Tips
One of the great things about Pro Lineup Cards is that we can customize your Dugout Charts and Lineup Cards to make them exactly how you want them!
After doing this for a while, we've learned a few things that we want to share with you that will help make your custom printed products come out looking awesome.
So, you're free to design yours however you want, but here are a few of our best tips:
Tip #1: Upload High Resolution Files.
The best way to ensure that your prints come out sharp as a tack is to use high resolution files. Low resolution files do not scale well for larger prints and can look pixelated.
If you are not sure where to find high resolution logos and artwork the first step would be to contact someone in your athletic dept, or marketing team, instead of doing a Google Image search!
Most schools/teams/organizations should have either a "brand identity" or "style guidlines" .pdf that let vendors (like us!) know exactly how to use their artwork. When looking for this, use search terms like "_____ athletics brand identity," or "______ athletics style guide" and insert your organization in the blank.
The best file types are what's called "vector" files and their file extension would be: .eps, .ai, .pdf, or .svg.
Vector files are able to be scaled infinitely big without losing quality.
If vector files are not available a high resolution .png file will also work. Another common file type for images is .jpg or .jpeg. These are both raster files which means they can lose quality if they have to be scaled much larger than their original dimensions.
Here is an example from adobe.com showing the difference between vector and raster files:
I'd be willing to bet that you can guess which one is which!
Acceptable file types: .eps, .ai, .pdf, .svg, .png, .jpg, .jpeg
Unacceptable file types: .avif, .jfif
Tip #2: Do Not Upload Images with Backgrounds.
This is an important one! When you upload an image/logo file it should either have a white background, or no background at all.
The images that you send us are what will be printed on your Dugout Charts or Lineup Cards...we do not edit the files!
Here's an example...
If you upload this file as your main watermark:
Your Lineup Cards would look like this:
We'd be willing to bet that's not the look you're going for! So, instead you should upload a file that looks like this:
And then your Lineup Cards would come out looking like this (which is 1000X better!):
Tip #3: The Border and Lines Should be a Dark Color.
Colored lines work can look great...if you choose the right color.
We recommend that the line work is the darkest color in your logo, or black. If you choose a light color (yellow, baby blue, etc.) it can easily look "washed out." Remember, the line work is the main part of your Dugout Chart or Lineup Card so you want this to be bold.
Ex. If you're LSU and your colors are purple and gold, your line work should be either purple or black. Gold won't "pop" against white paper.
Ex. If you're North Carolina and your colors are Carolina blue and navy, your line work should either be navy blue or black. Carolina Blue is a great accent color, but your prints will look better if the line work is navy.
Ex. If you're UCLA and your colors are blue and gold, we would definitely not recommend using gold for the line work, and possibly not their blue either because it's a mid tone as opposed to a dark color. You may be happy using a mid tone but the best results typically come from dark colors.
Here are a few examples...
When in doubt...choose black!
Tip #4: Use the "Right" Logos in the "Right" Places.
We will absolutely make your Dugout Charts and Lineup Cards however you want, but most people are happiest when they follow a few guidelines.
Custom Dugout Charts
There are 6 customizable areas on most Dugout Charts:
- Top Right/Left Logos.
- Top Wordmark.
- Main Background Watermark.
- Bottom Left Watermark.
- Bottom Right Watermark.
- Border and Line Colors.
Here are our best practice guidelines for customizing your Dugout Charts:
Top Right/Left Logos
We recommend that this is your team's PRIMARY logo. Many teams have multiple logos, but this should be the primary logo that is most commonly associated with your team.
Top Wordmark
Most teams have multiple wordmarks...some use the team's city/school name, and others use the team's mascot. Either of these work perfectly fine and it is purely your preference.
Main Background Watermark
This is a great place for your team's SECONDARY/ALTERNATE logo if you have one. If your team does not have a secondary logo the primary logo will also look great here.
Bottom Left Watermark
This is a great spot for your team's association or affiliation. So, if you're an NCAA Division I team you could place the NCAA logo here. Or, if you're an NAIA team you could place that logo here.
If you're a high school team you could use the state's association logo.
Travel teams that may not be in a particular association could use whichever logo they like.
Bottom Right Watermark
A lot of teams prefer to use the logo of their particular league in this position. So, if you're in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) you could place that logo here.
You are free to choose any logo you'd like so if the above suggestion doesn't fit your team don't worry about it...you can design it however you like!
Border and Line Colors
There are a lot of suggestions listed above in Tip #2 about how to choose the best colors, but, as always, it's completely up to you.
Custom Lineup Cards
You can customize 3 different areas on most Lineup Cards:
- Top Logo/Wordmark.
- Main Background Watermark.
- Border and Line Colors.
Here are our best practice guidelines for customizing your Lineup Cards:
Top Logo/Wordmark
Most people are happiest when they use a wordmark that lists their team's name or location, but you're absolutely free to use a logo here if you prefer.
Please keep in mind that if you use a logo it will be fairly small. That doesn't mean it won't look good, but a wordmark will more than likely be easier to read.
Main Background Watermark
You can't go wrong here if you use either your PRIMARY logo, or an ALTERNATE logo.
Border and Line Colors
We think you probably know our thoughts on this by now, but please refer to Tip #2 for the best practices.
*Remember, these are only suggestions to try to help you make design decisions. Ultimately, however you want us to print these for you is what we'll do!