Printing Tips · Corporate Playbook
The Corporate Brief That Gets Your
Custom Apparel Order
Right the First Time.
Most delays, reprints, and budget overruns in branded apparel come down to one root cause: an incomplete brief. Here's the exact framework Inkcora's production team uses with North Shore businesses to eliminate that friction from day one.
The Brief by the Numbers
Source: Inkcora Production Data · Advertising Specialty Institute Operations Report 2025
You've decided on branded apparel for your team. You know which technique you need — or you have a general idea. Now comes the step that most corporate buyers underestimate: writing a clear, complete brief that allows your print partner to produce exactly what you're envisioning.
At Inkcora, we process orders for businesses across Beverly, Salem, Danvers, Peabody, Gloucester, and Greater Boston. The orders that move fastest, require the fewest revisions, and arrive exactly as expected share one thing in common: a thorough brief submitted from day one.
This guide walks you through every element of that brief — what to include, what to avoid, and how to prepare files that your production team can use without back-and-forth.
Why the Brief Is the Most Valuable Document in Your Order
Before diving into the framework, it's worth understanding what happens when a brief is incomplete.
A missing color specification means your production team has to guess — or pause and ask, which adds 24 to 48 hours to your timeline. A low-resolution logo submitted as a JPEG means the file needs to be rebuilt before production can begin. A vague size breakdown ("mostly mediums, some larges") results in a size confirmation call that could have been avoided entirely.
None of these delays are anyone's fault. They're structural — caused by information gaps that a good brief eliminates upfront.
The brief is not a formality. It is the single document that determines whether your order arrives on time, on budget, and exactly as you imagined.
The 6-Part Brief Framework
Part 1: The Who and the Why
What your production team needs to know about your organization and the purpose of the order.
Start with context. A brief that explains who is ordering and why the apparel is needed gives your print partner the ability to make intelligent recommendations — not just execute instructions blindly.
Include:
- Company name, industry, and size (number of employees or team members receiving apparel)
- Purpose of the order: onboarding kit, client gift, trade show, company event, uniform program, or other
- Audience: will these be worn by employees, given to clients, distributed at a public event?
- Any brand restrictions: colors that cannot be used, competitor logos to avoid, style guidelines to follow
Example brief entry:
That single paragraph eliminates dozens of potential errors before production begins.
Part 2: The Product Specification
Exactly which garment, in which color, in which sizes.
This is where most corporate briefs break down. "A hoodie in navy" is not a product specification. A complete product specification includes brand, model number, colorway, and a confirmed size breakdown.
Include:
- Preferred brand and model (or ask your print partner for a recommendation based on your budget and use case)
- Exact colorway from the manufacturer's catalog — not a description, but the official color name or code
- Complete size breakdown: how many units per size, including any special sizes (XS, 2XL, 3XL)
- Quantity per design, if ordering multiple designs in the same run
Size breakdown template:
| Size | XS | S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qty | 2 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 50 |
Never submit an estimated size breakdown. Confirm actual sizes with recipients before submitting the brief — size changes after production begins result in delays or split orders.
Part 3: Artwork and Logo Preparation
The single most technically sensitive part of any apparel order.
Your artwork file determines whether production can begin immediately or requires a rebuild — which adds cost and time. Understanding what makes a file production-ready is essential for any corporate buyer who orders apparel more than once per year.
File formats, ranked by quality:
| Format | Type | Production Ready | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| .AI (Adobe Illustrator) | Vector | ✦ Yes | Best possible format. Fonts outlined, colors in PMS. |
| .EPS | Vector | ✦ Yes | Widely compatible vector format. |
| .PDF (vector-based) | Vector | ✦ Yes | Confirm it is vector, not a rasterized PDF. |
| .PNG (300 DPI+) | Raster | Conditional | Acceptable for DTF. High resolution on transparent background. |
| .JPEG | Raster | No | Compressed format with artifacts. Cannot be used for production. |
| .PNG (under 150 DPI) | Raster | No | Will pixelate when scaled to print size. |
Color specification: For screen printing and HTV, specify your colors using the Pantone Matching System (PMS). If your brand guidelines include PMS codes, include them in the brief. If they don't, ask your print partner to identify the closest PMS equivalent at the proofing stage.
For DTF and sublimation, colors are rendered digitally — include your RGB or CMYK values and note that fabric always renders slightly differently than a monitor.
What to never submit:
- Screenshots of your logo taken from a website or social media
- Word document exports with embedded graphics
- Logos sent as email signature images
- Files labeled "logo_FINAL_v3_USE THIS ONE.png" at 72 DPI
Part 4: Decoration Specification
Where exactly does the design go, and how large should it be.
Placement and sizing are decisions that significantly affect the final look of a garment — and they require explicit instruction, not assumption.
Standard corporate placement options:
- Left chest: The most common corporate placement. Typically 3.5" × 3.5" — professional, subtle, appropriate for client-facing uniforms and polos.
- Full front / center chest: Higher visibility, more casual. Works well for event apparel and internal culture drops. Typically 10"–12" wide.
- Full back: Maximum visibility for events and outerwear. Typically 11"–13" wide.
- Sleeve: Secondary branding placement. Works well for workwear and jackets. Typically 3"–4" wide.
- Collar / back neck: Subtle secondary placement for internal branding or sizing labels.
Specify in your brief:
- Primary placement location
- Approximate print dimensions (width × height in inches)
- Whether a secondary placement is required
- Any placement to explicitly avoid (some garments have seams, pockets, or zippers that interfere)
For multi-location orders — for example, left chest logo and full back design — treat each placement as a separate decoration spec within the same brief.
Part 5: Timeline and Delivery Requirements
The information that determines whether your order ships on time.
Timeline errors are almost always caused by not accounting for proof approval time. The production clock does not start when you place the order — it starts when you approve the digital proof.
Standard Inkcora timeline:
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Brief submission to proof delivery | 24 hours |
| Proof review and approval (your side) | 24–48 hours |
| Production (post-approval) | 3–5 business days |
| Shipping from Beverly, MA | 1–3 business days |
| Total from brief to delivery | ~7–10 business days |
Include in your brief:
- Hard deadline: the date by which apparel must be in hand (not the date you'd like to order by)
- Delivery address, including floor and contact name for large shipments
- Whether a split shipment is acceptable
- Any blackout dates during which the recipient team will be unavailable to receive delivery
For rush orders: If your deadline is inside the standard timeline, communicate this immediately in your brief. Rush production is often possible — but only when flagged upfront, before production scheduling is locked.
Part 6: Budget and Quantity Parameters
Knowing these upfront unlocks better recommendations.
Your budget and quantity directly affect which product, which decoration technique, and which quantity break makes the most sense for your order. Sharing this information upfront allows your print partner to optimize the recommendation rather than simply quote what you asked for.
Include:
- Total budget for the order (or per-unit target cost)
- Whether quantity is flexible (can you order 60 instead of 50 to hit a volume discount tier?)
- Whether the order is a one-time purchase or part of a recurring program
Volume discount reference — Inkcora corporate pricing:
| Quantity | Discount |
|---|---|
| 1–24 units | Standard pricing |
| 25–49 units | Save 7% |
| 50–99 units | Save 12% |
| 100–249 units | Save 18% |
| 250+ units | Contact us for best value |
The One-Page Brief Template
For corporate buyers who order apparel regularly, maintain this one-page template that your team fills out for every order:
Order purpose: __________________________________________________________________
Recipient audience: ______________________________________________________________
Colorway: ______________________________________________________________________
Size breakdown: XS ___ S ___ M ___ L ___ XL ___ 2XL ___ 3XL ___
Total quantity: __________________________________________________________________
PMS color codes: ________________________________________________________________
Logo version (confirm final): ______________________________________________________
Print dimensions: ______________ × ______________
Secondary placement (if any): _____________________________________________________
Hard deadline: _________________________________________________________________
Rush required: Yes / No
Recurring order: Yes / No
Ready to Brief
Your Next Order?
Inkcora serves corporate clients across Beverly, Salem, Danvers, Gloucester, Peabody, and Greater Boston. Our team reviews every brief personally and responds with a digital proof within 24 hours.
No minimums. Free digital proof in 24 hours. Ships from Beverly, MA in 3–7 business days.