Versatile Casual T-Shirt Design
Budget: $10 – $30 USD
I’d like a fresh graphic created for a T-shirt (and other stuffs) that will be worn/used day-to-day. enough bold color to make it stand out without feeling loud.
The artwork has to print well on both light and dark cotton tees.
Artwork should be:
PNG format
As large as possible (dimensions of 4500 pixels or more will give you the most flexibility)
RGB color, 8 bits/channel
Less than 25 MB
Create your final artwork in RGB: This will produce a greater range of colors when printed on the different products.
Output your artwork file at 100% of the print dimensions at 300dpi.
Make sure artwork file is no larger than 25MB. If you are using Photoshop, you can choose "Smallest File Size" in the PNG Format Options dialog to help reduce the final artwork file size.
*Artwork Sizing and Placement:
keeping your maximum dimension to 12 inches or less results in better centering on the garments.
Be conscious of the placement of design elements and where they would appear in relation to your customer's anatomy. Remember that designs are printed on men’s, women’s, and kids' products.
Horizontally center designs visually as well as mathematically. Heavy design elements on one side can make a design feel off balance even if it is mathematically centered.
For apparel, designs typically do the best when they are placed near the top of the print area. For PopSockets, center designs across the whole area.
*Print True Black
CMYK is the most common color space for printing. However, we require all art files to be created in an RGB space. The richest black you can achieve is R-0 G-0 B-0 or #000000. You can accomplish this by using the software's color picker or by manually entering in the color build.
*Artwork Resolution
When designing your artwork, create the files at 100% of the print dimensions at 300 DPI. This will ensure a sharp image that isn't blurry or pixelated. Your image should remain sharp even when your artwork elements are sized down for printing. Remember to not scale artwork up (unless it is a vector file) as this will also cause pixelation.
*Choosing Colors
Water-based inks are used in direct to garment (DTG) printing, and the ink colors (CMYK) are translucent. On darker colors, a white ink base is printed first and then color is added on top. This is key to seeing the colors on dark garments.
Keep in mind, very subtle color differences between colors in your artwork and the base color of the product (e.g. a dark gray design on a black shirt) may not print as expected. Typically RGB screen colors appear more vibrant onscreen than CMYK colors printed on products.
*Printing Text and Lines
Recommendations for type and line weights will differ based on what it is printed on. The following images are recommendations based on the type of materials. These should be used as general guidelines for how to design your artwork to print as expected. Keep in mind, the artwork will always look cleaner and crisper onscreen in comparison to the printed version.
*Light Weight Fabrits (t-shirts, tank tops, etc)
The recommended minimum font size is 32pt and minimum line weight is 2pt as
and....
*Heavy Weight Fabrits (sweatshirts, hoodies, etc)
The recommended minimum font size is 48pt and minimum line weight is 3pt, so I need this size too.
Other sizes need for other items..
For Popsockets
The recommended minimum font size is 24pt and minimum line weight is 2pt.
*Tumblers
The recommended minimum font size is 8pt and minimum line weight is 1pt.
New Design Editor
General guideline
For the best experience, your artwork should be:
PNG format
Trimmed of all extraneous blank or transparent pixels
As large as possible (dimensions of 4500 pixels or more will give you the most flexibility)
Less than 25 MB
RGB color, 8 bits/channel
Words to know
Artwork dimensions are the width and height of your artwork. Merch uses pixel dimensions.
CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). It’s the color mode used for some types of ink printing. Merch converts RGB artwork to CMYK for printing some products.
DPI is the number of dots per inch in a printed image.
File format determines how a file data is saved and encoded. A Portable Network Graphic (PNG) file would have a .png extension.
File size is measured in megabytes (MB). This is the amount of storage space used by your artwork.
Full bleed products refers to products that have artwork that reaches the edge of the product. Our current full bleed products are PopSockets, phone cases, tote bags, and throw pillows.
Global artwork is the artwork file you upload at the top of the create page for all products.
Global uploader is the box on top of the create page where you can drag and drop artwork or click to browse for an artwork file.
Printable area is the physical area on a product that can be printed. In the new design editor, the printable area is shown as a rectangle with a gray dashed border.
RGB is standard red, green, and blue color mode, which defines how color data is stored. Merch recommends RGB because your artwork is used for both printing and display on product detail pages.
Safe zone is where you should place the most important parts of your design. Design content outside of the safe zone is still printed, but might be cut off or obscured by seams, cut lines, or camera holes. In the new design editor, the safe zone is shown as a rectangle with a red dashed border.
Saving your artwork
The new design editor allows you to upload artwork with any dimension (greater than 485 x 485 pixels) to use on every product. Artwork will automatically scale to fit and center on each product. When you create artwork, start with a large width and height. The design editor will allow you to shrink artwork, but not make it bigger. We recommend starting with a height/width of at least 4500 pixels, but you might want to go a bit larger to allow more flexibility. Save or export the file as a PNG in RGB color mode.
When you save artwork files in your design software, we recommend removing all extra blank or transparent pixels, trimming your file to the edges of your design. Trimming allows the Merch design editor’s centering tools to work as expected. Then, if you want to resize your artwork or reposition it to the pocket or collar area, you can do that using tools right on the portal for each product independently.
The artwork has to print well on both light and dark cotton tees.
Artwork should be:
PNG format
As large as possible (dimensions of 4500 pixels or more will give you the most flexibility)
RGB color, 8 bits/channel
Less than 25 MB
Create your final artwork in RGB: This will produce a greater range of colors when printed on the different products.
Output your artwork file at 100% of the print dimensions at 300dpi.
Make sure artwork file is no larger than 25MB. If you are using Photoshop, you can choose "Smallest File Size" in the PNG Format Options dialog to help reduce the final artwork file size.
*Artwork Sizing and Placement:
keeping your maximum dimension to 12 inches or less results in better centering on the garments.
Be conscious of the placement of design elements and where they would appear in relation to your customer's anatomy. Remember that designs are printed on men’s, women’s, and kids' products.
Horizontally center designs visually as well as mathematically. Heavy design elements on one side can make a design feel off balance even if it is mathematically centered.
For apparel, designs typically do the best when they are placed near the top of the print area. For PopSockets, center designs across the whole area.
*Print True Black
CMYK is the most common color space for printing. However, we require all art files to be created in an RGB space. The richest black you can achieve is R-0 G-0 B-0 or #000000. You can accomplish this by using the software's color picker or by manually entering in the color build.
*Artwork Resolution
When designing your artwork, create the files at 100% of the print dimensions at 300 DPI. This will ensure a sharp image that isn't blurry or pixelated. Your image should remain sharp even when your artwork elements are sized down for printing. Remember to not scale artwork up (unless it is a vector file) as this will also cause pixelation.
*Choosing Colors
Water-based inks are used in direct to garment (DTG) printing, and the ink colors (CMYK) are translucent. On darker colors, a white ink base is printed first and then color is added on top. This is key to seeing the colors on dark garments.
Keep in mind, very subtle color differences between colors in your artwork and the base color of the product (e.g. a dark gray design on a black shirt) may not print as expected. Typically RGB screen colors appear more vibrant onscreen than CMYK colors printed on products.
*Printing Text and Lines
Recommendations for type and line weights will differ based on what it is printed on. The following images are recommendations based on the type of materials. These should be used as general guidelines for how to design your artwork to print as expected. Keep in mind, the artwork will always look cleaner and crisper onscreen in comparison to the printed version.
*Light Weight Fabrits (t-shirts, tank tops, etc)
The recommended minimum font size is 32pt and minimum line weight is 2pt as
and....
*Heavy Weight Fabrits (sweatshirts, hoodies, etc)
The recommended minimum font size is 48pt and minimum line weight is 3pt, so I need this size too.
Other sizes need for other items..
For Popsockets
The recommended minimum font size is 24pt and minimum line weight is 2pt.
*Tumblers
The recommended minimum font size is 8pt and minimum line weight is 1pt.
New Design Editor
General guideline
For the best experience, your artwork should be:
PNG format
Trimmed of all extraneous blank or transparent pixels
As large as possible (dimensions of 4500 pixels or more will give you the most flexibility)
Less than 25 MB
RGB color, 8 bits/channel
Words to know
Artwork dimensions are the width and height of your artwork. Merch uses pixel dimensions.
CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). It’s the color mode used for some types of ink printing. Merch converts RGB artwork to CMYK for printing some products.
DPI is the number of dots per inch in a printed image.
File format determines how a file data is saved and encoded. A Portable Network Graphic (PNG) file would have a .png extension.
File size is measured in megabytes (MB). This is the amount of storage space used by your artwork.
Full bleed products refers to products that have artwork that reaches the edge of the product. Our current full bleed products are PopSockets, phone cases, tote bags, and throw pillows.
Global artwork is the artwork file you upload at the top of the create page for all products.
Global uploader is the box on top of the create page where you can drag and drop artwork or click to browse for an artwork file.
Printable area is the physical area on a product that can be printed. In the new design editor, the printable area is shown as a rectangle with a gray dashed border.
RGB is standard red, green, and blue color mode, which defines how color data is stored. Merch recommends RGB because your artwork is used for both printing and display on product detail pages.
Safe zone is where you should place the most important parts of your design. Design content outside of the safe zone is still printed, but might be cut off or obscured by seams, cut lines, or camera holes. In the new design editor, the safe zone is shown as a rectangle with a red dashed border.
Saving your artwork
The new design editor allows you to upload artwork with any dimension (greater than 485 x 485 pixels) to use on every product. Artwork will automatically scale to fit and center on each product. When you create artwork, start with a large width and height. The design editor will allow you to shrink artwork, but not make it bigger. We recommend starting with a height/width of at least 4500 pixels, but you might want to go a bit larger to allow more flexibility. Save or export the file as a PNG in RGB color mode.
When you save artwork files in your design software, we recommend removing all extra blank or transparent pixels, trimming your file to the edges of your design. Trimming allows the Merch design editor’s centering tools to work as expected. Then, if you want to resize your artwork or reposition it to the pocket or collar area, you can do that using tools right on the portal for each product independently.