Creating your design in Canva? Here's how to make sure what you send over is clear, high-quality, and ready for us to work with. These tips speed up the process and make sure your final product looks just how you imagined it!
Start with the Right Canvas Size
Setting up your design area correctly from the jump saves everyone headaches later.
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Why it matters: If your artwork is too small, it will get pixelated or blurry when scaled up. Too big, and it can bog down Canva. Size mismatches are one of the biggest culprits behind delays.
- How to do it: Click "Custom size," when creating your Canva design. Then enter the exact dimensions of the final print area (in inches or pixels). If you're unsure about sizing, just reach out to us, and we'll be happy to help.
Export High-Res Files
A crisp, high-res file is a non-negotiable for exporting your design
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Why it matters: Blurry lines, pixelated edges, or funky color banding from low-quality exports can take a lot of time to clean up, and sometimes require redoing the design.
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How to do it: Hit "Download, and select PDF or PNG print. This makes it the easiest for our design team to throw them in Illustrator and get them finished for you. Also if you can, export as an SVG as they drop straight into Illustrator with clean anchor points.
(Bonus tip, if you have premium, make sure to avoid the "decompress file" option, be sure to keep that unchecked.)
Keep Color Specs Clear
Keeping colors consistent helps us separate your design correctly and match your vision.
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Keep it clean: Canva offers a lot of photo-style filters and effects, but those don't always play nicely with certain screen printing software. So if you want a special effect or filter on your design let us know and we can add them if needed.
- List Pantones if possible: If you can, listing what Pantone you're using or want used helps save us tons of time, but if you don't have any exact numbers, that's fine too, we can find the Pantones that match your design.
Add Context with Notes & Mockups
A little extra content goes a long way in helping us get things right on the first round. Even a clean design can be misunderstood without placement notes or examples. Giving us visual references for scale, location, or fabric color can help lock in the final look.
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Use Canva comments: Pin a note on your art board about placement specs or fabric colors. But keep in mind, the notes will only be shared in a PDF format and only if you check the box to share them.
- Attach a quick photo: A phone shot of a similar short or a flat-lay mockup helps us nail scale and vibe before we prep separations.
Final Word
These small tweaks on the front end can save everyone time and keep your project moving smoothly. If you ever feel stuck, just shoot us a message, and we'd be happy to walk through specs, sizing, or file formats before you export.
Bottom line, Better files = better prints = better merch
