Can I send downloaded artwork to a Chinese factory?
Yes, if the permissions cover your intended use and factory sharing. Check merchandise rights, production limits and font file access before sending files, then retain the licence terms and purchase evidence. Your factory release can be coordinated by Cambridge China Bridge.
Identify the assets and their permissions
For UK copyright material, confirm permission or an applicable exception before reuse. Make an asset register covering downloaded graphics, photographs, fonts and templates. Record the original supplier, asset identifier, purchaser and licence attached to each download. Treat a download button, payment receipt or “free” label as a starting point for checking, rather than permission to print merchandise.
Ask your designer to identify every downloaded component, including images and fonts inside a template. Match each component to its permission record. If you commissioned original work as well, use our freelance designer ownership guide for that separate rights agreement.
Check merchandise use against the actual product
A licence sets out what you can do with the work. Read the permitted uses and exclusions rather than relying on labels such as “commercial use” or “royalty-free”. Ask specifically about physical products for sale, promotional giveaways, packaging and advertising. Explain whether the downloaded graphic is the main attraction of the product, such as an illustration sold as a print.
Check for restrictions on merchandise, standalone images, editable template redistribution and use in a brand logo. Ask whether cropping, recolouring or adding text is permitted. Send the licensor a product mock-up and request written clarification where the wording is unclear. Keep the reply with the licence, rather than relying on the factory's reassurance.
Resolve quantity limits before ordering
Look for any production or reproduction limit and ask how it is counted. Describe samples, saleable stock, promotional units, rejects and replacement printing. Ask whether the allowance applies across product variants, repeat batches and different factories. Record the answer beside the planned production quantity; do not assume a small trial batch is exempt.
Check the permitted countries, duration and sales channels against your plan. Ask what happens if production increases, the product changes or you reorder after the licence expires. Resolve any required licence upgrade before authorising the affected printing, and keep a running record of production against any allowance.
Agree factory access and font handling
Describe who will receive the files: your business, Cambridge China Bridge, the factory and any separate printer. Ask whether the licence permits those recipients to access and copy the material for your order, and whether they need their own licences. Clarify editable source files, linked images and font files separately from a finished production export.
Before sharing font files, check their licence terms. Ask whether the proposed embedding or outlining method is permitted; do not treat converting text to outlines as the permission check itself. Agree which files each recipient needs, restrict onward sharing and require approval before another printer receives them. Follow our factory artwork approval guide for rendering and proof checks.
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Retain a licence pack before releasing printing
Save the asset listing and source address, downloaded file, licence wording and version, download date, invoice and licence certificate where supplied. Record which business holds the licence and retain written clarifications about merchandise, quantities and factory access. Keep copies of the terms rather than only a bookmark, so you can show what you checked.
Link that pack to the approved artwork revision, product mock-up, order quantity and authorised recipients. Hold printing where a permission remains unresolved. Ask Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China to coordinate the agreed file handover and factory acknowledgement. Use our promotional merchandise guide for the separate product and sourcing checks.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print free downloaded graphics on products?
Check the licence for the exact merchandise use. Do not treat “free” as approval for products for sale, giveaways or factory sharing. Resolve unclear terms with the licensor before printing.
Does royalty-free mean unlimited production?
Do not assume it does. Read the actual licence for production limits and ask how samples, variants, rejects and repeat orders are counted.
Can I email downloaded fonts to my factory?
Check the font licence before sending files. Ask whether factory access is permitted or a separate licence is needed, and agree whether an authorised production export will meet the printer's needs.
Does recolouring a downloaded graphic avoid copyright?
Recolouring is not a substitute for checking permission. Adapting an existing image without permission will usually infringe copyright. Check that your licence covers the planned changes and merchandise use.