My Cart

Close

HIGH QUALITY PRINTS • COLLABORATIVE APPAREL • ENAMEL PINS • PATCHES • BASED IN ATX

3 Pro Tips for Preparing Artwork for Screen Printing

3 Pro Tips for Preparing Artwork for Screen Printing

At Mindzai, we love bringing art to life in many different forms. Whether it be with stickersclothing, or coffee cups, we want to help your art have a life of its own. To do this however, there are just a few steps you need to follow in order to avoid unnecessary delays or pre-printing adjustments, especially with screen printing services. 

 

1. Plan Out Your Color Scheme

If you’ve already thought out this aspect- great! If not, that’s ok- it’s a small detail that’s easily overlooked. Planning out your color palette in advance- it’s most helpful if you create mock-up designs to test colors- will drastically help any issues when it comes to printing time.

Choosing a color scheme is not as important when you have a piece of artwork that is already designed. Though, it is helpful to think about what color shirt you would like the design printed on. If your graphic is the same color as the shirt, this can be used to accentuate the design by utilizing the negative space in the middle of your print. Note that matching colors around the outside edge of your design will not be visible.

To guarantee maximum visibility, be sure to have contrast between the fabric and ink colors.

If anything above makes you feel out of your depth, be sure to check out tools such as Adobe Color that can help your design be the best it can be.

2. Use Adobe Illustrator

If you have access to the Adobe Suite, then you should be using Illustrator to create your designs (if you’re not already).

Always be sure to save your designs in vector format! Unlike other formats (JPEG, GIF, or BMP), vector images can be resized without sacrificing quality. This technique helps especially if you’re planning to print the same design across different materials such as business cards, postcards, t-shirts, and banners/billboards. If you save your design in this format, it will print clearly across all sizes.

When using other products, like Photoshop, you’re creating a raster-based application. This means you are pretty much stuck with the original dimensions. This can greatly affect the quality of the printing process and final product.

 

A pro tip: Always create your design at a larger scale and higher resolution than you need. You can scale art down without any issues, but not vice versa. It’s kind of like adding salt to your dish when cooking: You can always add more salt to the finished meal, but you can’t take it away if you add too much while you’re actually cooking.

If your artwork is hand-drawn and needs to be digitized, make sure that you have scanned your design at the correct resolution! Generally, if the drawing is actual size, then scanning at 300 dpi will produce the best end result. If your design has been drawn on a 50% scale, then scan your artwork at double the resolution which, in this example, would be 600 dpi.

3. Save One Copy for Yourself and Another for Print

Sometimes an issue comes up during printing that requires the artwork to be edited further. It’s important that when you submit the design to us that you save one copy that can be edited for yourself should any adjustments arise during the printing process.

Generally, these are the guidelines you need to follow to produce a viable print file:

If Using Illustrator:

 

    1. Outline all fonts in black.

 

    1. Embed raster links.

 

  1. Save files as AI, EPS, or PDFs.

If Using Photoshop:

 

    1. Rasterize text layers.

 

    1. Merge any printable layers.

 

  1. Save files as PSD, TIF, PNG, or PDF.

Note that, no matter which program you use, you should create separate layer on your artwork which represents your garment color (without flattening it!).



If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at orders@mindzai.net!

 

Written by Caitlyn Hutson

0 comments

Leave a comment

All blog comments are checked prior to publishing

Recent Posts

Designing Business Cards That Convert: The Top 5 Tips You Need to Know

Designing Business Cards That Convert: The Top 5 Tips You Need to Know

Business cards are a staple in the world of business, but not all cards are created equal. A well-designed and creative business card can leave a lasting impression on potential customers or clients. In this post, we’ll be giving you some tips on how to design a unique and memorable business card.
The Myth about Social Media

The Myth about Social Media

Today we're going to talk about a common misconception that many business owners fall into - the idea that social media followers automatically result in sales. 
The Ultimate Guide to Designing T-Shirts in Procreate

The Ultimate Guide to Designing T-Shirts in Procreate

In this post, we're hooking you up with some wicked tips for using Procreate. We show you how to choose the right file size, use top-notch brushes, keep your layers organized, and more. So kick back, relax, and let's get your designs looking fresh to death.

Mesa Climbing Gym

MESA Climbing Gym - Mindzai Featured Client of the Month - March

MESA climbing gym is climbing its way to the top of Austin's Hottest new Climbing Gyms. Having recently opened its doors on March 7th, Mindzai went to their gym to ask them a few questions about their business and what they’re most excited to build.
Mindzai Featured Artist Series - Mr.Melty

Mindzai Featured Artist Series - Mr.Melty

This month we sat down with Mr.Melty to discuss inspiration, process, and whats in store for the future.   Q:...

Subscribe Now

Subscribe to get update