Gobo Design Files: The Specs That Get Your Logo Approved First Time
Oct 26,2026 | JINGYU OPTOELEC
Most custom gobo orders do not fail at production. They fail at the file. A logo that looks perfect on a screen can be physically impossible to etch — and the round of emails that follows is what turns a 3-day order into a 10-day one.
Here are the specs to design to, and the five file problems that cause most delays.
The short version
Send a vector file (AI, EPS, SVG, or a true vector PDF), with:
- Minimum line weight: 0.2 mm for glass, 0.5 mm for steel
- Minimum gap between shapes: 0.3 mm
- All text converted to outlines
- Single-color artwork, in solid black on white
- No gradients, no drop shadows, no transparency
That is the whole brief. Everything below explains why each line matters.
Spec 1: Vector, not raster
A gobo is manufactured by etching or coating — a geometric process. It needs paths, not pixels.
|
Format |
Acceptable? |
Notes |
|
AI / EPS / SVG |
✅ Best |
Native vector, easy to scale |
|
Vector PDF |
✅ Good |
Confirm it is vector, not a flattened export |
|
PNG (high-res) |
⚠️ Traceable |
Adds 1–2 days, quality loss on fine detail |
|
JPG |
❌ No |
Compression artifacts make tracing unreliable |
|
Screenshot from a website |
❌ No |
Usually under 200px; unusable |
How to check if your PDF is really vector: zoom to 800%. If the edges stay razor-sharp, it is vector. If it gets blurry or pixelated, it is a flattened image inside a PDF wrapper — very common, and the reason "I sent a PDF" is the single most frequent disappointment.
Spec 2: Minimum line weight
This is where designs break. A gobo is a physical object: a line finer than the manufacturing limit simply will not exist after etching.
|
Material |
Minimum line |
Minimum gap |
|
Glass gobo |
0.2 mm |
0.3 mm |
|
Stainless steel gobo |
0.5 mm |
0.6 mm |
|
Full-color glass |
0.3 mm |
0.4 mm |
Why the gap matters as much as the line: two shapes closer than the minimum will merge into one blob. Thin letters like i or l, and the inner counters of e and a, are the usual casualties.
The distance problem compounds this. A 0.2 mm line survives etching, but at 8 meters of throw it will blur out regardless. Rule of thumb: line weight should be about 1/300th of the projection width. For a 2-meter-wide projection, that is ~7 mm on the wall — which means your fine detail needs to be generous in the file.
Spec 3: Text must be outlined
Live text depends on a font installed on the supplier's machine. It will not be. The supplier substitutes something, and your brand typeface becomes Arial.
Fix: select all text → Convert to Outlines / Create Outlines. Then re-save.
Spec 4: Impact of color count on price
Every color is a separate production pass. Design within your budget:
|
Colors |
Typical cost |
Feels like |
|
1 color |
|
Clean, classic, cheapest |
|
2 colors |
|
Brand-accurate for most logos |
|
3 colors |
|
Detailed marks |
|
Full color |
|
Photographic only |
Design advice: if your logo has 5 colors, you almost never need 5. Pick the 2 that carry recognition — usually the dominant shape plus one accent. Most brand marks read perfectly in one or two colors when projected.
Spec 5: Size the image area, not the outer disc
A gobo has an outer diameter (fits the projector) and an image diameter (where your design can live) — the image area is typically 60–70% of the outer. Artwork placed outside the image circle is cut off.
Ask your supplier for the image diameter of your specific projector model, and design inside it with a 1 mm bleed margin. Do not assume; projector sizes vary significantly across wattages.
The five file mistakes that cause 80% of delays
- Flattened PDF — looks vector, is raster. Check at 800% zoom.
- Text not outlined — font substitution changes your logo.
- Hairline strokes under 0.2 mm — physically not producible.
- Artwork outside the image circle — edges clipped at projection.
- Sending a phone photo of a printed logo — the most common, and the most expensive to fix.
None of these are design failures. They are format failures — and all five are avoidable in under ten minutes.
A file checklist to send with the order
Copy this into your email:
- Vector file attached (AI/EPS/SVG/vector PDF)
- Text converted to outlines ✅
- Minimum line weight confirmed ≥ 0.2 mm
- Projector model: ______
- Image diameter required: ______ mm
- Colors: ______ (1/2/3/full)
- Quantity: ______
- Deadline: ______
Orders that arrive with this list get quoted and proofed the same day. Orders that arrive without it take days.
Frequently asked questions
Can you clean up my file for me? Yes. Vectorizing and simplifying a raster logo is a standard step. It adds 1–2 days, and we will tell you if the result will lose detail before production.
What if my logo has a gradient? Gradients require full-color glass. If your budget is a single-color gobo, we will convert the gradient to a solid or halftone and show you a proof.
Do I get a proof before production? Always. You approve a digital proof before anything is cut — check line weights and the image circle carefully on that proof, not after delivery.
How do I know my projector's image diameter? Send the model name. We match gobos to specific projector optics, and a gobo cut for a 25W unit will not fit a 300W housing.
Send your file, get a proof in 24 hours
Free design check, no minimum order, glass gobos from $39. Email your vector file to sales@gobofactory.com or WhatsApp +86 13456752363.
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