Layers, Not Flat Files: UndaMeta’s Print Standard, Explained

 If you’ve recently uploaded a design to UndaMeta, you may have received a message from our design team asking for the layered version of your file.

It’s probably the question we’re asked most often:

“Why can’t I just upload the JPEG?”

It’s a fair question. A flattened image often looks perfect on screen. But when you’re building a marketplace for professional surface pattern design, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much as what people see.

At UndaMeta, every design begins with a layered file. Here’s why.

Not every print marketplace works the same way

Many print-on-demand platforms accept flat JPEGs, and for their workflow, that’s exactly the right approach.

UndaMeta was built with a different purpose.

We’re not only helping designers sell prints. We’re building a professional marketplace for African surface pattern design, where artwork is licensed, printed across multiple textiles, and reproduced while staying true to the designer’s original vision.

That requires a different technical standard from the beginning.

What we ask designers to submit

We keep our requirements intentionally simple.

• An Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop file.
• All layers left intact.
• Artwork prepared at 152cm × 100cm.

The important part is the layers.

If you’re working in Illustrator, your vector paths, strokes and objects should remain editable. If you’re designing in Photoshop, each element should remain on its own layer rather than being merged into a single image.

We’re not concerned about whether you design in vector or raster. Both are welcome. What matters is that your original artwork remains editable.

Why layered files matter

A flattened file is the final picture.

A layered file is the design itself.

Those are two very different things.

Keeping the original layers allows us to prepare artwork for production without compromising the integrity of the design. We can make technical adjustments where necessary, check repeats properly, and prepare files for different textile widths without having to reconstruct artwork that has already been flattened.

Most importantly, it protects your work.

Your design is your intellectual property. Our responsibility is to reproduce it faithfully, not reinterpret it.

Why we standardise every file at 152cm × 100cm

This isn’t an arbitrary size.

Most textile printing happens on fabric widths of approximately 60 inches, or about 152cm. Designing at 152cm allows your artwork to reflect real production conditions from the outset.

It also preserves scale.

Every designer makes intentional decisions about motif size, spacing and repeat. Those choices affect how a print feels once it’s on fabric.

A floral designed for a dress shouldn’t suddenly become oversized because it was scaled during production. Likewise, a geometric repeat shouldn’t shrink simply because it was prepared differently.

Submitting your artwork at its intended scale allows us to maintain those decisions throughout production.

It also helps us identify repeat issues before printing, where they are much easier—and far less costly—to correct.

Consistency benefits everyone

Using one standard file size means we can prepare designs for different textile bases without changing the proportions of the artwork.

Whether a client prints on cotton, linen, canvas or another fabric, your design remains consistent.

That’s important for designers.

It’s equally important for buyers, who can trust that the print they receive reflects the original artwork they chose.

Setting a standard for African surface pattern design

As surface pattern design continues to grow across Africa, we believe technical standards matter.

Requesting layered files may seem like an extra step today, but it creates a stronger archive, better print quality and more reliable production tomorrow.

It also respects the work that goes into every design.

Before a pattern appears on UndaMeta, our design team reviews every submission for authenticity, technical quality and production readiness. It’s careful work, and intentionally so.

Good standards are rarely the fastest option.

But they are often the reason creative industries mature.

At UndaMeta, we’d rather take the time to do it properly because that’s how trust is built—with designers, with buyers, and with the future of African surface pattern design.

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To learn more about our technical specifications for khanga and surface pattern designs, please visit our FAQs.

We’re also welcoming new designers to the platform. Apply here.