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The gap between "we'd like our logo on the temple" and a finished, correct sample is usually measured in lost weeks. Most of that time is not production; it is email ping-pong over file format, line width and placement. This article sets out the artwork a factory needs before a private label order starts, so the file pack is right the first time and sampling rounds drop from four or five to one or two.
A factory that prints on a 5 mm temple does not open a PowerPoint or a screenshot. The formats that translate cleanly are:
|
Format |
Use |
Why |
|
Vector AI / EPS / SVG |
Primary logo source |
Scales without pixelation; the factory can set exact line width |
|
PDF with embedded fonts |
Accepted if truly vector |
Visible and editable, but confirm it is not a flattened image |
|
High-resolution PNG (300 dpi at print size) |
Fallback only |
Works for simple marks but cannot be re-sized cleanly |
The file to avoid sending is a raster logo pulled from a website header: it looks fine on screen and turns to blur the moment it is scaled to temple size. Provide vector, and the factory works from geometry rather than guesswork.
How the logo is applied changes the file requirements:
· Pad printing / screen printing on the temple— needs a vector logo and a defined print area; line width must clear the printing process minimum.
· Laser etching— burns the mark into the surface; needs a clean vector and a depth tolerance, because too deep etches through a thin temple and too shallow is invisible.
· Metal badge or inlay— a physical part fixed to the temple; needs the badge artwork plus the badge's own tooling file, and adds a component to the BOM.
Pick the method before sending the file.A logo prepared for etching is not the same file as one prepared for pad printing; sending a generic logo and asking the factory to "do whichever" is what triggers the extra sampling rounds.
Three numbers decide whether the logo reproduces:
|
Parameter |
Typical requirement |
Consequence if ignored |
|
Minimum line width |
Often around 0.2-0.3 mm for pad printing |
Thin strokes fill in or break up |
|
Colour count |
1-2 colours per process; each extra colour is a separate pass |
Added cost and misregistration |
|
Placement tolerance |
Defined offset from hinge or end tip, ± small mm |
Off-centre or overlapping hardware |
State the placement as a dimension from a reference point (e.g. "15 mm from the hinge, centred on the temple width"), not as "centred". A factory cannot centre against an unstated reference, and "roughly centred" is how logos end up on top of the hinge.
The frame is only part of the branded set. The same discipline applies to the accessories:
· Glasses cases— debossing, hot-stamping or printed lid; needs the logo vector plus the case's print-area template supplied by the factory.
· Pouches— screen print or woven label; needs the mark and the allowed print area; woven labels need their own weave file.
· Cleaning cloths— full-colour sublimation; needs a high-resolution file at the cloth's print dimensions, not a tiny logo scaled up.
The common failure is treating the cloth as an afterthought: a logo that is crisp on the temple becomes a pixelated smear on the cloth because the source file was too small. Supply print-resolution artwork per accessory, not one shared file for all.
Bundle the above into a single sheet the factory signs off against. A useful minimum:
1. Product and modelthe logo applies to.
2. Application methodper location (temple print, etching, case stamp, cloth print).
3. Logo filename and format, with the colour values (Pantone or CMYK, not "our blue").
4. Placementas dimensions from a reference point, per location.
5. Tolerances— line width minimum, placement ±, etching depth if applicable.
6. Packaging marks— any logo or text on the retail box, with its own file.
When the factory signs this sheet, the sample is judged against it rather than against memory, and a wrong sample becomes a factory error to correct rather than a fresh negotiation.
· Sending a raster logo and waiting for the factory to "clean it up" — they cannot; it must be re-supplied.
· Specifying "centred" without a reference point, then rejecting the off-centre result.
· Using a screen colour ("the blue from our website") with no Pantone or CMYK value.
· Forgetting the cloth and case until after the frame sample is approved.
· Changing the logo after the first sample, which restarts the tooling and print setup.
Each of these is a round-trip. Stack two or three and the launch slips by the better part of two weeks — almost always avoidable with the file pack complete up front.
Only if it is available as vector at sufficient resolution. A header image pulled from a site is usually too low-resolution and risks a blurred mark on the temple.
It depends on the process and the temple width, but the practical limit is set by minimum line width and legibility, not by the file. State the line-width minimum and let the factory confirm the smallest workable size.
No — etching is monochrome by nature. If you want colour on the temple, that is pad or screen printing, which is a different file and process.
Because the print area on a curved lid is not the same shape or size as the temple, and the factory's case supplier has its own printable area. Using the frame artwork alone risks the case mark being clipped.
Supply a print-resolution file at the cloth's actual print size and specify the process (sublimation versus screen). A small shared logo scaled up is the usual cause of a poor result.