A digital download arrives as a ZIP: one file containing the SVG, the PNGs, the PDF, the README and the licence. The ZIP is not the product. It is the envelope.
Most “the file will not open” messages are an unzipped envelope.
The reliable route
- Download the ZIP on a computer.
- Unzip it. On Windows, right-click and choose Extract All. On macOS, double-click.
- Open the README first.
- Import the file you need into your cutting or print software.
That is it. The reason the README says computer is not snobbery: phones handle ZIPs inconsistently, and a half-opened ZIP can lose the folder structure that keeps a multi-file set together.
If you only have a phone
It can work, with two rules.
- Use the Files app, not the browser preview. On iPhone, open the download in Files, tap the ZIP, and let it expand into a folder. On Android, use Files by Google or your file manager, not the notification shade.
- Do not open the design from inside the ZIP. Expand it first, then open the file from the folder. Some apps read a ZIP as a preview and fail on linked assets.
If the expanded folder is empty, the download was interrupted. Delete it and download again on a stable connection.
What is inside
A typical set contains:
- the design in the formats the listing named;
- a README explaining which file is for which machine;
- a licence file;
- where a font is embedded, the font’s own licence text.
If something named in the listing is missing, that is a fault, not a user error. Message the shop with the order number and a screenshot of the folder.
The one file to read first
The README is short on purpose. It answers: which file do I open, what size is it, what is the licence, and who do I contact. Reading it first is faster than guessing at the SVG.
If your ZIP will not expand at all, say so in the message before trying five more times. A corrupt archive is usually fixed by a fresh download, and if it is not, the shop will rebuild it.