Help: Printing designs on Shirts...

[Naoki05]

:confused:

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and have zero knowledge in regards to graphich design. However, from cafepress I have been inspired to attempt to sell T-shirts with cool designs on them, and I was wondering if anyone could share some tips as into how to do that.

What sorta of software should I use? It seems I only have photostudio at the moment. Is it possible to use a scanner to scan an image, and print it on a shirt? What do I do if I want to do something unique with simple stick figures?

I know my questions are pretty unprecise and inspecific; I'm just trying to hurry up and start making a second source of income. Is this really possible?

Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated. Thank You very much.

[uncle carbunkle]

welcome to the forum naoki.

you will probably get the best results from a place like cafepress with vector graphics. the most common programs for vector illustration are freehand or illustrator. you might also use photoshop or maybe photostudio (i'm sorry, i'm not familiar with photostudio) to render your photography, but you've really got to do a little bit of research. if you choose the wrong settings and sizes for your files, it'll turn out terribly.

have a look in our resource section. there are a load of sticky threads that will explain how to set a file up for print, the differences between raster and vector, and how to resize an image.

THEN, you can find the appropriate software (noting that we do not condone piracy), THEN you can learn how to use it.

if i were you, i would go to my local art shop. i would buy some acetate, some iron on printer paper, some fabric paint, sponge rollers and brushes and a few t-shirts. then i would go crazy mad on those mofos. in fact, i'll be doing that myself over the weekend. if, after you've gotten your hands dirty the good old fashioned way, you haven't achieved what you wanted and/or you still desire a cafe press run, THEN i would suggest you take another look at this endeavor.

check out this tutorial at stencil revolution (http://www.stencilrevolution.com/tutorials/tutorialsview.php?id=2)

btw - cafepress has a varying quality of both print and t-shirts.

but good luck, stick around, read, ask questions if you don't find what you need. oh! and post pictures of what you make!!!:)

[GanjaBlaze]

Paint rollers? fabric paint? iron-ons? Yeah, if you want your shirts to look like my grandma made them at an arts & crafts class at the nursing home.

If you want your shirts to sell you'll have to get them screenprinted, either by hand or from a professional company. Not sure if CafePress does the printing for you. If not, read up on it. It can be done on your own with a little practice and know how. You'll need to spend a little money for silkscreens, ink, emulsion, film.

Yes, you can print a photograph on a tee shirt as long as the resolution permits. Just like any bitmapped image if you blow it up too much it will look aliased. Get Photoshop & Illustrator to do the design. You can then output your image with color seperations. Photo Studio is a consumer program that comes free with your scanner, right? Better off using the real thing if you plan on selling the shirts.

[Keyare]

???

Not a load of good advice there Ganja. There's a lot more to pulling 4 color silkscreens than just making colour seps. They're not for the faint of heart or light of pocketbook. When someone is just starting out, learning by trying a bunch of methods as Unc has suggested is a great way to learn.

Buying screens, squeegees and all kinds of foul chemicals and getting confused by colour seps and angles and "oh God why doesn't this line up because I printed the seps on an ink jet" and "oh hell where do I get negs made" is NOT a great way to start.

Iron-on t-shirt transfers gets the creativity going, but they don't last, and to do anything large, you really need a heat-press. That's not a light investment.

Buying acetate & fabric paint might make a few shirts that look like Ganja's grandmother made them, but it's a lot cheaper to get into.

You want to ba able to afford to throw out or give away your first dozen messed up designs.

What you need first of all is some design software like Illustrator, and some experience making single color designs. Then gradually work into 2 and three colours.

Then finding a good silkscreener is the best way to go once you're serious.

And yes, Cafepress prints the shirts.

[Kink]

My suggestion to you, would be to HIRE a designer to do the design work for you. If you have your own designs on paper, a designer can re-create that into the correct digital format you require for silk screening.

Keyare is right, start with the one colour first. And find a good silk screener to do your jobs. I used to silk screen for a living... it's definately NOT a hobby you can just PICK-UP and go with. It's a long and expensive process to get just one design down onto t-shirts. And if you screw up.. it's even more expensive.

[D-Zine]

Key - that is some good info, espiecally since I don't know a thing about silk screening!

And I believe Kink is right..I don't think its something you can just pick up..there is alot to learn with silk screening from what I can tell.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

[uncle carbunkle]

Paint rollers? fabric paint? iron-ons? Yeah, if you want your shirts to look like my grandma made them at an arts & crafts class at the nursing home.

If you want your shirts to sell you'll have to get them screenprinted, either by hand or from a professional company.

LOL @ the noob! be sure not to tell that to the queue of customers i have lined up for a hand-pulled t-shirt! hahahhahahaha! (to be honest, even their money looks less fabulous because i hand make some merchandise...ew) :cool:

welcome to the forum, ganjadude. if you can leave your attitude at the door (or, at least tell us what qualifies your opinion over mine - that, i might accept), you'll have a good time here. great resource, this forum.

oh, and i've had one 'meh' quality t-shirt from cafe press (great design, rubbish material and 'iffy' print longevity), but i've got a few acquaintances that have had absolutely terrible AND fantastic shirts. they are a good resource, but not infalible.

[Kink]

LOL @ the noob! be sure not to tell that to the queue of customers i have lined up for a hand-pulled t-shirt! hahahhahahaha!


LOL.... Hand-Pulled t-shirt... that's exactly my life for a year after college. I hand-pulled 4 colour jobs. 1000 pcs each, on flece (sp?) plaid. Ugh.. if it wern't for them being beer logos, i don't know what would have gotten me through it. It was good times though. I've never been more in shape than I was that year!

[YNOT]

I've been designing T-shirts for over 13 years now. There's a lot more to designing them than one might think.

As has already been stated, it's not something to just set out to do one day and have a perfect design, ready to sell...there's a lot of trial and error and knowledge involved in it. I myself have never screenprinted, but I've seen it done.

The majority of my designs have been 2, 3, 4, and 5 color designs...relatively simple spot colors, but you've got to have somewhat of a grasp of traps and registration to make them look right when printed. Colors have to be knocked out, otherwise when two inks overlap, you'll get muddy colors and such. Then if you throw a 4-color process design in there, it's even more tricky.

Honestly, I would suggest paying someone to put your ideas together in the necessary format if you want to get started. You can certainly get some software and give it a shot yourself but keep things simple until you get a little experience under your belt. Mistakes can be rather costly.

Good luck.

[Envision1]

want a quick run down in silk screening check out gigposter.com youll find alot of help in that forum

[uncle carbunkle]

ooo. good call.