- Design, Fabrics, Manufacturing
- Branding, Design, Prints
Logo, Branding & Print Artwork Files vs. Spec Sheet Requirements
YOUR ARTWORK FILES AND YOUR SPEC SHEETS ARE TWO SEPARATE JOBS, EACH WITH ITS OWN REQUIREMENTS. HERE’S THE DIFFERENCE, AND WHAT WE NEED BEFORE YOUR JOB GOES INTO PRODUCTION
Many clothing brand founders who come to us already have a logo, and often a full set of branding elements – labels, swing tags, packaging, and print concepts for their range. Some have a graphic designer they love and a folder of beautifully designed artwork ready to go. Others have put something together themselves in Canva or with an AI image generator.
So when we ask about spec sheet requirements as well, the reaction is nearly always the same: “Isn’t that just the artwork file?” And if the artwork came from Canva or an AI generator, there’s often a second surprise: it’s a flattened image, not an editable Adobe file – even though it looks identical on screen.
Neither is quite right, and both come up all the time. The gap between artwork and a spec sheet, and whether your artwork file is actually production-ready, are two of the most common (and expensive) points of confusion for first-time fashion brands moving into production. We’ll cover both below – whether it’s your logo, your labels, or the prints going onto your garments.
What’s the Difference Between an Artwork File and a Spec Sheet?
Artwork is what your branding – or your print – looks like. It’s the logo, the label design, the swing tag graphic, the placement print or repeat pattern: the creative file your designer produces in Illustrator or Photoshop.
A spec sheet is what tells a manufacturer exactly how to make it or apply it. It’s a technical production document that sits alongside the artwork and defines every detail a factory needs to reproduce it correctly, including:
- The type or technique used for label or print production
- Pantone codes for print or thread colours
- The quality of thread, card stock or fabric (plus trims like cords, safety pins or hardware)
- Bleed lines, seam allowances and fold lines — clearly illustrated on the artwork itself
- Repeat/seamless set-up and scale for pattern prints, or placement and sizing guides for placement prints
- Reference images showing the desired finished look
- Mock-ups showing how separate components come together in the finished product
Artwork answers “what does this look like?” A spec sheet answers “how do we actually produce this, correctly, at scale?” You need both. Having one without the other is like having a beautiful house plan with no measurements on it — a builder can see what you want, but they can’t actually build it.
Put simply, these are two separate jobs, which can be done by two different specialists, each with its own requirements. Your artwork file needs graphic design skills. Your spec sheet needs production and manufacturing knowledge. That’s why we ask for both, and why one can never substitute for the other — regardless of how the artwork was created (logo, label, packaging or print).
It Applies to Prints and any other Artwork Design Too, Not Just Logos and Labels
This same principle applies across everything we produce for your range, not just your logo and branding. It covers:
- Placement prints — a single design applied to a specific area of a garment
- Repeat pattern prints — a design engineered to repeat seamlessly across the entire fabric yardage
- Embroidery & trim design — artwork optimised for machine stitching, plus custom hardware like buttons, buckles and zip pulls
A beautiful print concept is not the same as a production-ready print file. Repeat prints need to be mathematically set up to tile without visible seams, placement prints need correct scale and positioning for the garment pattern, and embroidery needs stitch-ready digitising. Get this wrong and you’ll see it immediately in your strike-off or sample: mismatched repeats, prints running off a panel edge, or thread colours that don’t match your brand palette.
Why We Recommend Doing both the Artwork Files and the Spec Files In-House
It’s simply the most efficient way to work — not a reflection on your own designer’s ability. We have our own in-house team creating artwork every day, so when we also write the spec sheet ourselves, there’s no separate review fee and no added cost for correcting or resupplying files down the track
This is also what works best for your timeline: having the artwork and the spec sheet created together, in-house, by the same team. One team creates the artwork and writes the spec sheet as part of the same job — no handover between two separate designers, no guessing at intent, and no back-and-forth to make it production-ready
We’re also very happy to accept an artwork file if you already have one ready, as long as it’s supplied in the correct, editable format (more on that below). What we can’t skip is the check. Any file we’re given, rather than create ourselves, still needs to be reviewed by our Branding & Artwork Specialist against our production requirements before it goes anywhere near a tech pack or the factory floor.
This is where double handling comes in. When we create your artwork ourselves, the spec sheet is written alongside it, so there’s nothing left to check afterwards. When a file is supplied to us instead, our specialist has to check it against things like:
- How much seam allowance a label or swing tag needs once it’s actually sewn or attached
- Where bleed and cut lines need to sit so a design doesn’t get trimmed incorrectly
- How a repeat print needs to be set up so it tiles seamlessly across fabric yardage
- How placement details — like the position of a hole punch, or a placement print on a garment panel — affect how it hangs, sits or attaches
- What materials, finishes and production methods are realistic for the technique being used
- How Pantone references translate across print, thread and different fabric types
If anything needs adjusting, that becomes a round of feedback and resupply — a domino effect of checking, corrections and re-checking that simply doesn’t happen when we create the artwork and the spec sheet together from the start. Supplying your own file is completely fine and we’ll always support it — we just want you to know upfront that it comes with this extra round of double handling built in.
What Happens When a Spec Sheet Is Missing or Wrong
This is where it gets costly. When artwork goes into production without a correct, complete spec sheet, brands typically run into:
- Labels, tags or prints that don’t fit or sit as expected once physically produced
- Colours that come back different from what was intended, because print or thread Pantones weren’t clearly specified
- Hardware or placement prints positioned in the wrong spot
- Files that need to be checked, corrected and re-sent — sometimes more than once
- A tech pack job that has to stop and be rescheduled because the branding or print files weren’t ready or correct, pushing the whole timeline back and re-queuing the job
None of this is unusual. It’s simply what happens when a step gets skipped, because a spec sheet feels like an “extra” cost rather than a necessary one.
Why This Actually Matters for Your Timeline and Budget
A proper spec sheet:
- Lets your factory quote accurately, the first time
- Prevents your tech pack job from being paused and re-queued
- Protects you from surprise correction costs later in the process
- Makes sure your branding and prints actually look and function the way you designed them
- Keeps your whole production timeline on track
This step isn’t optional. It’s what turns a beautiful piece of artwork into something a factory can actually produce, consistently, at the size and cost you’re expecting.
Our Artwork & Spec Sheet Requirements
When we’re creating your tech pack and taking your job through to production with us, we require every spec sheet — for your labels, swing tags, packaging, placement prints, repeat prints or embroidery — to be developed internally by our own Branding & Artwork Specialist as part of that job, rather than supplied from outside.
You’re welcome to supply your own artwork file, as long as it’s in a correct, editable production format:
- Adobe Illustrator (AI), Photoshop (PSD) or EPS files
- Flattened or raster files created in tools like Canva, or any other non-editable format, cannot be used for final production
Why do we do it this way? On their own, these are relatively low-cost items. But when a spec sheet has been created outside our process, we’ve seen it turn into a domino effect of checks, corrections, double handling and resupplies — and what should have been simple ends up costing considerably more in both time and money. Doing it internally, as part of the same job as your tech pack, is the most streamlined path we can offer: one consistent standard, checked by our Branding & Artwork Specialist, before your job ever reaches tech pack creation or production. It’s ultimately what saves you the most time and cost.
How to Get Started
Whether you already have artwork ready to go or want us to design it from scratch, getting started is the same first step:
- Book a 1:1 designer consult
- We’ll provide a Design Handover Template to help you brief us on your idea.
If You’re Providing Your Own Artwork File
Your artwork file needs to be supplied in a correct, editable production format:
- Adobe Illustrator (AI), Photoshop (PSD) or EPS files
- Flattened or raster files, including exports from tools like Canva, can’t be used for final production
Every file we’re given is still reviewed by our Branding & Artwork Specialist before we can schedule tech pack creation or production. This review takes time, so it’s invoiced separately, based on the time spent checking the file and providing feedback.
Spec Sheets
Spec sheets are created in-house by our Branding & Artwork Specialist as part of your tech pack or production job. We don’t accept spec sheets supplied from outside — this keeps your job on the most streamlined, cost-effective path, with the spec sheet built into the same job rather than billed as a separate correction later.
Logo, Branding & Print Artwork vs. Spec Sheets — FAQ
What’s included if Visionise creates the artwork for me?
Placement prints & placement artwork, repeat print patterns, and embroidery & trim design — delivered 100% production-ready, with the spec sheet built in as part of the same job.
How do I get started on creating my Logo, Branding, Print and Artwork?
Book a 1:1 designer consult, and use our Artwork Design Handover Template to brief us on your idea (or bring your own design brief if you already have one).
Design Consult →
What’s the difference between an artwork file and a spec sheet?
Your artwork file is the creative file — your logo, label design, swing tag graphic, placement print or repeat pattern — produced in Illustrator or Photoshop. A spec sheet is the technical document that sits alongside it and tells a manufacturer exactly how to produce it: Pantone codes, bleed and seam allowances, repeat set-up, materials and finishes. You need both — one shows what it looks like, the other shows how to make it.
Can I use my own graphic designer for my artwork?
Your logo or artwork file needs to be supplied in an editable, correct production format: Adobe Illustrator (AI), Photoshop (PSD) or EPS. Flattened or raster files — including exports from Canva or an AI image generator — can’t be used for final production, even if they look identical to the editable version on screen.
What are the file requirements for my logo or artwork?
Your logo or artwork file needs to be supplied in an editable, correct production format: Adobe Illustrator (AI), Photoshop (PSD) or EPS. Flattened or raster files — including exports from Canva or an AI image generator — can’t be used for final production, even if they look identical to the editable version on screen.
Can I use my Canva or AI-generated logo/artwork file?
Not for final production, but it’s a useful starting point. Files from Canva or an AI image generator are flattened/raster images — the individual elements (colours, paths, layers) aren’t editable, so our team can’t set bleed, seam allowances, repeats or Pantone references correctly from them. If this is what you have, we’re happy to either recreate it as a proper editable file or use it purely as a creative reference if you’d like us to design the artwork for you instead.
Can I supply my own spec sheet?
No — when we’re creating your tech pack and taking your job through to production with us, every spec sheet is developed internally by our own Branding & Artwork Specialist, as part of that job. This is the most streamlined path, and it’s what protects your timeline and budget.
Can I supply my own artwork file
Yes. However, reviewing a supplied file and giving accurate feedback takes our specialist’s time, so a fee applies (tied to a minimum 30-minute design consult). There’s no separate review fee if we create the artwork for you, since it’s built correctly the first time.
What happens if my supplied artwork file doesn’t pass the review?
We’ll let you know exactly what needs adjusting — for example, missing bleed, incorrect repeat set-up, or unclear Pantone references — so you (or your designer) can correct and resupply it. This back-and-forth is the double handling we mention in the full blog post, and it’s why we recommend having us create the artwork and spec sheet together from the start.
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