Checking design assets before commercial POD use

For each asset in the production export, identify its source and licence or other basis for use. Check that the terms cover the product for sale and the production route, including any necessary file transfer to the POD supplier. Hold the affected file if an essential source or term is unclear.

Identify the assets in the final export

List every photograph, illustration, pattern, icon, texture, font and piece of supplied text that remains in the artwork. Include elements inside a composite graphic and work from freelancers or customers. Match each asset to its source and the agreement or other basis for use.

Check the final file: a stock element removed from an early draft is different from one still printed on the product. An element partly hidden by other artwork still needs checking if it remains in the export.

Test the permission against the sale

Read the terms attached to each retained asset, rather than relying on a download or a general “commercial use” label. Check whether they permit the physical product, alterations, repeat production and transfer of the necessary file to the POD supplier. Note any stated conditions on attribution, quantity, territory, subscription status or onward sharing.

For a Creative Commons asset, check the exact licence name. CC BY permits commercial use and adaptation with attribution; CC BY-SA adds a same-licence condition if you make a derivative. CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA and CC BY-NC-ND do not permit commercial use.

CC BY-ND permits commercial copying and distribution only in an unaltered format, so check whether your planned use alters the work. Do not assume that finding an image online or crediting its apparent creator establishes permission for merchandise.

For Canva content, use Canva’s Content License Agreement and check the content source information by hovering over the item in the Elements panel and clicking the three dots. The agreement covers Canva Content including photos, icons, illustrations, video, audio, fonts and templates, and says its terms apply when you use a piece of Content in a Canva Design.

Canva’s content categories, from most to least restrictive, are Education Content, Branded Content, Pro Content and Free Content; the most restrictive category applies to the entire design. If Branded Content is combined with Free Content or Pro Content, the stricter Branded Content rules apply.

For Canva Free Content labelled CC0 or Public Domain, refer to that licence or the listed source; Branded Content and Education Content refer to sections 5B and 5C. Other Free Content is covered by the Free Content License. Canva names its Pro Content licence the “Pro Content License (aka One Design Use License)”; check the relevant permitted-use terms in sections 5 and 6 against the product and production route.

Check supplied work

For a freelancer’s illustration, check the contract for the merchandise, alteration and other use rights granted to the store. Ask whether it includes stock elements governed by separate terms.

For a customer upload, check the permission given for that order. An obviously recognisable third-party image, character or logo still needs review; an upload alone is not proof of permission.

Mark each retained asset approved for the stated use, replace or hold. Remove a rejected element from the production export and customer-facing images. Note the final file version and product types covered, and revisit the decision if the asset, product or supplier workflow changes.