Creating a Print File

LA Sublimation – Artwork Setup Guide

This guide walks you through how to correctly place and prepare your artwork on an Adobe Illustrator style template for production at LA Sublimation. Following these steps precisely is critical to ensure accurate printing and proper panel alignment.

OPENING YOUR STYLE TEMPLATE IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

Each style folder in your Dropbox includes a Template folder containing all size templates for that style in .AI format.

1. Open the template file in Adobe Illustrator.
2. In the Layers panel, select the size template you wish to work with.
3. Do NOT modify or resize any template panels — these are pre-set for production accuracy.
4. All individual size templates are layered within the same file.

SETTING UP YOUR ARTWORK

1. Choose the size you want to begin with.

   We recommend starting with the largest size and scaling down.

   Place your artwork onto the template.

   • Artwork must be at least 150 DPI
   • Use 300 DPI if scaling artwork up

2. Apply artwork to each panel using Clipping Masks:

• a. Send artwork to back:

  Right Click → Arrange → Send to Back

  or Cmd + Shift + [

  b. Align and scale artwork to fit each panel

  (Using Illustrator Guides is recommended)

  c. Create Clipping Mask:

  Select Pattern Element + Artwork

  Right Click → Make Clipping Mask

  or Cmd + 7

3. Repeat for every panel

IMPORTANT NOTES

• DO NOT FLIP ANY TEXT

  What you see on screen is how it will appear on the garment. Text appears flipped only on the transfer paper for press readability.

• If large white areas exist on panels:

  Add a 1pt dotted line to assist alignment during pressing

• Do NOT leave black borders around artwork panels.
• Use the Artboard Tool to crop out excess white space from the top and bottom of the artboard.

SAVING YOUR PRINT FILE

1. Go to:

   File → Export → Export As

A) File naming format

ArtName_Style#_Size

Example: CURVY_AOP085_3XL     

B) Save as type

JPG

C) Artboard setting

Check “Use Artboards” and click Export

JPEG EXPORT SETTINGS

A new JPEG options window will appear, prompting you to adjust additional saving settings. Select the following:

A) RGB or CMYK

Save colors as the original artwork format.

B) Quality

Set to 10 or Maximum.

C) Baseline

Select Baseline (Standard).

D) Resolution

Set to Medium – 150 PPI.

E) Type

Choose Optimized.

F) ICC Profile

DO NOT check Embed ICC Profile.

Click OK to export.

NOTE*

Your exported file name should end in "-01".

This confirms the export was done correctly using the artboard setting.

If you do not see “-01”, double-check that Use Artboards was selected during export.

ADDITIONAL STEPS - ARTWORK GRADING ACROSS ALL SIZES

Repeat all previous steps for every size.

TIP for Grading Art:

Each size grades by 3%

1. Select All Panels (EXCEPT any POCKETS) and Copy
2. Select the next Size Layer and Paste
3. Double-click the Scale Tool and the scale dialog box will open

4. In the Uniform field (circled above):

   Add 3% when grading up

   Subtract 3% when grading down

5. Some panels will scale perfectly, while others may require slight manual adjustments.

FYI: POCKETS will always need to be re-clipped.

Release your existing Clipping Masks, then create a new Clipping Mask for the resized panel — just like in the steps above.