Launching fabric to your Store
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FILES
Here is a list of tips and instructions to help guide you through file setup and the self-launch tool you will use to upload
your fabric design. CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO NAVIGATE TO THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS:
1 FILE SETUP
2 TIPS & TRICKS
3 UPLOADING
Dotted Diamonds & Watercolor Pines by alethea and ruth
1
FILE SETUP
To set up your fabric files, start by downloading the AI template in
which you will create your pattern swatch. Using this template, you
will prepare one yard (36”) of your repeated pattern at the full roll
width of 54”.
The length of the fabric measured as it comes off a roll is called the
vertical repeat. In the file you’ll be uploading, we are requesting you
lay out one yard of vertical repeat. You may set up your pattern to
repeat as many or as few times as you like within the yard. However,
FILE PREP CHECKLIST
A. COLORWAYS
All colors are in CMYK
All colorways are distinctly different from one
another in color, but identical in layout
Colors need to be in CMYK mode ONLY. Use
only whole values (no decimals) for your CMYK
color values.
it is very important that you make certain that the top of your
artboard will match up and repeat seamlessly with the artwork at the
bottom of your artboard. This way if a customer orders 2 or more
B. FONTS
yards, the pattern will continue.
Please outline all fonts used within your artwork,
since they will not be editable. Make sure to only
One way to do this is to decide how many times you want your
use MINTED APPROVED FONTS.
pattern swatch to repeat within 1 yard and size the swatch to match.
For example, if I decide I want to repeat 8 times in one yard, I divide
36” (the # of inches in a yard) by 8 and know to make the height of
my pattern swatch 4.5”. If I want to repeat two times, I’ll make my
height of my pattern swatch 18”. You can also choose to use the
entire 36” without repeating, as long as 1 yard will flow seamlessly
C. LINKED FILES
All linked elements are embedded
All linked elements are a minimum of 300 dpi
into the next.
D. REPEATABILITY
Here is a handy chart for you to use:
The pattern flows seamlessly from yard to
yard
Once you are done designing your pattern, we recommend you do a few checks. Test the vertical repeatability by expanding
your pattern in the ‘Object’ drop down menu (if you do not expand the pattern when testing vertical repeatability, the pattern
will repeat automatically and give you false results for vertical repeatability). Create a copy of the pattern (entire artboard),
and place at the bottom of the artboard to verify that all elements match up perfectly yard to yard. To test the scale of your
pattern, open the print dialog. Print one page with ‘do not scale’ selected. Check that this is how you want the scale of your
pattern to look when printed.
After your pattern is perfect, we suggest that you create at least 5 and up to 10 colorways for your design. Customers are
looking for a wide range of colors to complement their home decor, so having many color options will increase the sales of
your design.
2
TIPS FOR FILE SETUP
PREVENT OVERSATURATION If you are submitting
vector graphics, the sum of the CMYK values should
add up to no greater than 255% (ex C-25, M-75, Y-55,
K-100 = 225% total ink coverage). This prevents ink
oversaturation making dark colors print muddy, as well
as ink smudging (where ink rubs off onto other pieces in
the order).
CHECK PPI OF EMBEDDED FILES Raster elements in
your artwork need to be a minimum of 150 ppi at size,
and must be in the same colorspace as the rest of your
artwork. To check ppi in Illustrator, use the Direct Select
tool (white arrow) and click on the embedded image. At
the top left of your tool panel (underneath the menu bar)
you will see the effective ppi (Pixels Per Inch).
To check ppi in Photoshop, use the Image Size option
(Image > Image Size...). Here you can see the effective
resolution of the overall file. If adjusting the ppi in
Photoshop, make sure to un-check the ‘Resample
Image’ option (this option adds or subtracts pixels from
your file but does not create a higher quality image).
BUILD RICH BLACKS AND GREYS For vector
graphics, areas of solid black greater than 1” x 1” and
all instances of grey should use rich color builds. A rich
color build is made up of all four colors used in print
(cyan, magenta, yellow and black). A good build for solid
black is CMYK (45, 45, 45, 100).
3
UPLOADING YOUR FABRIC
Upload the AI file of your artwork through your My Projects page by clicking on the ‘Launch New Project’ link. Be sure to
follow the below step-by-step instructions as you navigate through the tool.
1.
PRODUCT TYPE Choose Self-Launch Fabric Prints and
click the check box below to verify that you will not be
able to change the product type after navigating to the
next page.
2.
PRODUCT NAME Select a unique name that best
describes your fabric, and choose landscape for the
orientation.
3.
NAME & COLORWAYS Select your colorways and
fill out all the necessary information. Choose a color
from your pattern that best represents this colorway,
and give that color option a unique name. Be sure to
add all desired colorways on this page before clicking
‘next’. You will see a green button that says ‘+ add a
colorway’.
4.
MERCHANDISING INFO Input all merchandising
information that you would like attributed to your fabric.
Please submit a description of the piece, pattern filters,
pattern scale, room filters, theme and search terms, then
click ‘next’.
5.
UPLOAD FILES Please upload your 54” x 36” AI file.
After clicking next, your files will process and we’ll
notify you via email once everything is ready for review.
6.
REVIEW & SUBMIT You will receive an email asking
that you review your work and submit for approval.
Download the proofs and preview your fabric to check
that everything looks correct, and if so, click ‘next’
(otherwise fix and reupload files). On the next page,
review the merchandising information for your art and
check for any spelling errors. You can now click ‘submit.’
Your files will be sent for review by a Quality Assurance Representative prior to launching on Minted, which can
take up to two weeks. Congrats, you’re finished! If you have any questions, please email us at designers@
minted.com.