How to Brief a Print Company for Custom Clothing UK

How to Brief a Print Company for Custom Clothing UK

Most failed custom clothing orders come down to one thing: a poor brief. The print company is not a mind reader, and vague instructions cost you money, time, and sometimes an entire reprinted batch. If you are placing a custom clothing order UK for the first time, or if a previous order came back looking nothing like you intended, the problem almost certainly started before any ink touched film. This guide tells you exactly what to send, in what format, and why it matters for getting print-ready results from a company like Psyque.

Table of Contents

Quick Takeaways

Key Insight Explanation
Always supply vector artwork SVG or AI files scale without pixelation. JPEG screenshots at 72dpi produce blurry DTF prints regardless of how sharp they look on screen.
Specify Pantone colours by code Saying "dark blue" means nothing to a print technician. PMS 286 C means exactly one thing. Colour precision is non-negotiable on branded workwear.
Confirm garment style before artwork sizing A chest print sized for a fitted tee will look wrong on an oversized hoodie. Lock the garment first, then size the artwork to fit.
Include a mock-up with measurements Annotated mock-ups showing print width in centimetres remove ambiguity. "Centred on the chest" without a size measurement is still vague.
List your size run with exact quantities per size A brief that says "50 t-shirts in mixed sizes" creates back-and-forth. Confirm how many of each size you need before ordering.
Send a print-ready file, not a design idea Print companies are not design agencies. Sending a rough concept and expecting them to recreate it adds time and cost. Supply a finished file.
State your deadline upfront UK printers plan production schedules around order volume. A last-minute deadline flagged at checkout rarely gets accommodated without a premium.

Why Your Brief Determines Print Quality

DTF printing, the method used by Psyque, transfers artwork with exceptional detail and colour vibrancy. The technology is capable of reproducing photographic gradients and fine lines. The limiting factor is never the printing hardware. It is the information the printer receives before the job starts.

A complete brief does three things: it sets expectations on both sides, it eliminates the most common causes of reprints, and it speeds up production. In practice, orders placed with clear, well-structured briefs move through production faster because technicians are not waiting on missing information or guessing at intent.

Designer workspace with color swatches, Pantone guides, and garment placement specifications
Collection of custom printed clothing items displaying different colors and print placement options

The brief is also where accountability sits. If you specify PMS 286 C and the print comes back in navy rather than royal blue, that is a production error. If you said "blue" and the navy print differs from what you imagined, that is a brief error. Protect your order by being specific from the start.

Artwork Files: What to Send

This is the single most important part of a print ready file guide. The file format and resolution you supply directly controls what ends up on the garment. There is no post-processing magic that rescues a low-resolution JPEG.

Vector Files Are the Standard

Supply artwork in vector format wherever possible. Accepted vector formats include AI (Adobe Illustrator), EPS, and SVG. These files are mathematically scalable, meaning a logo that is 3cm wide can be printed at 30cm wide without losing any edge definition. For DTF printing on t-shirts, polos, and hoodies, sharp edges are visible at arm's length. Soft edges caused by raster scaling are equally visible.

If your artwork was created in Illustrator or a similar programme, export it as a native AI or high-quality EPS. Avoid embedding raster images within the vector file unless those images are at a minimum of 300dpi at intended print size.

When Raster Files Are Acceptable

Raster files such as PNG and TIFF are acceptable when they meet resolution requirements. The minimum for any printed garment is 300dpi at the actual print size. A common mistake is sending a 300dpi file that measures 10cm by 10cm when the intended print needs to be 30cm wide. At that size, effective resolution drops to 100dpi, which produces a soft, muddy result.

PNG files with a transparent background are preferable to JPEGs for any design that sits on a coloured garment. JPEG compression creates visible artefacts around fine detail, particularly text and thin lines.

Pro tip: When sending PNG files for DTF print, always export with a transparent background and confirm the file has no white canvas behind the artwork. A white box behind a logo printed on a black hoodie is an irreversible production error.

Font Handling

Any text in your artwork must be converted to outlines before sending. If fonts are not outlined, the print company's software will substitute its own fonts, which will not match yours. In Illustrator, use Type, then Select All, then Create Outlines. This step is non-negotiable for any artwork containing text.

Garment Specifications

Knowing how to order custom printed clothing means understanding that the garment choice affects every other decision in the brief. The print area available on a Gildan Heavy Cotton tee is different from a Stanley Stella organic hoodie. Fabric composition also affects how DTF transfers bond and how they wash.

What to Specify for Each Garment

Include the following for every garment line in your order. State the garment name and style code, for example Stanley Stella STTM512 Creator Hoodie. State the colour by name and supplier code, not just a descriptive word. State the fabric composition if you know it, as 100 percent cotton and a cotton-polyester blend behave differently under a heat press. Finally, state whether the garment is being supplied by you or sourced by the printer.

If Psyque is sourcing the garment for you, the information above helps the team match your brief to the right stock. If you are supplying blank garments, confirm dispatch logistics so garments and production schedules align.

"A well-specified brief is the difference between a client who reorders and a client who disputes." - Production principle cited widely across UK print trade forums and workwear supplier training materials.

Colour Accuracy in Custom Printed Clothing

Colour is where the most disputes occur in custom apparel. Screen colours use the RGB colour model. Print uses CMYK. These two systems do not map perfectly onto each other, and every monitor displays RGB slightly differently. If you designed your logo on a MacBook Pro and signed it off on a Samsung monitor, neither display is a reliable colour reference for print.

Use Pantone Codes

Pantone Matching System (PMS) codes are the industry standard for communicating colour intent. They are device-independent and universally understood by print technicians. If your brand has a colour guide, it should list PMS codes. If it does not, find the closest match using a physical Pantone swatch book rather than the digital Pantone app, because screen representations of Pantone colours are approximations.

For DTF printing specifically, confirm with your printer which colour bridge is used, typically Pantone C (coated) for garment work. Pantone C and Pantone U (uncoated) codes for the same hue produce different ink mixes and will look different when printed.

Artwork Canvas Colour

When creating or reviewing your print file, set the canvas or background to match the garment colour you have ordered. This lets you verify that light elements in the artwork will still read correctly on a dark garment, and that dark outlines on a dark garment are not lost. A white logo on a white background is invisible, and it will be invisible on a white shirt.

Pro tip: Convert all artwork to CMYK colour mode before sending to any UK print company. RGB files will be converted during the print workflow, and that conversion can shift colours significantly, particularly vivid oranges and bright greens.

Side-by-side comparison of low-resolution pixelated artwork versus high-quality vector file formats

Placement, Sizing and Position Details

Placement instructions without measurements are guesses. Stating that a logo should sit "centre chest" tells the technician the axis but not the height from the collar or the print width. A print positioned 2cm lower than expected is noticeable at a glance and creates inconsistency across a batch of garments.

Standard Placement References

Standard placements for UK workwear and custom printed clothing include centre chest, which is typically measured from the collar seam down, and left chest, which is the smaller logo position commonly used for embroidered branding adapted to print. Back print spans the full back panel and is sized to the width of the garment's back.

For each placement, specify the following. Print width in centimetres. Distance from the nearest seam or collar in centimetres. Whether the placement is centred on the body or centred on the chest panel. If your order includes multiple garment sizes, confirm whether print size scales with garment size or stays constant across all sizes.

Mock-Up Files

A flat garment mock-up with your artwork placed at the correct position and scale is the clearest possible way to communicate placement intent. Many designers use Photoshop or free tools like Placeit to create mock-ups. The mock-up does not need to be production quality. It needs to show position and approximate size clearly enough that a technician can measure against it.

Include written measurements alongside the mock-up. Mock-ups created at non-standard canvas sizes distort visual scale, so measurements in centimetres are always the authoritative reference.

Quantity, Sizing Splits and Delivery Details

A complete custom clothing order UK brief includes the full breakdown of what you need, not a headline number. Telling a printer you need 100 hoodies is not enough. They need to know the quantity per size, the garment colour per size if it varies, and whether all pieces carry the same print or if some require different artwork.

Size Run Breakdown

Present your size run in a simple table within your brief document or order form. List each size, the quantity needed in that size, and any variant details such as garment colour or print version. For a team kit or corporate workwear order, this breakdown often also includes individual names or numbers to be printed, which must be listed clearly and matched to specific sizes.

A common mistake in group orders is submitting the size list as a spreadsheet that does not clearly separate different print variants. Organise your spreadsheet so that each row represents one distinct garment with one distinct specification. Ambiguity at this stage causes production delays and can result in garments being printed with the wrong artwork or the wrong name.

Delivery Requirements

State your required delivery date at the beginning of the brief, not as an afterthought. UK print companies including Psyque run production queues, and tight deadlines affect scheduling and potentially cost. Psyque offers fast UK dispatch with free shipping on orders over £45, but production lead time still needs to align with your event or launch date.

If your order is destined for an event with a fixed date, build in a buffer. Printing itself is fast with DTF technology. Garment sourcing, quality checking, packing, and shipping all take time. A two-day buffer before your hard deadline is a practical minimum.

File Format Comparison Table

Choosing the wrong file format is one of the most common causes of print quality issues. The table below compares the three formats most commonly submitted to UK custom clothing printers, so you can identify which applies to your artwork.

File Format Best Use Case Common Problem When Used Incorrectly
AI or EPS (Vector) Logos, text-based designs, solid colour graphics, brand marks Fonts not outlined result in font substitution at production. Always outline text before sending.
PNG (Raster with transparency) Photographic artwork, multi-colour gradients, complex illustrations at 300dpi minimum Files sent at screen resolution (72dpi or 96dpi) print soft and pixelated. Resolution must be 300dpi at actual print dimensions.
JPEG (Raster, no transparency) Photography-only artwork on white or light garments where a canvas background is acceptable Compression artefacts appear around fine detail. White canvas edges are visible on dark garments. Not recommended for garment print work.

In practice, the safest approach for most branded workwear and merchandise orders is to supply an AI or EPS file for logo-based artwork and a high-resolution PNG with transparent background for anything more complex. This covers the majority of small business and event organiser briefs without requiring specialist knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum resolution for a custom printed clothing file in the UK?

The minimum is 300dpi measured at the intended print size, not the file's native size. A file that is 300dpi at 10cm by 10cm is only 100dpi if you need to print it at 30cm wide. Always check resolution at the actual output dimensions before sending your file to any UK print company.

Can I send a logo from my website to use on custom workwear?

Almost certainly not without modification. Website logos are typically saved as JPEG or low-resolution PNG at 72dpi or 96dpi, optimised for fast loading rather than print quality. Contact your designer for the original AI or high-resolution vector source file. If that is not available, a reputable DTF printer may be able to advise on redrawing the logo as a vector, which Psyque can discuss as part of your order process.

How do I specify where I want my print placed on the garment?

State the placement name (centre chest, left chest, full back), the print width in centimetres, and the distance from the collar or nearest seam in centimetres. Combine this with an annotated mock-up showing the artwork at approximate scale. Written measurements always take precedence over visual positioning in a mock-up.

Do I need to supply different artwork files for different garment colours?

Not always, but you should review your artwork against each garment colour before ordering. A design with a white element prints correctly on a black hoodie but may be invisible on a white tee. A dark outline that works on a pale garment may disappear on a navy one. Supply colour-correct versions of the artwork where needed, or flag the garment colours in your brief and ask the printer to confirm viability.

What happens if I miss a detail in my brief and the print comes back wrong?

Responsibility depends on what was agreed and what was signed off. If you approved a proof showing the error, the reprint cost typically falls with you. If the printer deviated from a clear written specification, the reprint is their responsibility. This is why a detailed written brief and a signed proof approval process both matter. Always request a digital proof before production begins on any significant order.

How far in advance should I place a custom clothing order in the UK?

For standard small business or event orders, a minimum of five to seven working days ahead of your deadline is a practical baseline with an efficient UK DTF printer. For larger orders, corporate kit with name printing, or orders requiring garment sourcing, two to three weeks is more realistic. Flagging your deadline upfront in the brief allows the printer to confirm feasibility before production begins rather than after.

Have you recently placed a custom clothing order in the UK? Share what worked in your brief or what you wish you had included, your experience could help someone else avoid a costly reprint.

References

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