I don't own Photoshop. What are my options to submit Fightstick artwork for printing?

Online Apps

If you would like to use a free, online Photoshop-like app to check out whether your artwork will work with a layout we offer, I highly recommend Photopea. This amazing app works with our PSD templates and is a great way to preview your artwork or create new art files. It also exports to PSD, which is the format we recommend for submitting artwork.

Visit Photopea 

Desktop Apps

Many that don't own a copy of Photoshop will often use the free, open source application GIMP to create artwork using our control panel templates. It is possible to import our Photoshop templates into GIMP. Plexworks currently does not support GIMP's .XCF format, but GIMP does export to Photoshop .PSD format.

Another possible alternative is Autodesk Sketchbook, recently made free to download and use.  It will open Photoshop PSD files, allow you to work in layers, and export to PSD.  We have tried it and it does function well.

Important Recommendation If You're Using an App Other than Photoshop: Our policy over Artwork Elements we cannot see in Photoshop

Free apps such as Photopea, GIMP or Clip Studio Paint that export to Photoshop PSD format don't always perform this task correctly. Often, we learn that artwork in layers, especially layers that use effects, are missing from the artwork. We don't know this until the customer sends us a report that such elements are missing from their print.

We need to make clear that our business uses Photoshop - an industry standard in graphic design. We understand that few customers will have access to this app, and instead use a free or low cost alternative to then export to Photoshop format. 

To be clear: We can only print what we are able to see in Photoshop, and are not liable if layers you intended to be printed do not appear in the official Photoshop app. 

Recommended Steps to Ensure Compatibility with Photoshop

• When saving, please merge all of your finished assets all into the "ADD ARTWORK HERE" layer.  This will ensure that the content we see in Photoshop actually matches your intended design, as all information about those assets are preserved. 
• Save your submission to us as a copy. This way, should you desire to send an update or correction to us, you can always edit the original file with all of its layers, then save another copy with the artwork assets merged. 
• When merging your own artwork, you must keep the following locked layers intact
  • INFORMATION
  • OVERPRINT
  • LAYOUT
    
    Merging our LAYOUT, OVERPRINT and INFORMATION layers into your artwork will result in a hold within the fulfillment process.

I don't have a template.  What Now?

If you cannot or don't want to use a template, Plexworks will also accept files in JPG, TIFF, and PDF.  However, please note there are some caveats when submitting these formats and without a template:

• Often, artwork saved as PDF in Photoshop will automatically flatten all of the layers into one single layer.  We cannot use this because the guidelines must be removed before we print the artwork.  The guidelines are only for your use when positioning artwork elements.  If you have Photoshop, please save as a layered PSD file instead. You won't help us by saving in PDF.
• Artwork that are submitted without our Photoshop templates, a smaller size than 300dpi, or other inconsistency from our templates will be prone to judgement calls from our fulfillment team when sizing for print within our internal templates. We will post warning notes of possible changes that we have to make in order to print the artwork. These notes will appear in our Plexworks Job Tracker which you can review at any time while your custom product is processing.  Please note that custom artwork services are not refundable.
• Please consider the artwork you are using in relation to the Fightstick layout you want to print on.  For example, buttons, control panels, and other elements may block out key parts of the artwork when cut.
• Please keep in mind that artwork submitted without our Photoshop template will be attempted to line up with our internal templates, but may not align exactly as expected. If you are concerned about positioning, then please use our Photoshop templates to submit your artwork.
• Please do not send us a file that appears to have a template but is saved as a JPG, PNG, GIF, or PDF.  Often these files will have the template merged to the artwork. We cannot process these because we need the ability to remove the template before printing.  That isn't possible with such files. Orders submitted this way are placed on HOLD.