more).
