Promotional products use several decoration methods — screen print, DTG, DTF, embroidery, laser engraving, pad print, and sublimation — each with different strengths, constraints, and file requirements. Artwork automation adapts the output per method automatically, so one upload produces the right file for every product.
FastEditor platform data (Mar–May 2026): across 8,664 logo uploads, 61% needed vectorization and 3.5% exceeded the colour limit for the chosen method — and automation produces the right file for each method below from a single upload. See the Artwork Automation Benchmark 2026.
A customer wants their logo on 200 mugs, 50 polos, and 100 pens. Three products — three different decoration methods, with three different file requirements, colour specifications, and production constraints. Understanding decoration methods isn't aesthetic; it's operational.
Ink pushed through a stencil. Best for flat items, high volume, and spot colours. Limitations: a maximum number of colours and no gradients. File requirement: vector with spot-colour separations. Automation auto-separates colours and checks the spec.
Ink jetted straight onto fabric. Best for full-colour designs and small runs. Limitations: fabric compatibility and wash durability. File requirement: CMYK, 300 DPI. Automation converts colour mode automatically.
A transfer-based method that works on more fabric types than DTG and is growing fast in promo and apparel. Similar full-colour file requirements.
Logo reproduced in thread. Best for workwear, caps, and premium apparel. Constraints: stitch-count limits, limited thread colours, no gradients. File requirement: a digitized stitch file. Full detail in embroidery digitizing & automation.
A laser etches the surface. Best for metal, wood, glass, and leather. Usually single-colour. File requirement: single-colour vector. Automation converts to a single-colour vector automatically.
Ink transferred via a silicone pad onto curved or irregular surfaces — pens, mugs, golf balls. Requires spot-colour separation and curved-surface placement.
Dye fused into the substrate, ideal for full-wrap mugs and all-over apparel. Requires full-bleed CMYK and precise template alignment.
| Method | Best for | File requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Screen print | Flat items, high volume, spot colour | Vector, spot separations |
| DTG / DTF | Full-colour garments, small runs | CMYK, 300 DPI |
| Embroidery | Workwear, caps, premium apparel | Digitized stitch file |
| Laser engraving | Metal, wood, glass, leather | Single-colour vector |
| Pad printing | Curved/irregular items | Spot-colour separation |
| Sublimation | Mugs, all-over apparel | Full-bleed CMYK |
This is where artwork automation earns its keep: the same upload flow produces a screen-print-ready file for one product and an embroidery stitch file for another, each a production-ready file for its method. Woodcarve uses this to automate personalised engraving previews at scale, removing 90% of its manual design tasks. Explore the range in the Product Hub, workwear, and apparel flows.
Screen printing is usually most cost-effective at high volume; DTG and DTF suit small, full-colour runs.
Each method has different colour, format, and detail constraints — a stitch file for embroidery is fundamentally different from a CMYK file for DTG.
Yes — it adapts the output per product and method automatically.
