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 am starting a home based t-shirt business and I would like to design and print heat transfers myself. Can anyone tell me the names of software that would help me in the design phase.
Thanks
Ronnie
The two most widely used software suites for designing graphics in our industry are:
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X3 or X4
Adobe CS3 or CS4 graphics suite that includes Photoshop and Illustrator
I use the Adobe products my self.
There are some very good open source free programs out there as well. But I don't know much about them. Maybe someone else can make those recomendations.
Ok, Newbie question. I am adding heat press to my embroidery business and would also like to try my hand @ doing my own transfers to help save in the long run. With Adobe or Corel, can you scan an item then print it out or upload from elsewhere? I know probably not the best question that has an obvious answer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also if someone has used a program and no longer using it am I able to download it from their disc? I have a friend who has Adobe.
I am starting a home based t-shirt business and I would like to design and print heat transfers myself. Can anyone tell me the names of software that would help me in the design phase.
Thanks
Ronnie
If you have no experience with design programs, you can download "GIMP" online. It's free & is comparable to most of the current programs that you'll pay $$$ for. Good luck with your business!
Thank you Mike. I did download GIMP. Can we scan photos or our drawing into to it and then print them onto transfer paper?
Not sure if you can scan directly to GIMP, but all you have to do it save it to "my pics" or documents & print it from there unless you have to make adjustments, in which case you just put it in GIMP from your saved image. Be Well, M.
with Corel or Adobe you can import scan pictures in by using the import selection.
It may not come out the best because Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator are design programs.
Adobe Photoshop would help with scans..but again you may not get the greatest quality from scanned items.
if the images are pictures taken from a camera you upload them directly from the camera to you computer this may help with translation to Corel or Adobe.
As long as your friend has another license you can use their CD, most design software comes with 3 licenses. You need the product key from the software in order to download it onto your computer. If they used up all 3 licenses you may be out of luck.
Inkscape is another easy free program .. you can design and print with it.
You can import scanned pictures..
I have clients that are providing images, etc. that they want transferred to t-shirts. Is there a program wherein I can import an image and get a "mirrored" copy such that I print it on transfer paper?
I have clients that are providing images, etc. that they want transferred to t-shirts. Is there a program wherein I can import an image and get a "mirrored" copy such that I print it on transfer paper?
Thanks,
Most graphic design software has a "mirror" image setting. If not, I've seen it also in printer drivers.
I'll have to let you know when I'm in the office tomorrow. Recently purchased a T-shirt business and right now I'm not what software is on the computer in the store. I believe that it is Corel but I'm not sure.
A customer sent me an image that they want me to put on a T-shirt and I'm trying to figure out how to produce a mirror image such that I don't have to send it out to a screen printer.
yep, adobe & corel products leads the pack, but there are always other softwares (others are open-source) out there to help you started. happy printing!
Scan and save the picture/artwork to your Hard Drive or Flash, and open them with the program. It's really simple. You don't have to import. Most scanning software saves it in Jpeg or PDF.
Most Graphic Software like Corel or Photoshop will read those files.
Since you're only printing on transfers, you can use anything you want. If you want to use Microsoft word and create text or use their clipart it's up to you. It might look like it though.
A transfer is nothing more than a piece of paper with Plastisol ink on it. mainly white ink. So all you're really doing is printing your image to a piece of paper. In this case Transfer paper.
You can control the output by either the Printer settings or Software settings. Either way, you have to let the Software know how it's printing. Either by Printer or software.
It's really not hard at all. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes.
Cut your transfers into fours and practice with those small squares to save your Transfers and t-shirts.
Heat Transfer Design Software 
