topic Re: Color Profile for CMYK files in Ask a Question

Color Profile for CMYK files

SheaPrints — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 15:48:27 GMT

Does anyone know which color profile Zazzle prefers for a CMYK file saved as a tiff, svg or pdf?
I can't find any info about this on the guidance page:
https://help.zazzle.com/hc/en-us/articles/31818643206807-Zazzle-Print-Colors-Guidance

Re: Color Profile for CMYK files

Cat — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 18:59:55 GMT

I had an email conversation with someone from the quality control team a while back and he said tiff was the best choice - but I think he was referring to raster graphics. For vectors I'm guessing svg would be preferable since pdfs can sometimes include embedded raster images and that could get messy, but I'm not really sure.

Re: Color Profile for CMYK files

idraw — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 02:10:51 GMT

deleted

Re: Color Profile for CMYK files

Cat — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 03:18:30 GMT

Oh wait... I think I misunderstood your question. I have no idea about CMYK color profiles.

Re: Color Profile for CMYK files

SheaPrints — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 07:50:44 GMT

Thanks Cat! Yes, I'd like to know if Zazzle suggests a specific color profile for CMYK files. Different product printers will use different profiles and convert them, but knowing which one they prefer us to start with would be helpful.

Also, I noticed that the RGB format is still being recommended on the Zazzle 'Design Tips'>'Creating and uploading images to Zazzle':
https://help.zazzle.com/hc/en-gb/articles/219861927-Creating-and-uploading-images-to-Zazzle

But I understand that CMYK is now the preferred format?

Re: Color Profile for CMYK files

James — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 09:15:59 GMT

Hi all,

We checked in with our graphic support team and they have confirmed the following. We have also added this to our help articles.

For print projects, we prefer files in CMYK color mode. This is different from the RGB color mode used for screens, like on your phone or computer.

You can send us your files in one of three formats:

PDF or SVG: These are the best options because they can be made larger or smaller without losing quality.
TIFF: This is also a good option for print, and it's similar to a high-quality JPEG or PNG image.

We don't require a specific CMYK profile, but our Creators typically use standard settings in their chosen graphic design software.