[leoferrago]

Hey there.
I'm looking to get some designs printed onto shirts to sell. The designs are just simple, hand-drawn two-color drawings. I have no graphic design know-how, and I'm not sure what all it takes to have my designs cleaned up a little and made t-shirt ready. What I'm wondering is how willing and able are most printers to help customers with this kind of thing (I'm assuming it requires the use of photoshop or illustrator or something along those lines), and is that usually something they charge extra for, or is it usually included in the price of having t-shirts printed?
Thanks

 

[Chaka]

call around. If the printer is hungry enough for you business and the quantity is large enough he might help you out. If you are on a budget, get it in vector form and shop around. You will have less headaches in the future.

 

[leoferrago]

Thanks. I intend to give whatever printer I use lots of repeat business, so maybe that will give me some room to negotiate.

 

[Solmu]

I intend to give whatever printer I use lots of repeat business, so maybe that will give me some room to negotiate.

In future, maybe. At the moment, only if they're very naive. It's no knock on you, but every printer will hear that line again and again.

 

[CoopersDesignCo]

Hey there.
I'm looking to get some designs printed onto shirts to sell. The designs are just simple, hand-drawn two-color drawings. I have no graphic design know-how, and I'm not sure what all it takes to have my designs cleaned up a little and made t-shirt ready. What I'm wondering is how willing and able are most printers to help customers with this kind of thing (I'm assuming it requires the use of photoshop or illustrator or something along those lines), and is that usually something they charge extra for, or is it usually included in the price of having t-shirts printed?
Thanks

If you can design in BLACK ink, and make your lines thick and bold, you could take the step and make your own transparencies for the printer. I believe most local print shops can take your black and white artwork and photocopy them onto either clear transparencies or vellum.
If you're doing a two-color design, you could use the transparency of one color and fill in the second color onto a separate piece of paper. Then make a transparency of that artwork. Then you have your separations to hand to the printer to burn. I'd imagine this would take a huge step of work out for the people you'd be asking to do your artwork for you.
Another alternative would be to send your artwork to ArtWorkSource.Com, Inc | Home. They are a great resource for fast vectoring and digitizing, and inexpensive to say the least! They can vectorize your artwork and then you can download the file and send it to the printer of your choice. You will have a lot more people willing to work with you if you give them one of these files.
Hope this helps!

 

[a04skillzt]

A lot of the printers I've spoken to have a design department that is willing to assist in anything you may need. Of course, there is a fee for everything, but if all you need is to have the image cleaned up and prepared for printing, it shouldn't be too hard on your pocket.

 

[novanutcase]

In future, maybe. At the moment, only if they're very naive. It's no knock on you, but every printer will hear that line again and again.

I think everyone in this business has heard that line too many times!

I can't count the times that I've been offered "equity" in the company in trade for my time.

"No thanks! Just pay me for my time and when you go big call me!"

What is it they day? Talk is cheap!?!!

John