Get advice to help you create 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. If you'd rather hire a graphic designer to do the work for you, please post in our Referrals and Recommendations section here.
I dont really know what vector and pitmap are.... I currently use printshop.
Since Im just starting out on this t-shirt biz.
it lets me do different fonts, colors shapes shadow effects and it lets me crop pictures... I thought it was the best thing in the world for me... but I hear you guys use Photoshop and I looked it up.....
and it cost like $500.
SO I'm thinking it must be like %100 better than printshop, witch I paid like $30 for.. so there must be somethig im missing.
I bought Corel X3 a couple months ago and it works great. Do an internet search and you can buy it very cheap. Look at Amazon.com and search for student/teacher addition. $79.00.
Printshop is only good for making a drawing and then making a transfer on your printer. If you were to send it to a screen printer to do then it needs to be in Vector art. Other wise they start charging you by the hour to convert it. You should research exactly what vector art is so you have a better understanding of it.
Do all of you use Photoshop CS2 to make your designes... did you have to pay $500-600 for it?
Is there and alternative?
Lorena
Professionals use Photoshop and Illustrator. Latest version is CS2 by Adobe. Many designers do not pay for their software, but that's where legal issues come into play. You cannot blame them, the most expensive design software I have is worth $15,000, and companies such as General Motors can only afford them. Anyhow, If you do not know basic graphics, Photoshop will be tough to learn, but give it a try, Coreldraw or other applications do not compare.
I have been a professional for 10 years and use CorelDRAW. This statement is not totally true. Yes many professionals use the adobe products yet many use the Corel products as well.
FYI all the slot machines in Vegas, the pretty designs that entice you to want to play are created using CorelDRAW.
I have to agree with Richard. Adobe products are popular, but many, many professionals use Corel, with excellent results. I think you would be hard-pressed to find anything that you could do in Illustrator that you could not do in CorelDraw.
Here is what I did. I downloaded Illustrator CS and Corel on a trial. I used both with NO EXPERIENCE in either, nor am I a graphic artist. I liked Corel and purchased it along with Photshop Elements which came with something else that I purchased.
I then started using them. From a standpoint of help, the help sections of both products really suck. I mean they really suck. The tutorials also suck. So, armed with almost no information and really frustrated at times, I just tried different things and slowly I am getting better. I was disappointed there is no 3rd party paper book for Corel, but there is an e-book which I will probably buy.
Why am I going through this pain? I want to stop paying for artwork. At $60 to $300 per design I have already paid for my software. On top of that I got the designs that I wanted and they look one heck of a lot better than some crap I was getting.
Don't be afraid to learn.
I can offer one alternative, go to a local high school, Jr. College, or University and go to the art dept. Make a deal to get free or low cost designs and let the students get credit for their work. It is a win-win-win situation.
Its not about one product being superior to another. I tried corel ages ago and didn't like it. I stuck with illustrator and use it now. Choose one that suits you and try to master it. The end quality of your work is what matters, not what software you use to get there.
Do as skull said...test out the trial verions (usually fully functioning) of the adobe cs2 and coreldraw. Play around with them. Heck use trials until you make money then spring for the real deal if you choose.
Making designes? 
