Artwork & File Formats

Sending Artwork to Identitag

Identitag offers a complete artwork service for engraved labels, industrial tags, control panels, signs, plaques and printed products.

You can supply finished artwork ready for manufacture, or simply send us your existing drawing, logo, spreadsheet, sketch or specification and we can prepare the artwork for you.

Our experienced artwork team can assist with:

• Creating new artwork from your specification
• Modifying existing label and tag designs
• Preparing customer logos for engraving or printing
• Converting drawings into production-ready artwork
• Setting up sequential numbering and identification data
• Preparing control panel and fascia layouts
• Checking supplied artwork before manufacture

Preferred File Formats

For the best results, particularly for engraving, CNC machining and laser cutting, we prefer vector artwork.

Preferred Vector Formats

DWG | DXF | AI | EPS | CDR | PDF

These formats generally provide the cleanest lines, accurate dimensions and the highest-quality results.

For CNC-machined components and control panels, 2D DWG or DXF files are particularly suitable.

Files We Can Work With

Type of artwork	Preferred file formats	Typical use
CAD drawings	DWG, DXF	Machined panels, labels, holes, cut-outs and profiles
Adobe Illustrator	AI, EPS, PDF	Logos, graphics and engraved artwork
CorelDRAW	CDR, PDF, EPS	Labels, signs, logos and general artwork
PDF	PDF	Drawings, layouts, logos and finished artwork
Photoshop / Images	PSD, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF	Digital printing and image reference
Excel	XLSX, XLS, CSV	Numbering lists, tag schedules and variable data
Word	DOCX, DOC	Wording, schedules and text information
Publisher	PUB	Existing customer artwork
Gravostyle	Gravostyle files	Existing engraving layouts

 

If you have a different file format, please send it to us. In many cases we can convert or redraw the artwork for manufacture.

Important Artwork Guidelines

Fonts

If your design uses a particular typeface, please either:

• Convert the text to curves/outlines, or
• Ensure that the required font is embedded within the supplied file.

This prevents the appearance of the artwork changing if we do not have the same font installed.

Logos

For engraving, laser marking and CNC work, please supply logos as vector artwork whenever possible.

Preferred formats are:

AI | EPS | CDR | DWG | DXF | Vector PDF

If you only have a JPG, PNG or other image file, send us the best-quality version available. We may be able to redraw or convert it into suitable production artwork.

Digital Printing Artwork

High-resolution raster images such as JPG, PNG, TIFF and PSD can be suitable for digital printing.

For the best print quality, we recommend artwork supplied at approximately 300 dpi at the finished size.

Please note that ordinary JPG and other bitmap images are generally not ideal for engraving or CNC machining, because they do not contain the vector paths required to define accurate lines and shapes.

What Is a Vector Image?

A vector image is made from mathematically defined lines, curves and shapes rather than individual pixels.

This means a vector graphic can be enlarged or reduced without losing sharpness or detail.

Vector artwork is particularly suitable for:

Engraving CNC machining Laser cutting Logos Text Line drawings Symbols Control panel graphics Technical drawings

Common Vector File Formats

AI | EPS | CDR | DWG | DXF | PDF

For manufacturing purposes, vector files are normally our preferred artwork format.

What Is a Raster Image?

A raster image, sometimes called a bitmap image, is constructed from individual pixels.

Photographs and most website images are raster files. When a low-resolution raster image is enlarged, the individual pixels become visible and the image can appear blurred or jagged.

Raster artwork is normally most suitable for digital printing and photographic images, rather than precision engraving or machining.

Common Raster File Formats

JPG | JPEG | PNG | TIFF | PSD | GIF

For printed products, please provide the highest-resolution original image available.

Numbering Lists & Variable Data

For jobs containing multiple labels or tags with different information, we recommend supplying the data in Excel or CSV format.

For example:

This greatly reduces the possibility of transcription errors and makes production of large sequential or variable-data orders considerably more efficient.

Not Sure What Format to Send?

Don't worry if you do not have production-ready artwork.

Send us what you have — whether that's a PDF, photograph, sketch, old label, spreadsheet or technical drawing — and we can advise you on the best way to proceed.

Tel: 01740 621175
Email: quotes@identitag.co.uk