Fabric print artwork handover gives the printer and clothing factory an identifiable production file with the information needed to reproduce the buyer’s design. A mood-board image or garment photograph cannot reliably define repeat dimensions, motif scale and color references. For brands ordering printed woven women’s wear, file preparation should be settled before sampling. This guide focuses on the artwork package; color strike-offs and placement across garment seams remain separate approvals.
Ask the selected printer for its file requirements
Confirm accepted file formats, color settings, resolution at final size, file limits and any requirements for layers or separate artwork elements. Identify the proposed print process and base fabric. Do not prepare the final export around a generic rule copied from another supplier.
As one supplier-specific example, Spoonflower’s upload instructions specify its own formats, color space and image settings. Those instructions illustrate why requirements must come from the chosen printer; they are not a specification for every textile mill or printing process.
Define repeat dimensions and motif scale
State the repeat width and height in explicit units. Explain the repeat arrangement, such as straight or half-drop, and include a preview showing several adjacent repeats. Mark any direction that must remain consistent in the printed material.
Provide a scale reference for a key motif so the printer can confirm the intended size after opening the file. A useful package distinguishes the production repeat tile from the preview image. Ask the printer to acknowledge the dimensions rather than relying on how the artwork initially appears on screen.
Keep artwork and garment placement instructions separate
The repeat file establishes the printed pattern; garment cutting instructions determine how that pattern is placed on panels. Identify any engineered panel or border arrangement that needs a different file package and approval process.
Use the woven dress print-placement guide for matching priorities and focal motif positions. Do not expect a printer to infer garment seam matching from a repeat tile. Give the factory the approved print direction and scale alongside the garment drawings.
Supply usable color and material references
Identify the colorway and any physical or agreed digital references the printer needs. Record the intended base cloth and finish. Ask how color comments should be communicated during sampling so the team can distinguish a file change from an adjustment to the print process.
Connect the handover to the color and strike-off approval process. A screen preview supports layout review but should not silently replace the required physical color approval. If the base fabric changes, review which submissions must be repeated before production.
Use a versioned handover package
Give each production file a clear design code, colorway, repeat size and revision identifier. Include a short manifest stating which file is for production and which images are references. Remove superseded exports from the active handover folder or mark them clearly as obsolete.
Ask the recipient to confirm the file received, dimensions and any preparation problems before a sample is printed. Keep the editable master and the printer-approved export distinguishable. A filename such as “final-new-final” does not provide a reliable approval trail.
Approve the sample against the handed-over file
Record which file version produced the strike-off or sample length. Review repeat joins, motif size, direction and physical color against their respective references. Write comments that identify whether the correction concerns artwork, scale, color or fabric, and request a new version when necessary.
The sample comments workflow helps keep those decisions actionable. Retain the accepted physical reference and file identifier together so the printer and sewing factory use the same approved design.
For a printed women’s clothing enquiry to Mugekoo, provide the garment brief, artwork status, proposed materials and color quantities using the manufacturing RFQ checklist. Ask the factory to confirm the printing partner’s requirements and sample sequence before bulk fabric is ordered.
