ART PROOF APPROVAL PROCESS

What will my new logowear will look like?
 

We send art proofs for approval for EVERY job, whether the design is new or a reorder. This ensures accuracy and avoids any surprises at pickup time. 

Art proofs & mockups on product images are ALWAYS sent for your approval for EVERY project, even reorders. The art team begins work right away, AFTER your quote is paid in full.

Here's an example of how we show you every detail of your project BEFORE it is decorated:

T-shirt product mockup example



Art FAQ's:


• Can I see my mockups before a job is paid in full? I'm excited to see what my decorated products will look like!

 

You can, but we charge for proofs sent prior to a project being paid in full. Simply put, no art services are "free", no matter how simple a project. However, we will waive your $75 art cost with any product order totaling $750 or more, per design. 

Most importantly, the process takes human input and experienced decision-making to ensure a quality result. Also, the specially trained graphic artists who build proofs & mockups for us charge for their time and skill, as any professional does.

Trust us when we say-- Experience counts when adapting your design to logowear decoration-- even if you've had your art professionally designed. Even the best graphic designers tend to overlook the very fine details which are our everyday focus. They know design, we know decoration.

 

 

Potential art costs:

 

New designs: We charge $75 for all proofs for ANY project with NEW art, UNLESS:

• Your new project totals $750 (all products decorated with that one same design), at which point we'll waive the art cost, to say: Thanks for your nice order!

• Your design is an "exact reorder" that we've printed for you before, on a previous order. Your proofs have already been established, and it's simple enough to add new product styles & images (mockups) to your proof, when new items are added. No art cost for exact reorder designs on file.

    Note: Only one art fee applies to a shirt/product style with multiple decoration locations. (Example: Left chest + full back + right sleeve = only one $75 art fee)

    Note: One decoration type per design to qualify for waived art cost. (Example: $750 of Digital Print qualifies. NOT qualified: $350 of embroidered design + $400 screen printed design, even if they are based on the same logo.)

 

 

• But what if I need mockups made BEFORE I'm ready to start my order? For example, if I intend to pre-sell items to my group, and I can't provide my final list of qtys/sizes until the order window I've given closes?

 

We'll work with you to save on costs!

It is still possible to have your art fee(s) waived, but in this case art fees will be returned to you later in the form of a credit on your product quote (AKA the actual, eventual order), as long as your product order total is $750 or more, for the same design we mocked up.

In this case (and similar), please tell us in advance so we can note your "art only" quote, and pair it to your eventual product quote. We'll still need you to pay for any desired mockups ahead of time. This ensures that our art team's costs are covered, in the event a product order doesn't materialize. 

 

 

• But all you're doing is plopping my PDF file onto a stock catalog image, right?

 

We're glad you asked that! Here's our art process, in a nutshell: Before any mockup goes out to the client for approval (and right after, to production), the art team must first:

 

• Make sure your provided art files meet quality criteria.

• Any art not meeting quality specs must go through an extra "redraw" process

• Some designs will require minor edits to work with the decoration process. requested (example: small text often gets enlarged to meet minimum size specs for embroidery.)

Colors must be matched to our ink & thread library, to ensure consistency with your branding/design.

• "Light" and "Dark" product color variations are created to ensure your design's visability on differing product colors. (Example: "Dark products": White ink on navy blue shirts / "Light products": navy blue ink on white shirts)

• In some cases, a third color variation is needed. We may suggest a single-color design in this situation. (example: if part of your logo is orange, but orange shirts are ordered: We may suggest printing an all-black version on this shirt color.)

• The specific print order of colors must be decided (for screen print projects).

• The ideal size of each design must be decided, for each decoration location (left chest, back print, etc) using specialized templates, to ensure workability on our production equipment.

• A standardized product mockup is then made, using all of the details decided on above.

• Only then, the processed & now production-ready design is copied to actual product photos from our suppliers, to create a "mockup".

• We create a separate mockup page for every item in your project.

• All of these specifics and graphic elements are compiled into a multi-page PDF, and attached to your project in our cloud-based system.

• Your project link is e-mailed to you, for your review/approval at your convenience.

Three sets of eyes review your proof before it is sent out for client approval.

• After proof approval, production files are created directly from the PDF you've approved, and are attached to your project for the team to decorate your order.

• After production is completed, your art proof is reviewed again and curated with exact technical details from production. 

• We take this final extra archiving step so that when you reorder, we can later reproduce your design EXACTLY the way we did the first time. 

(Extremely few other companies do all these steps, but combined our proven process makes all the difference-- On your first order & on future reorders!!)

 

 

Art costs, revisited:

 

• Exact reorder designs:                                           $0, no art cost

• "Art Only" quotes (ex: for collecting pre-orders):    $75

• Product orders < $750:                                               $75 art cost

Product orders of $750+:                                       Instant net $0 ($75 art cost with -$75 credit on quote)

    ^ Most popular!

• Product orders following "art only" quote:               Net $0 ($75 art cost pre-paid, then -$75 credit on product quote)
     ^ with prior arrangements made; see details above

 

 

Summary:

 

The least expensive, fastest and most streamlined way to get your proofs/mockups made is to opt for the standard flow that 99% of our clients do-- Pay for your quote in full and we'll cover your art costs, on any order of $750 or more. Easy! You'll typically receive your proofs within 1-4 business days.

 

But, if you have specific ordering needs or an "out of the box" idea, we're happy to discuss it with you to solve your unique needs. Just ask our team. We're here to help!

 

 

--The Art Team @ AT


How can I get a quote from you for my project?
• We'd love to get you a quote! Use our Quote / Reorder form. This is THE best way to request a quote, because the form makes sure to ask all the relevant questions. You can even upload your art files here!  Get a quote here!



Have another question for us?
• Reach out to the team by using our General Questions form.


We hope this makes things a bit clearer. Educated clients are our favorite clients! --the AT team





The average time spent in the art department on a new design is over 1 hour total.