A spectrum of colors, a multitude of possibilities.

How does a person design for t-shirts? It is different from designing for paper. The different inks and unique screen-printing methods makes t-shirt design have a whole slew of design rules and tricks of its own.

Things To Consider

Direct Printing

• You can underprint white for added opacity, but that adds a level of thickness.
• Direct printing is generally “lighter” on the t-shirts.
• has less opacity than heat transfers
• It is most efficient for larger runs.

Heat Transfers

• The image is printed backwards and then transferred with heat on.
• can be “mixed and matched” with different shirts
• Best for lower quantities
• has a more intense color on darker shirts than direct printing
• has a “rubbery” feel
• Can perchance more transfers than shirts in order to reduce cost

Each color requires a screen.

Each side requires a screen and a setup.

Printing on the sleeve requires its own screen and setup.

Full Bleed images are difficult to set up.

Stay away from halftones. They say they can, but they can’t.

T-short Brands – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 

Always specify the brand when choosing a t-shirt. Each brand has its own sizing. For example, Fruit of the Loom’s sizes tend to run longer and skinnier than Hanes. Also, beware of off-brands and synthetics; they tend to shrink or fall apart quickly. It is best to stick with name brands whenever possible.

Picking 100% heavy cotton is the best, and 50/50 mixes are ok, but stay away from polyester.

Color Beware

Who knew that screen printers don’t necessarily use Pantone colors? Well. They don’t. They have their system for colors that may or may not match that beautiful PMS swatch that was so painstakingly chosen. Which is why, whenever possible, get a swatch card from the printer; this way, the blue you want is the blue you get.

Also, a way to add color to a t-shirt project is to use a colored t-shirt. Whites are the cheapest, pastels and grays a little more, and dark colors are the most expensive.

Size

When designing for a t-shirt size of the image in proportion to the t-shirt is important. It is the most economical if you can use the same image on multiple t-shirt sizes. Which is why the image should stay below 12 x 12 inches. A 12×12 image is fairly easy to align, which makes for a faster and less expensive setup.

If planned well, two sizes of images can span an entire range of shirts from children’s small to adult XX-large.

Note that Large and X-Large are the most common sizes for shirts.

Sending to the Printer (aka Pre-Press) 

Convert all text to paths; there is no guarantee that they will have the fonts.

Check to see what software they are using. Many printers do not update their software regularly or may be using different software.

Ask about trapping, because printers will have their own settings.

Specify the placement of the image on the shirt.

If using white ink, use a funny off-color and name it white in the file as well as identify it on the ticket.