Artwork & uploads
What you can upload
Our design studio prints your artwork on real products, so we have to follow copyright and trademark law on every order, even an order of one. Here is the simple version.
Good to go
- Artwork, designs, and photos you made yourself
- Photos you personally took, like family, pets, and events
- Stock images with a license that covers printed merchandise (keep your receipt — standard licenses usually do not cover products)
- Images you have verified are in the public domain
- Your own company or organization logo, when you are authorized to order for that company
- Original text and quotes you wrote, in standard fonts
We will need something from you first
- Professional or studio photos — school portraits, wedding photos, team pictures. The photographer owns the copyright, so we need the photographer's print release.
- Artwork someone else made for you — including commissioned art and tattoo designs. We need written permission from the artist.
- Stock images — proof your license covers merchandise.
- AI-generated images — accepted, as long as they do not contain recognizable characters, logos, or celebrity likenesses.
- Parody designs — reviewed case by case. Famous brand logos still cannot be reproduced.
Send permissions to sales@purechoiceapparel.com with your order number and we will keep them on file.
We cannot print these
- Sports team, league, school, or university logos, unless you are the licensed organization
- Cartoon, movie, game, and comic characters, including fan art and “inspired by” versions
- Brand logos and designs, like Nike, Supreme, or Harley-Davidson
- Band logos, album covers, movie stills, and celebrity photos
- Images with a watermark
- Anything you found online or bought without the right to reproduce it on products
A few honest answers
Is there a “personal use” exception?
No. There is no personal-use exception in copyright law — a single shirt for yourself is treated the same as a run of five hundred.
If I change the image enough, is it mine?
No. Changing an image by some percentage does not make it yours. There is no percentage that makes a protected design safe to print, despite what you may have read.
I bought the digital file — doesn't that mean I own it?
Usually it means you own that copy, not the right to print it on products. Those are different rights, and merchandise rights are the ones we need.
What if I'm not sure?
Ask us before you order and we will help you figure it out. And if you hold rights to something on the “cannot print” list — great. Send us the paperwork and we are glad to print it.
Not sure about your artwork?
Send it over before you order. We would rather answer a question than refund an order.