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Snuggle Shirt · February 19th, 2008

Hi, I have several poems that I want to sell on t-shirts on cafepress. I haven't started yet, because I don't have a graphics program and don't know how to use one.

As far as graphics go, all I want to do is put a decorative border around the poems --- a sort of "clip-art" style would be fine (but as I've found out it's illegal to use clipart on something you're going to sell), or...some sort of background behind the poem.

I've never done this before, and I don't own a graphics program (I'm a total beginner with graphics). Considering the fact that I want to do simple graphic borders or backgrounds on my own text, which graphics program would you recommend? Which one is the easiest to use?

I would like to download a free one to start. I really don't have the start-up money to buy a graphics program that I don't know how to use.

(I did research this here on t-shirt forums but couldn't find an answer to my exact question.)

Thank You.

charles95405 · February 19th, 2008

why not start with something that you can grow with..If $$ are short try inkscape which is a graphics design program and it is totally FREE and for photos...try Gimp and it too is FREE

Both are close to professional quality and will work for you. Just google them to get the right URL to down load...but you will need more than a dialup connection I think

Snuggle Shirt · February 19th, 2008

I have high speed internet (satellite), and we just upgraded to a new computer (Dell).

Since I don't have photos, I'm going to try Gimp. I'm just looking for a "border" or a "background", for text. I'll go there now and read about it. Thank you so much!

If I download Gimp, then will I have everything I need to send my text & border to cafepress? They said I can't send them anything without a graphics program (even if it's text-only, for a t-shirt).

charles95405 · February 19th, 2008

for graphics you need Inkscape, which is like illustrator and Corel.You should be able to make your own borders.You might try to google free clip art borders and see what you get Gimp is a photo program much like photoshop.

by the way...adobe has the little brother of photoshop...it is photoshop elements and it is about $100

marcelolopez · February 19th, 2008

You could also try Open Office, it includes a program called Draw, for vector graphics, I believe it have some tools to create borders and backgrounds.
OpenOffice.org: Home
Open Office is free.

Snuggle Shirt · February 19th, 2008

I just went to GIMP and I didn't understand a thing. But, since you're saying it's for photos, I'm thinking it's not the right free graphics program for me. I don't want to use any photos.

I'm getting frustrated. I'm going to try searching for free clipart borders next. From what I've heard it's hard to find free clipart that's usable. Which is understandable, since they probably don't want to give it away for free.

I did go to openoffice.org, and I couldn't understand anything there, either.

This is a lot harder than I though it would be -- to upload a design to cafepress to try to sell it on a t-shirt and other merchandise.

Catbox · February 19th, 2008

CoreldrawX3 has a student and teacher version if you qualify...
Amazon.com: CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 Student & Teacher Edition: Software

Theres a cool free program called...Paint.net
Paint.NET - Free Software for Digital Photo Editing

Gimp is cool also...

and not all clipart is illegal to use...

you can make your own brushes for photoshop and Gimp for borders also...

Snuggle Shirt · February 19th, 2008

I'm wondering now if I should go to a local graphic artist to help me. Or someone like that. I didn't think I would need to actually take a class to be able to create a file to upload to cafepress, but now I'm thinking maybe I will have to? In my college and graduate school studies, I just used Windows and similar programs, so I never learned about graphics at all. I'm totally lost. I was hoping there would be an easy way that I could make my poems look pretty to upload, with a border or background or something. But I don't understand anything on the graphic program websites. I need the Sesame Street version.

Chani · February 19th, 2008

I'd suggest learning the concepts of vector graphics and give Inkscape a try. I'm sure there are tutorials out there somewhere.

The other thing you might try is hiring a graphic designer if all you need is simple borders and/or backgrounds.

There are several sites that offer graphic design for very low prices.

Can you draw with pen/pencil and paper or paint with a brush? If so, you could draw or paint what you're looking for and hire someone to turn your graphic into something usable for CafePress. If I'm not mistaken, you need a bitmap for them, right (jpg, gif, png)? I don't think they accept vector files for their shirts...do they?

Depending one how complex you want it, it shouldn't be too terribly expensive.

Snuggle Shirt · February 19th, 2008

Okay, I will google vector graphics and also inkscape.

I did speak to one graphic artist over email (thru a mothering forum - she's a WAHM who is a graphic artist) and she thought it would be about $40 for her to help me with the border. I wasn't sure if that was a good price or not. That was for one poem. I will talk to a couple other ones locally and compare prices.

I don't think I could draw what I want on the border. I'm looking for a floral border on one of the poems. I thought that would be really simple to do, but it hasn't been.

I'm wondering if there are computer businesses that would come to your house to help you with something like this.

wormil · February 19th, 2008

Take a look at Scribus :: Open Source Desktop Publishing for Linux, Mac OS® X and Windows®
It's a page layout program similar to Adobe Pagemaker.

Catbox · February 19th, 2008

What type of border or background are you looking for? Like these... these were made from a alienskin plugin

Snuggle Shirt · February 19th, 2008

Well the first poem I wanted to try, I just wanted to put a border of lilacs around it. Just any kind of lilac border.

The second poem I wanted to just do a dark background of moon and stars. If I couldn't find a background or figure out how to do a background I was going to just do a border of moon and stars.

[One of the products they offer on cafepress is a "poster" or a "framed poster", so I was keeping that in mind, since I figured people who would be interested in my poems (which are about mothering and breastfeeding...etc...) might want to hang them in a nursery, --- and then I also see how it looked on a t-shirt. It's hard to find mothering & breastfeeding t-shirts in regular stores, so most mothers order them online. ]

Chani · February 20th, 2008

SS, that sounds like a wonderful idea.

It sounds to me like you'll most likely need to talk to a graphic designer or even a traditional artist if you aren't able to draw or paint these borders and backgrounds yourself.

Do you have any art or design schools near you? There may be students that would be willing to work with you just to get their names out there. I'm sure they'd want something for their work, but it most likely wouldn't be as much as someone who is established in their field and paying their mortgage.

Snuggle Shirt · February 20th, 2008

Yes I'm putting the word out on the local boards that I'm looking for a graphic artist so I'll ask around locally to see if anybody can help me. I guess I'm naive -- I thought there would be some ready-made borders or backgrounds that people could use for stuff like this, without having to draw or paint them.

Is there a place here on the t-shirt forums where you can find a graphic artist to do a small job like this?

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