So, you’ve got your new custom or pre-designed playmat, and it looks amazing. Woo-hoo! Now what? Well, ask yourself if you have something suitable to carry it in and keep it safe on trips to the next big battle or tournament? If not, then maybe your next move should be to get yourself a mat bag. But, not just any mat bag, something special and unique that compliments the cool, possibly custom, playmat that you’re carrying!

Just like all the other customizable gear in the Inked Gaming collection, our custom mat bags give you the opportunity to express yourself in ways that most other suppliers and products don’t. If you know our story, then you know that Inked Gaming was one of the first to offer such creative freedom to our fellow gamers. With a custom mat bag on your shoulder, you’ll be able to keep your playmat preserved while showing off some unique swag wherever you go. Now, that’s what we mean when we say Your Game. Your Style!

We made the customization process easy and user-friendly for all, but we also like to have a step-by-step guide to give you a more in-depth view of how we/you bring these custom designs to life. Just like our previous custom playmat and mousepad blogs, we’ll take you through the process of how to create your custom mat bag and how to ensure that it comes out looking just the way you want it!

Let’s begin!

1.) Pick a size

We have four different sizes available for our custom mat bags, each designed to fit and protect the various custom playmat sizes that we have in our collection. The four mat bag sizes are:

So, if you’re looking to carry/protect one of our Standard playmats, the 16” mat bag should do nicely. But, if you have one of our larger playmats, Two-Player or Wargaming, then you’re going to need one of the bigger sizes.

2.) Pick your custom design

If you already have a custom design in mind, that’s great. But if not, be sure to pick something that you think will look great on a bag like this, and maybe even make a nice match for the playmat that it’s going to hold. 

Remember, we want you to be as creative, original, and unique as possible, so search deep inside your imagination and see what you can come up with. You can also look through some of the pre-designed arts in our collection for inspiration. All we ask is that you don’t stray too far from our Art Instructions for custom designs. Yes, we’re all about creative expression here at Inked Gaming, however, there are certain boundaries that we must stick to as well.

3.) Upload your custom design

Once you’ve settled on a cool custom design that speaks to your style, it’s time to hit that UPLOAD IMAGE button. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll want to make sure that your image is prepared correctly, based on the format requirements needed for the specific mat bag size you’ve selected. 

Here’s the breakdown of how to prepare your file for each size:

• 16” Playmat Bag: Image must be 8 1/8" x 16" with a 1220 x 2380 resolution
• 26” Two-Player Playmat Bag: Image must be 9” x 26” with a 1350 x 3900 resolution

• 36” Wargaming Playmat Bag: Image must be 9” x 38” with a 1350 x 5700 resolution
• 48” Wargaming Playmat Bag: Image must be 12" x 50" with a 1800 x 7500 resolution

150 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) will work best for each, but we can print as high as 300 PPI as well. Your image should also be in RGB mode and saved as a JPG.

4.) Use the Editing & Preview upgrade

This is an optional upgrade that we’ve made available for all of our custom goods. Editing & Previewing allows you to tweak and tailor the design on your custom mat bag through various editing tools that we offer. By using these tools, you will be able to edit the size, text, color correction, and layout of your design. 

We’ll provide you with a preview of the design for your approval. If everything looks right on your end, we’ll begin printing and start working our magic. Mind you, this upgrade can add time to the production process (figure a few extra days), but it’s so worth it!

We’ll take it from here! 

Once you’ve done all the uploading, editing, and approving, it’s time for us to do what we do best. Custom printing designs on premium products is an art that we’ve mastered, thanks in part to our 8-Color Dye-sublimation printers, which produce quality colors, images, and results!

We hope this how-to guide was helpful and that you enjoyed learning more about the process from start to finish. If you suddenly feel inspired to personalize a custom mat bag of your own, click HERE to start on step one!

Have fun!

Best,

Inked Gaming