Preparing Artwork for Custom Mahjong Tiles: Files, Colors and Tile Maps

A practical artwork guide for custom mahjong programs — vector formats, Pantone matching, tile mapping and the mistakes that delay sampling.

File Formats That Work

Vector is king: AI, SVG, EPS or PDF carry the clean line geometry that laser engraving and UV printing translate directly. High-resolution PNG or PSD can work for full-bleed printed artwork, but expect a color-proofing cycle. What we cannot work from: screenshots, low-resolution JPGs, and "vector" files that are actually embedded bitmaps — open your file at 400% zoom; if you see pixels, so will the laser.

The Tile Map: One Document That Saves Weeks

A tile map is a simple spreadsheet or diagram listing every tile: which suit, which number, which symbol variant, where jokers and blanks sit, and what appears on the tile backs. Programs that supply a complete tile map sample in one pass; programs that assemble the map through email rounds spend weeks discovering that nobody decided what the 2 Bam looks like.

Color: Pantone, Proofing and Reality

Specify colors as Pantone references, not screen screenshots — screens vary, swatches do not. We Pantone-match tile bodies, engraving fills and packaging print. On translucent acrylic, color shifts with thickness and backlight; that is why our process includes a physical sample approval before any bulk production, protecting both sides from a color that looked perfect on a monitor.

Common Delays (and Their Fixes)

Missing joker artwork (decide early — jokers are the most visible branding surface on the set). Logos supplied only in RGB (supply vector + Pantone). Packaging dielines requested after tiles are in production (submit dielines with tile artwork). None of these are expensive to fix — they are only expensive when found late.