Artwork Guide

Design Concept
At PensXpress all we need from you is an idea or a concept we can then take those ideas and turn it into reality for you. Your thoughts can be conveyed by a sketch drawing, pictures, photos - any way you can get your design concept across to us. At PensXpress you can have as many designs and as many changes as you need to get your design right - we don't charge for any of that.

Logos
Our customers send us all types of logos and artwork to use in custom design. Unfortunately, not all formats are acceptable for digital printing. Most logos that are pulled off websites or business cards etc are of a very low resolution meaning that they will not appear sharp and clear when printed.

For the best results on your custom pens, we prefer the following file types.
Adobe Illustrator - AI files
Encapsulated Post Script - .eps files
High resolution - over 300 dpi - .pdf files

These files are referred to as Vector format files. This means that they can be resized and manipulated without losing resolution on the file meaning that they will look sharp and clear on your custom pens.

What is vector artwork?
Vector art is created in a vector-based software program like Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand. It is based on points and lines created from mathematical equations and can be easily edited or scaled with the click of a mouse. Vector artwork is typically found in files that end in .EPS or .AI. For example: mylogo.eps or mylogo.ai.

The picture below shows the difference between a vector logo and a bitmap logo (.JPEG, .JPG, .GIF, etc.). When the vector logo is enlarged, it stays crisp and clean. When the bitmap logo is enlarged, it becomes distorted. If you send us a JPG logo and we enlarge it to fit on your uniform, it will become distorted.

How do I know if my logos are vector?
If the file you have ends in JPG, .GIF .or BMP, it is  NOT vector artwork. If the file ends in AI, EPS or PDF, it's most likely vector. If you're not sure if your logo is vector, email the logo to graphics@pensxpress.com and they will be able to help you.

I don't have vector logos. What do I do?
Contact your logo designer and ask them to email you a vector logo. Most likely they have one on file, as vector logos are needed for all printing needs like business cards, brochures, etc. IF you absolutely can not get vector logos - let us know - we can redraw within reason - UNLIKE OUR COMPETITORS THIS IS DONE AT NO CHARGE!

I have logos from a website. Will those work?
Website images are designed to load up quickly, which means they are low resolution and we can't use them.

How about business cards. Can you use those?
Sorry, business card images are also low resolution and won't work.