How to Send Big Artwork Files for Printing

Now, there are plenty of things that contribute to high quality t-shirt printing. Not least, a great graphic to adorn your shirt. But having a stunning image or logo is only part of the picture. That’s to say, you also need to get that design to us. And, of course, everything is electronic these days. Which is fabulous, fast and convenient. However, the best screen printed t-shirts require high resolution artwork and this type of information can be huge in byte terms. Our guide on how to send big artwork files for printing provides easy alternatives when your email client says ‘no’.

Sending Large Design Files Free in the UK.

Nobody wants to pay if there’s a free way. And no business got successful by spending cash that didn’t need to be spent. To that end, there are a number of third party resources that can be used to send large artwork files for printing and embroidery projects. Below, we’ve selected a few of those which have a proven track record. They can be accessed and used without charge. Needless to say, subscription versions are available and limitations apply.

Send a Big File with We Transfer.

We Transfer hit in the digital bricks in 2009, similar to when Dropbox got rolling. As the story goes, it was the result of creative designer folk finding it difficult to conveniently send big pieces of work electronically. Whatever the origin, it’s very much like the process described above. That is, you can register in a few clicks. Verify your email address and get data transferred with very little hassle. Again, it’s quite simple in that you just click the plus button to upload a file. Then enter the recipient details to share your image. Both of the above currently have 2GB file limits with the free versions. And they’re both excellent options when you only need to occasionally send files.

Sending T-Shirt Design Files with Other Tools.

Needless to say, other web-based transfer tools are available. The digital world is an ever evolving space. For example, the Google suite of services is widely known and pretty comprehensive. So, no great surprise that they have methods of transmitting large volumes of digitised info. Specifically, Google Drive. And the One Drive app in Office 365 is another popular program that allows for sending large files of various descriptions including images. As mentioned, there are many more out there and we always try to work with the customer’s preferred option.

Zip Files to Make them Smaller.

We ought to mention zipping files. In basic terms, this means compressing the data so a file is smaller. There is a utility within Microsoft Windows for doing so which can reduce some sizes by up to 50%. You can usually right click on an image and one of the options will be Compress to ZIP File. By the way, we haven’t included screen shots because how to do it may vary with your operating system. Or even be subject to change with system updates. That aside, it’s fair to say that nowadays online transfer tools such as Dropbox and We Transfer are commonly used by most folk.

Get Help to Send Big Artwork Files.

Before concluding, it’s worth a word about getting help with how to share those large graphics needed for your print project. There are a couple of obvious sources of information and assistance. Firstly, if you’re working with a professional designer they will be very familiar with this aspect of things. And they’re ideally placed to offer guidance. Secondly, let’s not forget your customisation company. As a printing and embroidery business, we’re more than happy to offer advice. Because what matters most is that you end up with the perfect finished product.