A retail opening usually involves several different printed items produced from the same brand files, and inconsistent or incomplete artwork is one of the most common causes of delay. This checklist covers what to have ready before submitting artwork for any part of a retail opening order.
Start With a Single Finalised Logo File
Before ordering storefront branding, product labels, staff badges or business cards, make sure you are working from one finalised logo file rather than several slightly different versions saved at different times. A high-resolution vector file (such as AI, EPS or PDF) is the most reliable format, since it can be resized for a large window decal or a small product label without losing quality.
Confirm Your Brand Colours as Exact Values
If your brand colours have not already been defined as specific CMYK or Pantone values, confirm them before ordering more than one item. Colours that look consistent on a screen can print slightly differently across materials such as vinyl decals, paper labels and PVC badges, so having a fixed colour reference helps keep everything visually matched once it is all installed or in use.
Item-by-Item Artwork Notes
Storefront and Window Branding
Window and wall branding files need to be supplied at the actual installation size, or as scalable vector files, since enlarging a low-resolution image will show visibly on a large surface. See our shop window graphics page for more on this.
Product Labels
Label artwork should account for the final die-cut shape and size, with any barcode or QR code supplied as a separate high-resolution file rather than embedded in a lower-resolution design. Our article on product label types covers format options in more detail.
Staff Badges
Name badge artwork is usually simple, but it is worth confirming the exact spelling of each staff member's name and job title before submitting a batch order, since corrections after production means resubmitting the whole batch.
Business Cards
Double-check every phone number, email address and physical address on the card proof before approving it, since business cards are one of the items most likely to be reprinted for a small text error.
A Simple Pre-Submission Checklist
Before sending artwork for any part of a retail opening order, confirm: one finalised logo file, confirmed brand colour values, correct spelling on every name-specific item, and file formats appropriate to each item's final size. Working through this once at the start avoids repeating it separately for every individual order.
Next Steps
For the complete list of what a new retail store typically needs printed before opening, see our Retail Store Opening Printing Package page, or reach our team through our contact page with questions about a specific file.
