How do I setup artwork for printing my logo on the custom flash drive?

The most important part of your custom flash drive is your logo or other artwork. Review the information below to identify how each imprint method requires different types of setup for the best printing result.

There are 4 different imprint types: Silk Screen, Direct Print, Laser Engraving and Hot Stamping. Each one has its own specifications. We’ll give you a quick rundown here, but we recommend speaking with a sales representative or someone from our art department. Call us at 866-458-8415.

Silk Screen

  • Recommended file format:  Adobe Illustrator .EPS
  • Color Space:  Spot Color (with Pantone Colors assigned)
  • Max number of colors:  4 solid Pantone spot colors
  • Limitations:  No screens, halftones or gradients. No CMYK process.

Direct Print

  • Recommended file format:  Adobe Illustrator .EPS or .AI, Photoshop .PSD, .EPS, .TIF, Acrobat .PDF.
  • Acceptable file format:  .PNG or .JPG in most cases, although the recommended files yield better results
  • Not acceptable:  .GIF, .BMP, PowerPoint, MS Paint files
  • Color Space:  CMYK
  • Color Matching:  Spot colors will be printed as CMYK. We will get as close as possible to your spot color.
  • Resolution:  300ppi or higher
  • Limitations:  Direct Print is available only on certain products.

Laser Engraving

  • Recommended file format: Adobe Illustrator .AI or .EPS, Photoshop .PSD, .EPS, .TIF.
  • Color Space:  Black & White  (Engraving doesn’t handle halftones or gradients well. Line art or files with stark contrast work best)
  • Resolution:  300ppi or higher
  • Limitations:  Laser engraving works on most of our drives by burning through the colored outer layer of the drive revealing the bare metal or plastic underneath. The best results are on darker colored drives that will contrast with the lighter material. The exception is wooden flash drives. The laser actually scorches the wood, making it darker. The most visible results are on lighter wood flash drives.

Hot Stamping

  • Recommended file format:  Adobe Illustrator .AI or .EPS, Photoshop .PSD, .EPS, .TIF.
  • Color Space:  Black & White
  • Limitations:  Hot Stamping embosses the image or text into the leather flash drives’ surface without changing the color of the material. Small intricate detail should be avoided, as it will not show up.