Get help with creating your t-shirt graphics. Discuss t-shirt design software, special effect techniques, or other topics related to creating a t-shirt design on your computer.
I'm a new member from the UK and have recently had my heatpress plotter and printer installed.
I'm pondering over which graphic package I should purchase, either illustrator, coraldraw or elements(the company i purchased from recommend elements). i must say I'm no artist so need a package that is easy to use and will make my life easier when working with artwork.
If you're using a plotter to cut vinyl you will need a vector-based graphic programm like Illustrator, Coreldraw or Inkscape (free). Photoshop or Elements can't help you out there as they are raster based programms.
Download the free trial versions and try them out all, then see for yourself what suits you best
I should have said i got some software with the plotter which enables me to do lettering but the company recommend having another software package for artwork. I'm trying adobe elements but because I'm not sure how to use it properly I don't want to pay for the full version and then find out i would have been better with illustrator. what can illustrator or coraldraw give me that elements can't.
I'm trying adobe elements but because I'm not sure how to use it properly I don't want to pay for the full version and then find out i would have been better with illustrator.
Like I said, go download the free trials of Illy and Corel, try them both out for a while and then decide what you like best
Quote:
Originally Posted by debragander
what can illustrator or coraldraw give me that elements can't.
It creates scaleable vector graphics, compared to raster graphics like in Photoshop or Elements, and you need those vector graphics to create your cut lines from
I would definitely recommend trying Inkscape as well. I'm a big fan of Illustrator but use Inkscape for all my t-shirt work as it uses fully open formats that can be big help when collaborating or outsourcing work.
Best of all its Open Source which means its free to download and there is a big user community driving its development. This means lots of free help!
The CorelDraw graphics suite is cheaper than the AdobeCS2 or CS3 suite, and already include CorelPhotopaint which is similar in function as the Adobe Photoshop Elements (for Raster works).
Also check and see which file types your plotter uses. We have an Ioline plotter at work that I use occasionally. Since I'm an Illustrator guy I use it where ever I can, however, our Ioline loads .plt files, which Corel will export directly and Illustrator will not.
So for simple lettering I use Corel, anything more complex I will do in Illustrator first, then save the Illustrator file down (as version 9), open with Corel, export from there as a .plt and then open with the Ioline software for cutting.
It's an extra step there, and only takes a little extra time, but it can be a hassel when things are really busy. Illustrator does export a file type that can be imported by the Ioline, but it seemed a bit of a pain in the butt, so I just do it the way I know works.
So yeah, most definitely download the trial versions and test your workflow from start to finish before making a purchasing decision.
Thanks everyone for your imput, I've taken everything on board. No doubt I'll have a lot more questions but i feel better knowing there always seem to be somebody who can come up with an answer. Thanks again
So for simple lettering I use Corel, anything more complex I will do in Illustrator first, then save the Illustrator file down (as version 9), open with Corel, export from there as a .plt and then open with the Ioline software for cutting.
Illy doesn't output .plt files. It can output the dwg files but they didn't seem as straightforward to work with on the cutter as the plt's - with the .plt I load it into the ioline software and i'm ready to cut. So with complex stuff I'll create the art in illy, save down as version 9, open in Corel, then export from Corel as .plt
If you are wondering why I choose illy for anything complex, well - that boils down to me learning on illustrator. It's been my primary, well really my only drawing program for the last five years and it's what I'm most comfortable with. Corel seems pretty alien to me - not a judgement against Corel or saying one is better than the other - if I had learned on Corel I'm sure my feelings would be the opposite. It's just that I am able to work much more efficiently with Illustrator, no master by any means, but with a combination of Illustrator and Photoshop I have a pretty smooth workflow. Corel seems to be an extremely effective package at a reasonable price point, but for me there hasn't really been a reason to learn Corel beyond the few small things I need it for.
Make sense?
Last edited by smutek; August 28th, 2007 at 09:53 AM.
No worries, wasn't trying to get into the "debate" just wondering. I assumed it had to do with the work flow/file type yet wanted to make sure and not just assume.
efficient work = more money Thats part of the game for sure
Oh man, hope you didn't take my "make sense" in the wrong way bro, I didn't take your question as anything more than what you just explained it as. I hope I didn't come off as defensive or anything, if so I wasn't trying to be, more trying to provide an explanation into my process and why I work the way I do. I definitely believe we need to choose the tools that work best for us and the job at hand.
what software 
