18th
Pushing Dots Through Holes Onto Holes
There are several things to keep in mind when designing for t-shirts. You want to get the best result possible for your client.
Direct printing:
This means the image is printed directly onto the shirt. If you are printing on a dark shirt, you may need to indicate to under-paint with white, just keep in mind that white will be an extra color. You can also print on a sleeve. Avoid halftones and fine lines.
Transfers:
Transfers are printed on some kind of transfer media (backwards) then it is placed onto the shirt, and transferred with heat and pressure. Can be done on a small quantity of shirts, and then more can be done at a later time. Benefit of that is low cost, if the quantity is low. Quality of transfers has improved in recent years. You may lose a little bit of color, the transfer will feel kind of rubbery on the shirt. You mostly are paying for the setup of the printing, so when the time comes that you need more shirts, it will be cost effective.
Puff Printing:
It is kind of like thermography. It is a special ink that is screened on, and it rises with heat. Linda Powell says, “Puff printing can be horrible…but I’ve also seen it be very effective.” It has limited use.
Image size:
A starting point could be a foot by a foot maximum. Try to get one image size to fit all the shirt sizes. This will cut done on the number of screens and set-ups. If you are doing both youth and adult sizes, having one image size probably won’t work.
T-shirt Brands:
Often times, the designer specifies the brand of the t-shirt. You want to specify a quality brand name. You can get cheap shirts, but they are just that—cheap.
Fabrics:
• You can get 100% cotton. They shrink, but they have a nice, soft, heavy, quality feel.
• 50%/50% blend. They are thinner in weight, but the don’t shrink.
Color:
You want to look at color swatches as well. Not all whites are the same. There are also lots of other colors you can go with, but check with the screen printer on what’s available. Ask for recent swatchbook or ask for a sample. Not all colors will be available in all the styles.
Cost:
White shirts are the cheapest. Pastels and greys cost a little more, and dark colors are the most expensive. This is important when the quantity is high.
Pre-press:
Check with the printer to see what platform and software you should use. Most screen printers won’t have the latest version of the software. THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO OPEN THE FILE IN ORDER TO PRINT THE SHIRT! Communicate, communicate, communicate!
Ask about trapping. Make sure you let them know.
Color Matching:
Screen inks and Pantone formulas don’t go hand in hand. It is a good idea to give them a swatch to match the colors to. Give them a big swatch, it would be hard for them to match a tiny swatch. Re-name your swatches in the file. Screen printing inks are semi-opaque. If you are using a dark shirt, the ink color will be affected by the dark shirt.
Prototypes for client presentations are a good idea. You should show the image at the actual size, and place the image on a t-shirt to show how it will look, so they can see it in context. Consider wearing a prototype shirt to the presentation.
Make the decisions on brand and fabric with your client.
