EDGE_ERR
Poor edge quality
AI-generated artwork often contains strange, uneven or overly soft edges that become much more noticeable when designs are enlarged, printed or die-cut.
Our Artwork Policy
Made by people.Printed with care.
At Merchdrop, we're here to help artists, designers, creators and businesses turn their own ideas into professionally printed products. To protect print quality and support genuine creative work, we do not accept AI-generated artwork for production.
Our Community
Supporting real creators
Merchdrop exists to help artists, illustrators, designers, small businesses and independent creators manufacture products from their work.
We want our platform to remain a place where original ideas and human creativity are valued.
You do not need to be a professional illustrator to order from us. Simple artwork, hand drawings, digital illustrations, logos, photography and customer-created designs are all welcome.
The important thing is that the work is yours and suitable for professional printing.
We proudly work with:
IllustrationGraphic DesignPhotographyHand DrawnBrand ArtworkTypographyOriginal Characters
No professional experience required
We work with creators of all skill levels, from professional studios to first-time makers. If the work is genuinely yours, we'd love to help bring it to life.
Manual Review
The tell-tale signs
Our team manually checks submitted artwork before production.
Fuzzy outlines
Edges that should be clean contain blurred or feathered pixels.
Semi-transparent edges
Pixels around the artwork gradually fade instead of having a clean, defined boundary.
Melted or inconsistent details
Lettering, hands, faces or repeated elements can contain unnatural shapes or inconsistencies.
Artificial textures
Areas that appear detailed at first glance often break down into random or muddy patterns when viewed closely.
Broken text
Letters, symbols or logos may contain malformed characters or inconsistent typography.
Unnatural repetition
Patterns and repeated objects may subtly change shape or merge into one another.
Die-cut products
Clean artwork = cleaner cuts
For products such as die-cut stickers and bookmarks, our cutting equipment follows the shape of your artwork. Clean, properly defined artwork allows us to produce smooth, accurate cut lines.
AI-generated artwork can contain thousands of barely visible semi-transparent pixels around the edge of a design. These create irregular shapes and can result in rough, overly complicated or fragile cut lines.
✓ Clean artwork
- Smooth outline
- Solid edges
- Predictable cut path
- Professional finish
✗ Problem artwork
- Feathered pixels
- Tiny unwanted details
- Jagged cut paths
- Fragile sections
Our Standard
We'd rather say no than send you something we're not proud of.
Our aim is not simply to put artwork through a printer. We want every product leaving Merchdrop to look professional, clean and ready to sell.
If we know an artwork file is likely to result in poor print quality, unreliable cutting or a finished product that does not meet our standards, we would rather identify the issue before production begins.
That protects you from receiving something disappointing and protects the quality customers expect from Merchdrop.
Print Quality
Why does it matter?
AI-generated images can look impressive on a screen, but when artwork is prepared for professional printing, problems that are difficult to notice digitally become much more obvious. Our artwork checks are designed to catch these problems before they reach production.
BLUR_ERR
Blurring and artificial detail
Fine details can appear sharp from a distance but become blurry, smudged or inconsistent when viewed at print resolution.
ALPHA_ERR
Semi-transparent pixels
AI images frequently contain partially transparent pixels around edges. These cause halos, rough borders and inconsistent cut lines on die-cut products.
QUAL_ERR
Unpredictable print results
Textures, gradients and tiny AI-generated details can behave differently when converted from screen to physical print, producing inconsistent results.
Artwork Policy
By submitting artwork to Merchdrop, customers confirm that the artwork complies with our artwork requirements and that they have the necessary rights to reproduce it.
Merchdrop reserves the right to reject artwork, pause production, request replacement artwork or cancel affected products or orders where submitted artwork does not meet our production standards or breaches our AI artwork policy.
Process
What happens if AI-generated artwork is submitted?
All artwork may be reviewed before entering production.
If we believe submitted artwork has been generated using AI, we may place the order on hold while we review the artwork.
Depending on the circumstances, we may ask you to provide alternative artwork.
If suitable artwork cannot be supplied, or if AI-generated artwork has knowingly been submitted against our artwork policy, we reserve the right to cancel the affected product or order.
Artwork reviewed
We check artwork quality before production begins.
Issue identified
If AI-generated artwork is suspected, production may be paused.
Replace or cancel
We may request replacement artwork. If suitable artwork cannot be supplied, the affected item or order may be cancelled.
Production times may be delayed while artwork issues are being resolved.
Comparison
What looks fine on screen can look very different in print.
MD
On your screenUnder print inspection
Drag or use the arrow keys to compare
On your screen
Small imperfections can be almost impossible to notice when viewing artwork on a phone, tablet or monitor.
Under print inspection
When we inspect artwork at full resolution and prepare it for cutting or printing, those imperfections become much more obvious.