[Mccall101]

Ok well I can't find a single tutorial online on how to make the art and the specifics such as sizing. I have ideas for designs in my head and I need to put them on shirts. All I want is a detailed tutorial that says "You do this, this and this to have a print ready design" I want to make shirts that art extends from shoulder to shoulder. Do I completely fill the entire white space? I mean how in the world did anyone learn how to do this if theres nothing on the internet other than how to make mock ups. Please someone help me before I lose my mind

 

[kimura-mma]

Are you doing the printing? Or are you outsourcing? If you are outsourcing, then the print shop may be able to supply you specs on how to set up the files. Also, are you screen printing the shirts? Or DTG? It's good to know the process when setting up files.

That said, if you are referring to "all over" printing, there's not really going to be an exact answer. For instance, if you set up your artwork at 15 inches, it is going to fit differently when printing on a size small shirt as opposed to a size large shirt. So you are going to set up your art for the biggest size shirt and the art will fall where it may for smaller sizes. Also, you don't have to "die cut" your art to fit around the silhouette of the shirt. Fill the space you want to fill and give a mockup to the printer and they will do the placement.

 

[Mccall101]

How do you print more than 8.5 by 11 on a regular home printer?

Would it help if I uploaded just an example pic and someone tell me how to turn the small picture into a a print ready design ready to be put on the shirt?

I'm trying to print them myself and screen printing

 

[kimura-mma]

How do you print more than 8.5 by 11 on a regular home printer?

Unless the printer is equipped to print larger than that, you can't.

Would it help if I uploaded just an example pic and someone tell me how to turn the small picture into a a print ready design ready to be put on the shirt?

Perhaps.

I'm trying to print them myself and screen printing

Do you have screens and platens? The sizes of those will determine what size your artwork should be. It may help to give more info on your screen print setup.

 

[Fidel]

I think you're missing some basics. It would help if you specified what you're trying to do, what your intention is, etc.
For starters, you can either make a shirt template in AI (or specify your software), or you can just start with 8.5x11 (that can often be enough) and go from there. If you think your designs deserve bigger format, you'll have to buy a 16x22 capable printer.

Edit: OK, I now see that you were asking about font stuff in an earlier thread.
If you are very new to making digital design, you will have to learn the basics of Illustrator or a similar program. I recommend either searching for online courses, buying some books or going to the library. There's pretty much no way I could explain everything without personal consulting. You need to learn about pixels, resolutions, vectors, rasters, and many many other things. I'm afraid this isn't as easy as taking a marker and drawing on paper.

 

[bungy]

Ok well I can't find a single tutorial online on how to make the art and the specifics such as sizing.

Let us know what software you are using.
Are you using vector program (Illustrator, Draw, Inkscape)or raster (PhotoPaint, Photoshop, Gimp)

All artwork should be done at the finished size and at the required resolution, especially if being done in a raster program - not so critical in vector based.

I have ideas for designs in my head and I need to put them on shirts. All I want is a detailed tutorial that says "You do this, this and this to have a print ready design"

while some exist with that level of detail, it again depends on the software you are using.

it could be as simple as print design on transfer paper and press on shirt.

if it is screen print, print separations (one for each color), make screen, print design.

I want to make shirts that art extends from shoulder to shoulder. Do I completely fill the entire white space? I mean how in the world did anyone learn how to do this if theres nothing on the internet other than how to make mock ups. Please someone help me before I lose my mind

Probably done by trial and error initially.
You could fill in the white space, but it depends on how big is the "white space" is it A4, 10" x 12", A3, 24" x 15"??

 

[Mccall101]

I'm using photoshop. I just got Illustrator

 

[bornover]

In Photoshop you need to create a document 300 dpi at the actual size or larger you are going to want to have the design printed at. For example, a standard center chest print might be around 12" x 18", so your document size in Photoshop needs to be 12" x 18" or larger at 300 dpi. You also work in RGB color mode, you can convert to CMYK later if needed but RGB will give you the larger color gamut for your starting point. And yes your art needs to go to the edges of the document because it is the art that needs to be full printing size, not the document with a little tiny piece of artwork in the middle.

It is always better to work larger than you need because raster (bitmap) images can be scaled down without loss of image quality, but they can't be scaled larger without loss of image quality.

Here is a good book about getting artwork ready to be screen printed. Amazon.com: t-shirt artwork simplified It comes in two versions, one for Adobe software and one for Corel software.

 

[Mccall101]

In Photoshop you need to create a document 300 dpi at the actual size or larger you are going to want to have the design printed at. For example, a standard center chest print might be around 12" x 18", so your document size in Photoshop needs to be 12" x 18" or larger at 300 dpi. You also work in RGB color mode, you can convert to CMYK later if needed but RGB will give you the larger color gamut for your starting point. And yes your art needs to go to the edges of the document because it is the art that needs to be full printing size, not the document with a little tiny piece of artwork in the middle.

It is always better to work larger than you need because raster (bitmap) images can be scaled down without loss of image quality, but they can't be scaled larger without loss of image quality.

Here is a good book about getting artwork ready to be screen printed. Amazon.com: t-shirt artwork simplified It comes in two versions, one for Adobe software and one for Corel software.

Thanks man but do you know of some important things from that book? It's a little pricing for me at the moment.

 

[Mccall101]

or do you think that book would be at barnes and noble?

 

[bornover]

The book helped me in the beginning. The book is focused on helping an art department or artist create a good work flow for prepress work preparing the artwork for the press. It is specifically for screen printing and expects that you have a basic understanding of the software already. It then takes it from there and teaches you good practices for preparing the artwork to burn screens.

If you are not going to screen print, the book is still helpful, but not all of the information will apply. I have seen it for sale at lots of places.

 

[miktoxic]

basic answer: put your ideas down on paper. get them into computer. produce files to print (either yourself or someone else). print.

there is no easy 'print shirts in 15 minutes' manual for doing this. you have to understand that most people on the forum have been doing this for years and are still learning the craft. i've been using illustrator and photoshop etc. for over twenty years and am still learning new ways to do things everyday.

bornover gives good advice. if you can't afford this book then, quite frankly, how can you go into business for yourself? go to the library and read everything you can about the tshirt printing biz. or better yet go to the main page on this forum and check out the links to the basic info. ok here:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t37985.html

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t48532.html

first off you need to learn the basics of printing, color and the digital process. each goes hand-in-hand in today's printing processes. what's dpi? what the difference between vector and raster images etc. etc? and that's just to understand the underlying issues of the business. next depends on what your role will be in the process. are you gonna be the artist, the printer or the whole shebang. depending on the answer you'd have to train yourself in that.

instead of looking for tutorials (there weren't any tutorials online 20 yrs. ago) take out the owners manual of your software and follow along and actually hands on learn it. go to a local community college and enroll in their computer graphics classes. this is how it's been done for years.

this forum is packed with info too. if you use the search function it will guide you to specific threads that can help. i'm sorry if i'm coming off rude (which i'm not trying to be) but if you search the forum there are tons of threads with this same question: i've got ideas........how do i put them on shirts? -or- i've got ideas........how do i start my own biz? there is no magic solution except hard work. the internet can't do everything.

 

[dlac]

Holy Mackeral Newbie... If you want to be an artist, or if you want to be a printer. or if you want to be anything I think you need just a little bit more of an understanding than what you have and what you might pick up by posting here. Don't get me wrong you people who are trying to help and doing a wonderful job by the way.. But it sounds as though this person is 2 steps back from basic how does this work.. I personally think that there are so many freelance artists out here (mean included ) that work so reasonable and cheap that this person would be better off on the first few of his or her designs to send them off to someone and work their way into self completion. Scott Fressner over there at www.t-bizforums.com has some really good books also and teaches classes around the country and at impression shows..For what this person is trying to accomplish with no real knowledge of how it works is quite a challenge for anyone
dlac

 

[miktoxic]

this is the link you meant to list dlac:

www.t-biznetwork.com

hope i'm not over-stepping to post this.