Mastering Art T-Shirt Printing: A Colorful Guide

Preparing artwork for T-shirt printing can be a complex process, but the results can be stunning. Whether you're creating T-shirts for yourself, a client, or for sale, it's important to get the process right. Here are some tips to help you prepare your artwork for T-shirt printing:

- Use the right colours: It is usually recommended to use Pantone (PMS) colours for T-shirt printing as they are standardised and ensure colour consistency. PMS colours also make colour separation easier for the printer. If you want your design to really stand out, consider using complementary or triadic colour combinations, which create the most contrast.

- Convert text to outlines: By converting text to outlines, you can prevent font substitution issues during the design process. This ensures that your text is treated as an image and reduces the risk of it appearing incorrectly on the final printed product.

- Create your artwork at actual size: It's important to consider the size and placement of your design to ensure it doesn't get distorted or lost during printing. Creating your artwork at its actual size will help you accurately gauge the placement and size, ensuring it prints as intended on the shirt.

- Use vector artwork: Vector graphics are composed of mathematical formulas and paths, rather than pixels, allowing you to scale up your artwork without losing quality. Vector artwork also offers more flexibility in colour and design options, making it easier to create intricate designs for T-shirt printing.

- Expand your strokes: This is especially important for digital printing methods such as direct-to-garment (DTG) printing. By expanding your strokes, you increase the thickness of the lines, making them more visible and easier to print.

- Set your half-tones: If your design includes shades and gradients, you can set your half-tones using PMS colours to achieve more consistent results. Convert your design to grayscale and adjust the size, shape, and density of the half-tone dots to achieve the desired effect.

- Choose the right printing method and ink: Different printing methods and inks can produce varying results. For vibrant artwork, screen printing with plastisol ink is recommended. Sublimation printing is also a good choice for full-colour designs, but it can only be used on polyester.

Plan your colour scheme

Planning your colour scheme is one of the most important steps in T-shirt design. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Understand colour theory: Familiarise yourself with complementary colours, analogous colours, monochromatic colours, and triadic colours. Use a colour wheel to determine which colour combinations will work best for your artwork. Complementary and triadic colour combinations create the most contrast and will make your artwork stand out on a T-shirt.
• Consider colour psychology: Different colours evoke different emotions and associations. For example, blue is often associated with calmness and serenity, while red represents energy and excitement. Choose colours that align with the mood or feeling you want to convey.
• Create a mood board: A mood board can help you visually represent the mood or feeling you want your artwork to convey. Gather images, colours, and textures that reflect your desired mood, and arrange them on a poster board or digital collage.
• Use Pantone colours: Pantone colours are standardised, so you can be sure that the colour you choose will be accurately reproduced when printed. Use the Pantone Matching System (PMS) to find the closest match to the hue you want, and specify this colour when submitting your project to your T-shirt printing company.
• Limit your colour palette: Avoid using too many colours in your design, as it can make your T-shirt look busy and cluttered. Stick to just a few colours to create a design that is both eye-catching and impactful.
• Calibrate your monitor: If you're working on a computer, calibrate your monitor to ensure that the colours you see on screen are accurately reproduced on your T-shirt. Adjust the gamma, white point, and luminance settings to ensure colour accuracy.
• Choose the right shirt colour: Select a T-shirt colour that complements your design. If your artwork mostly consists of dark colours, choose a light-coloured shirt to create a sense of contrast. Additionally, consider the type of fabric you will be printing on, as different fabrics absorb and reflect light differently, affecting the vibrancy of your colours.
• Use the correct colour settings: When exporting your artwork for printing, use the correct colour settings to ensure accurate colour reproduction. Check your printing company's requirements and specifications.
• Avoid neon colours: Neon colours and deeply saturated shades exist in the RGB colour space but may not be supported by all printers. To ensure the best colour quality, create your design files in sRGB and avoid neon and saturated shades.
• Order product samples: Buying product samples is a great way to ensure your designs meet your expectations. Check the placement, colour accuracy, and overall quality of your printed design.
• Create custom colour swatches: Test the specific colours you plan to use in your design by creating custom colour swatches and ordering a sample print. This will allow you to see how your chosen colours appear on the fabric before finalising your design.

Use Pantone colours

When it comes to T-shirt printing, using Pantone colours is a great way to ensure colour accuracy. Pantone is a universal language for communicating specific colours, right down to the shade. This means that, when used correctly, both parties involved in a project can be sure they are visualising the same colour.

However, there are some things to keep in mind when using Pantone colours for T-shirt printing. Firstly, it is important to have the physical Pantone colour book to ensure accurate colour matching. Differences in colour calibration between computer monitors can affect how colours are displayed, so referring to the physical book ensures both parties are literally on the same page.

Secondly, when choosing Pantone colours, it is important to be aware that some colours may not print precisely as they appear in the book, especially when printing on dark T-shirts or other textiles. For example, Royal Blue 286 C tends to lighten when printing on an underbase, and Red 186 C also tends to lighten on an underbase.

Thirdly, when using Pantone colours, it is important to specify whether you are using Pantone Coated or Pantone Uncoated. While this distinction does not matter when printing on fabric, it is still important to specify which one you are using as it can affect how the colours are mixed. Pantone Coated and Uncoated are mixed from the same 14 base colours and use the same formulas, but the coated version will appear brighter on the page.

Finally, when using Pantone colours for T-shirt printing, it is important to work with your printer to ensure the colours can be accurately reproduced. This may involve providing specific Pantone references or working with your printer to find alternative colours if there are any issues with your original choices.

Convert text to outlines

Converting text to outlines is a crucial step when preparing artwork for T-shirt printing, especially if you're using unusual fonts in your design. By converting text to outlines, you ensure that your fonts are treated as images, and the printer's computer will not attempt to autocorrect or substitute the fonts, which could result in misprints.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to convert text to outlines:

Step 1: Open Your Design File

Open the design file containing the text you want to convert to outlines in your graphic design software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.

Step 2: Select the Text

Use the selection tool to select the text you want to convert to outlines. Click on the text box or highlight the text with your cursor to select it.

Step 3: Navigate to the Outline Option

Depending on your software, you can usually find the outline option in the menu bar or right-click context menu. Look for options like "Convert to Outlines," "Create Outlines," or "Outline Text."

Step 4: Apply the Outline

Once you've found the outline option, select it to apply the outline to your text. In some programs, you may have additional options to customise the outline, such as changing the thickness or colour.

Step 5: Save Your File

After converting the text to outlines, be sure to save your file in a format compatible with your printing process, such as AI, EPS, or PDF.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your chosen fonts remain consistent throughout the printing process and avoid any unexpected substitutions or autocorrections.

Create artwork at actual size

Creating artwork for T-shirts is a fun and creative process, but it's important to follow some key steps to ensure your designs are printed correctly and look their best. Here are some detailed instructions for creating artwork at actual size:

• Know Your Measurements: Before you begin designing, it's crucial to know the measurements of the T-shirt you'll be printing on. Use a tape measure to determine the dimensions of the print area. For example, if you're printing on the front or back of an adult men's T-shirt, aim for a design size of 11" to 12.5" wide. For adult women's T-shirts, a design size of 9" to 11" is more suitable. These measurements may vary slightly depending on the T-shirt style and your personal preferences.
• Scale Your Artwork: Once you have the measurements, create your artwork at actual size. This means your design should be the same size on your screen as it will be on the T-shirt. Most design software allows you to set the document size to match your desired print size. Scaling your artwork ensures that your design will fit perfectly on the T-shirt without any unexpected cropping or distortion.
• Use a Ruler or Grid: To help with accuracy, enable rulers or grids in your design software. This way, you can align your design elements precisely and ensure they are sized correctly. This is especially important if your design includes text or intricate details.
• Consider Negative Space: When creating your artwork, remember to consider the negative space—the area around and between the design elements. Ensure that your design doesn't feel too cramped or cluttered by leaving some breathing room between elements. This will also make it easier to align your design with the T-shirt's centre line and chest line during printing.
• Proof and Test: Before finalising your artwork, proof it by printing it out at actual size or using a digital mock-up. This will allow you to check if the design is legible, visually appealing, and correctly sized. If adjustments are needed, make them and proof again until you're happy with the result. Testing your design on a sample T-shirt is also a good idea to ensure it translates well from screen to fabric.
• Vector Format: If possible, work in vector format using software like Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics are not made up of a grid of pixels, so they can be resized without sacrificing quality. This gives you more flexibility during the design process and ensures a crisp, high-quality print.

Remember, creating artwork at actual size is crucial to ensuring your designs translate well onto T-shirts. By following these steps, you can achieve professional-looking results and avoid common printing mistakes.

Use vector artwork

Vector artwork is a popular choice for T-shirt printing, and for good reason. Vector graphics are made up of lines, curves, and points based on mathematical equations, rather than the square pixels of raster graphics (like .jpg, .png, .tif, and .bmp images). This means that vector images can be resized indefinitely without sacrificing print quality—you won't encounter the blurriness or pixelation that occurs when resizing raster images. This makes vector graphics ideal for T-shirt printing, as it allows you to use the same logo or design across a range of products, from business cards to billboards, without worrying about image quality.

Another advantage of vector artwork is that it makes colour separation easier and more precise for the printer. When preparing artwork for T-shirt printing, it's important to stick with vectors as much as possible. While you can create designs in raster format, vector designs will turn out to be more detailed and easier to work with when it comes to colour separation.

Additionally, vector artwork is better suited for certain types of images. Images of vehicles, equipment, buildings, and other man-made objects tend to turn out well when converted to vector format. This is because vector images are ideal for objects made with shapes, and the clean, crisp lines of vector graphics can be properly resized without losing detail.

However, it's important to note that vector artwork has limitations when it comes to organic images, such as photographs of people or pets. The subtle shading and light effects that make a face recognisable, for example, cannot be duplicated in vector format. In such cases, raster images may be a better choice, as they can capture the nuances of shading and colour blending more effectively.

When preparing artwork for T-shirt printing, it's crucial to consider the strengths and weaknesses of vector graphics and choose the appropriate format for your specific design.

Frequently asked questions