Short answer: supply your design as a PDF, AI, EPS or SVG — vector files have no minimum resolution — or as a PNG, JPG or WEBP at roughly 40 ppi at actual size, which is about 16 pixels per centimetre. Allow 5 mm of bleed all round and a 10 mm safe zone inside the trim line, and convert all text to outlines. You upload your file yourself in the design tool on the product page and see straight away whether the resolution is good enough for the size you've chosen.
Why file quality matters
Your flag is only as good as the file you supply. A great design delivered at too low a resolution or in the wrong format leads to blurry printing or colour differences — and nobody wants that.
Accepted file formats
We accept the following file formats:
- PDF — Recommended for print-ready files. Make sure all fonts are embedded ('outlines') and the bleed area is included.
- AI (Adobe Illustrator) — Vector file: scales without limit and without any loss of quality. Convert fonts to outlines before saving.
- EPS — Vector format, a good choice if you work in older software. Here too, make sure text is converted to outlines.
- SVG — Vector format, handy if your design comes from an online design program. Here too, convert text to outlines.
- PNG — Fine for logos and illustrations, as long as the resolution is high enough (see below). Use a transparent background if you want to place the logo on its own.
- JPG/JPEG — Fine for photos and backgrounds. Save at the highest quality setting (minimal compression).
- WEBP — Fine as a raster file, with the same resolution guideline as PNG and JPG. Save at the highest quality or losslessly.
Minimum resolution
For dye-sublimation printing on flags, the guideline is:
- Vector files (PDF, AI, EPS, SVG): No minimum resolution required — vectors scale without limit.
- Raster files (PNG, JPG, WEBP): Guideline roughly 40 ppi at actual print size, about 16 pixels per centimetre. That may sound low next to print on paper, but you look at a flag from several metres away, not from thirty centimetres.
In pixels, that 40 ppi works out at:
- 90 × 60 cm — about 1,420 × 945 pixels
- 150 × 100 cm — about 2,360 × 1,575 pixels
- 300 × 200 cm — about 4,725 × 3,150 pixels
The design tool works this out for you and uses three bands: from 36 ppi upwards you get no warning, between 18 and 36 ppi a mild warning where you confirm that's how you want it, and below 18 ppi a firm warning. So if you're just under the guideline, that needn't hold you back.
Prefer working to scale? A design at 1:10 (so 15 × 10 cm) at 400 ppi gives exactly the same number of pixels as 150 × 100 cm at 40 ppi.
Choose your size first, and only then create your file. The design tool has eight fixed sizes: 60 × 40, 90 × 60, 120 × 80, 150 × 90, 150 × 100, 225 × 150, 300 × 200 and 450 × 300 cm. You upload your file in the tool, choose the size and see straight away whether the resolution is sufficient or too low — no need to do the maths yourself.
Tip: Not sure whether your file is sharp enough? Zoom in to 100% in your image editor. If the design already looks grainy or blurry on screen, the resolution is too low for print.
Colour settings (CMYK vs. RGB)
Screens use the RGB colour model, but print works in CMYK. That's where colour differences can creep in — especially with bright colours such as neon orange, bright red or vivid green. To avoid surprises:
- Supply vector files in CMYK if you want precise control over how the colour looks in print.
- We convert RGB files to CMYK automatically, but this can lead to slight colour shifts.
- Working with brand colours? Set your brand colour yourself as CMYK values in your file; that gets you closest to it. We don't match Pantone (PMS) codes separately.
Bleed and safe zone
Your flag design must include a bleed area of at least 5 mm all round. This is the part that may be trimmed off or folded over during finishing. Don't put anything important (text, logos, faces) in this area.
On top of that, keep a safe zone of 10 mm inside the trim line for all essential design elements.
Text as outlines
If your file contains text that hasn't been converted to outlines, the font may display differently on our systems or be replaced by a default font. Always convert all text to outlines / curves before saving your file.
In Adobe Illustrator: select all text → Type > Create Outlines.
In Adobe InDesign: export as PDF with 'Embed Fonts' enabled.
One file or two?
For a single-sided flag with your own design (from €30.00) you supply one file; the back then shows the mirror image shining through the fabric. For a double-sided flag with two designs (from €46.00) you upload two files, one per side. Between the two layers sits an opaque interlayer (black-out), so each side reads correctly and you don't need to mirror anything.
Other products have different proportions, so build your file to the shape of the product you're ordering. A Straight beach flag (from €85.00) is narrow and tall: from 40 × 235 cm to 90 × 430 cm. A custom banner (from €39.95), on the other hand, is wide and low. Squeezing a flag design into a banner always costs you part of the image at the sides.
Placing your order and uploading your file
You upload your design in the design tool on the product page, before checkout. The tool shows your design at the chosen size, warns you if the resolution is too low and lets you move or scale the image until it sits exactly how you want. We create the print file from that preview.
After you order, production takes 3 to 4 working days; shipping then adds 1 to 2 working days in the Netherlands and Belgium and 2 to 4 working days to other EU countries. Allow 5 to 7 working days in total. Shipping is free from €60, to every EU country.
Questions about your file? Get in touch — we're happy to help.
