REFERENCE

Custom Pillow Printing Glossary

Key terms and concepts explained for custom pillow design, printing, and ordering

Custom pillow printing involves terminology from design, printing, manufacturing, and ecommerce. Whether you are designing your first custom pillow or scaling a print-on-demand business, understanding these terms will help you make better decisions and communicate more effectively with print services. This glossary covers the most important terms organized into six categories.

Pillow Types and Products

Terms describing the different kinds of pillows you can create and customize.

Throw Pillow: A decorative pillow designed for sofas, chairs, and beds. Throw pillows are typically square, ranging from 14 to 22 inches, and are the most common product type for custom printing. They serve a decorative rather than functional purpose.
Lumbar Pillow: A rectangular pillow designed for lower back support. Lumbar pillows are usually 12 by 16 or 12 by 20 inches. They are popular for office chairs, car seats, and as accent pieces layered in front of larger square pillows.
Bolster Pillow: A cylindrical pillow used for neck support or decorative accents. Bolsters are common on daybeds, window seats, and benches. The wraparound print area requires a specific template format different from flat pillow designs.
Body Pillow: A full-length pillow, typically 20 by 54 inches, used for sleeping support. Custom body pillows require high-resolution artwork due to their large print area. They are popular for novelty gifts and specialty merchandise.
Pillow Cover: The removable outer fabric of a pillow. Most custom printed pillows are sold as covers with or without an insert. Removable covers allow for washing and swapping designs without replacing the entire pillow.
Pillow Insert: The inner cushion that fills a pillow cover. Inserts are sold separately or bundled with covers. Common fill materials include polyester fiberfill, down, feather, and memory foam. The insert determines the pillow's firmness and loft.
Floor Pillow: An oversized pillow designed for sitting on the floor. Floor pillows are typically 24 inches or larger and require high-resolution designs that look good at a large scale. They are used in casual seating areas, meditation spaces, and playrooms.
Outdoor Pillow: A pillow made with weather-resistant fabric and treated fill. Outdoor pillows are designed for patio furniture, garden seating, and poolside use. The fabric is UV-resistant and water-repellent to withstand sun and moisture exposure.

Design Concepts and Elements

Terms related to the visual and creative aspects of pillow design.

Canvas: The digital workspace where you create your design. The canvas size should match the pillow dimensions plus any required bleed area. In most design tools, the canvas is the white or colored rectangle that represents the printable surface.
Bleed Area: The extra space around the edges of a design that extends beyond the final trim line. Bleed ensures that the design covers the full surface of the pillow without leaving unprinted white edges. A typical bleed is 0.0625 inches on each side.
Safe Zone: The inner area of the design where important elements like text and faces should be placed. Content in the safe zone will not be cut off during production. Typically at least 0.5 inches from the edge of the pillow surface.
Resolution: The level of detail in a digital image, measured in dots per inch (DPI) or pixels per inch (PPI). For custom pillow printing, a resolution of 300 DPI at the final print size is the standard requirement for sharp, clear output.
DPI (Dots Per Inch): A measurement of print resolution. Higher DPI means more detail and sharpness. 300 DPI is the standard for high-quality fabric printing. Lower DPI values result in visible pixelation, especially on larger pillow sizes.
Color Mode: The system used to define colors in a design. RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is used for screen display. CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) is used for traditional printing. Most dye-sublimation pillow printing uses RGB files.
Aspect Ratio: The proportional relationship between the width and height of an image or canvas. A square pillow has a 1:1 aspect ratio. A 12 by 20 inch lumbar pillow has a 3:5 aspect ratio. Maintaining the correct aspect ratio prevents design distortion.
Template: A pre-designed layout that you can customize with your own text, images, and colors. Templates save time and provide a professional starting point. Most design tools offer pillow-specific templates sized for common dimensions.
Mockup: A realistic preview showing how your design will look on a finished pillow. Mockups typically show the pillow in a room setting, on a sofa, or on a bed. They help you evaluate the design before printing.
Typography: The art and technique of arranging type in a design. Typography choices including font, size, weight, spacing, and color significantly affect the look and readability of text on a printed pillow.
Vector Graphic: An image made of mathematical paths rather than pixels. Vectors can be scaled to any size without losing quality. Icons, logos, and geometric patterns are best created as vectors for pillow printing.
Raster Image: An image made of pixels, like a photograph. Raster images have a fixed resolution and can lose quality when enlarged. Photographs and complex artwork are typically raster images that need to meet minimum DPI requirements.
Opacity: The level of transparency of a design element. Full opacity means the element is completely solid. Reduced opacity makes the element partially see-through, allowing background colors or images to show through.
Layer: A single level in a stacked design. Layers allow you to arrange elements in front of or behind each other. Working with layers gives you precise control over the position and overlap of text, images, and graphics.
Alignment: The positioning of design elements relative to each other or to the canvas. Proper alignment creates a clean, professional look. Most design tools offer alignment guides, snap-to-grid, and centering options.
Color Palette: A curated set of colors used throughout a design to maintain visual consistency. Choosing a cohesive palette ensures that all elements on the pillow work together harmoniously. Many design tools offer pre-built palettes.

File Formats and Technical Terms

Terms related to digital file types and technical specifications for pillow printing.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics): A lossless image format that supports transparency. PNG is the most commonly accepted format for custom pillow printing because it preserves image quality without compression artifacts. Export at 300 DPI for best results.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): A compressed image format commonly used for photographs. JPEG files are smaller than PNGs but use lossy compression, which can introduce visible artifacts. Acceptable for photo pillows but not ideal for designs with sharp edges or text.
PDF (Portable Document Format): A versatile file format that can contain both vector and raster elements. Some print services accept PDF files for pillow printing. PDFs preserve layout, fonts, and image quality across different devices and operating systems.
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics): A vector image format based on XML. SVG files can be scaled to any size without quality loss. Useful for logos and illustrations, though most pillow print services require rasterized formats like PNG for final upload.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format): A high-quality, lossless image format used in professional printing. TIFF files are large but preserve maximum detail. Some professional print services prefer TIFF for the highest quality output.
Pixel: The smallest unit of a digital image. Each pixel represents a single point of color. The total number of pixels determines the image resolution. More pixels mean more detail and a larger potential print size at 300 DPI.
Lossy Compression: A method of reducing file size by permanently removing some image data. JPEG uses lossy compression. Repeated saving of a JPEG file degrades quality progressively. Avoid multiple rounds of lossy compression on print files.
Lossless Compression: A method of reducing file size without removing any image data. PNG and TIFF use lossless compression. Files can be opened, edited, and saved repeatedly without any quality degradation.
Transparency: The ability of a file format to display areas with no color data. PNG and SVG support transparency; JPEG does not. Transparency is important when layering design elements or when the background should match the pillow fabric color.

Printing Techniques and Materials

Terms describing how designs are transferred onto pillow fabric and the materials involved.

Dye Sublimation: A printing technique that uses heat to transfer dye into polyester fabric. The dye becomes part of the fabric rather than sitting on top. Dye sublimation produces vibrant, long-lasting prints that do not crack, peel, or fade with washing. It is the most common method for custom pillow printing.
Direct-to-Garment (DTG): A printing method that applies ink directly onto fabric using specialized inkjet technology. DTG works on cotton and cotton blends but may not be as vibrant as dye sublimation on polyester. It is used when natural fabric is preferred.
Screen Printing: A traditional printing method using mesh stencils to apply ink. Screen printing is cost-effective for large batches with simple designs but not practical for full-color photo prints or small custom orders. Each color requires a separate screen.
Heat Transfer: A process where a design is printed on transfer paper and then applied to fabric using heat and pressure. Heat transfer is less durable than dye sublimation and can crack or peel over time. It works on a wider range of fabrics.
Polyester: A synthetic fabric that is the standard material for dye-sublimation pillow printing. Polyester holds color exceptionally well, producing vivid, sharp prints. It is durable, easy to clean, and resists wrinkling.
Cotton: A natural fabric with a soft, breathable feel. Cotton does not hold dye-sublimation ink as well as polyester, so prints may appear slightly less vibrant. DTG printing works better on cotton. Cotton blends offer a compromise between feel and print quality.
Linen: A natural fabric made from flax fibers with a distinctive textured weave. Linen gives pillows a natural, organic look but can slightly soften fine print details due to the uneven surface texture. Popular for rustic and farmhouse decor styles.
Velvet: A soft, plush fabric with a short, dense pile. Velvet gives printed pillows a luxurious feel and appearance. Colors appear deeper and richer on velvet. The fabric's sheen can cause slight color variation depending on viewing angle.
Color Fastness: A measure of how well printed colors resist fading from washing, sunlight, and general use. Dye-sublimation prints have excellent color fastness because the dye is embedded in the fabric fibers rather than applied to the surface.
Color Gamut: The range of colors that a printing system can reproduce. Different printing methods and fabric types have different color gamuts. Dye sublimation on polyester typically offers the widest color gamut for custom pillow printing.

Ordering, Fulfillment, and Shipping

Terms related to the process of ordering, producing, and delivering custom pillows.

Print on Demand (POD): A fulfillment model where products are printed only after a customer places an order. POD eliminates the need for inventory. Each pillow is produced individually, making it ideal for custom one-off designs and small business operations.
Fulfillment: The complete process of producing, packaging, and shipping a customer's order. In print-on-demand, fulfillment includes printing the design, assembling the pillow, quality checking, packaging, and handing off to a shipping carrier.
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ): The smallest number of units a manufacturer or service will produce in a single order. Most print-on-demand services have an MOQ of one, meaning you can order a single pillow. Traditional manufacturers may require larger minimums.
Turnaround Time: The time between placing an order and the product being ready to ship. For custom pillows, turnaround time typically ranges from 2 to 5 business days. This does not include shipping time, which is separate.
Dropshipping: A business model where the seller does not hold inventory. When a customer orders, the print service produces and ships the product directly to the customer. The seller never handles the physical product. Common in custom pillow ecommerce.
Sample Order: A single unit ordered to verify print quality, color accuracy, and fabric feel before committing to larger production. Many services offer discounted sample pricing. Ordering a sample is strongly recommended before launching a new product.
White Label: A product manufactured by one company and sold under another company's brand. White-label pillows have no manufacturer branding on the product or packaging, allowing sellers to present them as their own branded merchandise.
Proof: A digital or physical preview of how the final printed product will look. Digital proofs are rendered images; physical proofs are actual printed samples. Reviewing a proof before full production helps catch errors in design, color, or sizing.

Plans, Tools, and Workflows

Terms related to the software, platforms, and workflows used in custom pillow design and production.

Design Editor: A software tool or web application used to create and edit visual designs. For custom pillows, the design editor is where you arrange text, images, and graphics on a canvas that represents the pillow surface. Adobe Express is a popular choice.
Product Configurator: An online tool that lets you select product options like size, fabric, fill, and trim before placing an order. The configurator typically includes a visual preview that updates as you make selections.
Asset Library: A collection of reusable design elements such as graphics, icons, fonts, and stock photos. Most design tools include built-in asset libraries. Having access to a large library speeds up the design process.
Brand Kit: A saved collection of brand-specific design assets including logos, color palettes, and fonts. Brand kits ensure visual consistency across multiple pillow designs and product lines. Most professional design tools support brand kit features.
Batch Processing: The ability to apply changes to multiple designs simultaneously. Batch processing saves time when creating product variations, such as the same design in different colorways or the same layout across multiple pillow sizes.
API Integration: A technical connection between a design tool or ecommerce platform and a print service. API integrations allow automated order submission, status tracking, and shipping updates without manual intervention.
Freemium: A pricing model that offers basic features for free with optional paid upgrades. Many design tools including Adobe Express use the freemium model. The free tier is usually sufficient for basic pillow design work.
Export Settings: The options available when saving a design file for printing. Export settings include file format, resolution, color mode, and quality level. Correct export settings are critical for ensuring the printed pillow matches the digital design.

Understanding these terms gives you a stronger foundation for creating and ordering custom pillows. Whether you are just getting started or refining your workflow, the right vocabulary helps you communicate with print services, troubleshoot design issues, and make informed decisions about materials and production. Bookmark this glossary and refer back to it as you work through your custom pillow projects.

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