Graphic Design/Digitizing

Graphic Design:
Have a great idea but don't know how to proceed? Let our in-house design department help you! We can create artwork for your screen print or embroidery project.

Submitting Artwork:
The best format of artwork to e-mail would be a vector file in spot colors. If you do not have any vector file in your possession we will re-create the art. We can accept Corel Draw, Illustrator, PDF, and EPS files without re-creating the art. You do not have to e-mail the art over to the size that you want; we can size it for you. Although, if you do e-mail it to size, please specify what size you would like. If you can only get your hands on a jpg, bmp, gif, or any other bitmap file, that is ok too. Specifications are crucial when it comes to artwork and e-mailing artwork. The details that we would like to see are as follows; Placement of the logo, are we re-creating the art or creating the art, what colors you would like to see, what size you would like it to be (usually 3.5” for left chest and 12” for full back), or any other information that you think we should know.

 

How To Tell VECTOR From RASTER
Computer graphics fall into two main categories: raster and vector. We can work with both types of graphics in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator/Corel Draw; however, each has its specific purpose. Illustrator and Corel Draw are used to create and edit vector images, though raster graphics can be inserted into an Illustrator file, Illustrator and Corel Draw typically are the program used to output files that will be separated to create film positives in the conventional screen making process. Photoshop files also can contain both raster and vector data, though Photoshop’s power lies in editing continuous tone raster images.

Understanding the difference between the two categories of artwork-raster and vector- is essential for anyone who creates, edits and imports artwork between programs.

Vector graphics are made of mathematically defined lines and curves called vectors, or paths. This means you can move, resize or change the color if a line without losing the quality of the graphic. Vector graphics are resolution-independent-that is, they can be scaled to any size and printed at any resolution without losing detail or clarity. As a result, vector graphics are the best choice for representing bold graphics that must retain crisp lines when scaled to various sizes (logos, for example).

Raster images –also commonly referred to as bitmap images- are made of a grid of dots known as pixels. When working with bitmap images, you edit pixels rather than objects, shapes or paths. They are the most common electronic medium for continuous-tone images, such as photographs, because they can represent subtle gradations of shades and color.

Bitmap images will lose detail if they are enlarged too much because raster files are resolution-dependent. They contain a fixed number of pixels, each of which is assigned a specific size, location and color value. The number if pixels per inch are how resolution is measured in raster/bitmap images. So technically, we should always talk about photo images in terms of “ppi”- or pixels per inch. However, the accepted lingo is dpi-or dots per inch-a holdover from predigital technology.

The most important thing to know is that bitmapped images sized for the Wed are typically saved at 72 dpi to keep the image size small so that Web pages load quickly. A raster image bound for garment printing should have twice that resolution- about 150dpi-at finished print size, if you want to print a sharp photograph of a raster image, you’ll want a high-resolution file-300 dpi or more at printable size.

If you take a 2”x 3” image at 72 dpi and enlarge it in Photoshop to 150 dpi, it will be distorted, fuzzy and lines may appear jagged because all you have done is double the size of each pixel. Blow the same image up to 300 dpi, and you’ll start to see the individual pixels that comprise the image.

When you hear artists talk about a low-resolution image being too ”pixalated” to print properly this is what they’re talking about.
Process Printing (White or Ash Shirts)
• 300 dpi CMYK file. Files can be Tif, BMP, JPG with no compression.
• Photoshop files must purge layers and text to reduce file size.
• Artwork should be created in 300 dpi not 72 then converted to 300 which can cause distortion of the image.
• DO NOT submit a RGB file and expect the same results. CMYK and RGB are two totally different formats which will result in a different outcome. Hard copy print for our reference.

 

Simulated Process Printing (Dark or Colored shirts)
• 300 dpi RGB file. Files can be Tif, BMP, JPG with no compression.
• Photoshop files must purge layers and text to reduce file size.
• Artwork should be created in 300 dpi not 72 then converted to 300 which can cause distortion of the image.
• DO NOT submit a CMYK file and expect the same results. CMYK and RGB are two totally different formats which will result in a different outcome.
Hard copy print for our reference