Hello there! I have ???'s (software)

phoenix1 said:

What is the best software to use for designing my t-shirts. I am pretty creative, but want user friendly software?

And prices? (if you happen to know of the top of your head)

I don't have a Mac , but I love my computer!

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I can't tell you what's best, and I don't know prices, but the GIMP is free. It does everything I need. But then, I like to draw on paper, scan and then modify in the computer as needed.

Main page:

http://www.gimp.org/

Assuming you're running windows:

http://www.gimp.org/windows/

Good luck!

Hi Jaime, welcome to the T-Shirt Forums!

A good place to start is the Graphics and Design help forums. If you browse through some of the past threads there, you'll find some great information on software recommendations, comparisons, etc:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23

The thing you want to remember if you ever send your designs out for someone else to do them that they want vector art. so I recommend Coral or illustrator.

badalou said:

The thing you want to remember if you ever send your designs out for someone else to do them that they want vector art. so I recommend Coral or illustrator.

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Please excuse my ignorance, the last time I submitted t-shirt art it was india ink and rubylith on tracing paper. Are you saying that an .eps export from the GIMP would not qualify as a vector submission?

And, I was looking at Cafepress' Image Workshop and they do not accept .EPS vector and no .AI at all. They prefer .PNG.

(Also, I don't want to hijack phoenix1's thread, so I can re-ask this stuff in the Graphics and Design Help forum if you think it's necessary.)

MjM

Are you saying that an .eps export from the GIMP would not qualify as a vector submission?

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An EPS graphic from gimp works perfectly as a vector submission. Most people just are more familiar with the commercial programs like CorelDraw and Illustrator.

And, I was looking at Cafepress' Image Workshop and they do not accept .EPS vector and no .AI at all. They prefer .PNG.

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CafePress is a bit of a different animal (since they aren't screen printing or printing with vinyl transfers). A high resolutin (300dpi) PNG file will work perfectly for cafepress designs.

If you tried spreadshirt.com (similar to cafepress) and wanted to use their dark shirts, you would need to use the EPS vector (from gimp, corel, illustrator, etc).

phoenix1 said:

What is the best software to use for designing my t-shirts. I am pretty creative, but want user friendly software?

What are the pros and cons of different packages?

And prices?

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Here is a very informative (6 page!) article I found a while ago, which has in-depth reviews of some of the top vector-based art programs, and has info about prices and etc. Hope it helps!

http://technologyandbusiness.com.au/When_image_matters.htm

mmrtnt said:

Please excuse my ignorance, the last time I submitted t-shirt art it was india ink and rubylith on tracing paper.

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I imagine most screenprinters would still be happy to accept art produced that way.

I'm not great at getting ruby to do what I want it to (I've used it to good effect a few times though), but I sure love the results!

Rodney - Thanks for the info!

MjM

Do most people here make their own designs (say in Illustrator) or do they pay someone on a regular basis? I still find myself having to learn things like Vectors...and fashion....and shipping. Gah...being the boss is hard. I have to learn little bits. But graphics I need someone with talent rather then doing it myself.

Do most people here make their own designs (say in Illustrator) or do they pay someone on a regular basis?

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There are lots of people that do both Just do what best fits your business and capabilities. If you can't or don't want to do it yourself, then you will probably have to outsource the designing.

hongkongdmz said:

Gah...being the boss is hard. I have to learn little bits. But graphics I need someone with talent rather then doing it myself.

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I say, go with your strengths - If you're not up to the challenge of making your own designs, there's nothing wrong with having someone else make them for you. In fact, it might turn out better that way - The time it would take you to learn how to make those designs could be better spent on something else - like researching marketing, or designing your website, etc.

The time it would take you to learn how to make those designs could be better spent on something else - like researching marketing, or designing your website, etc

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I agree 100%

If you are a marketer or an artist, sometimes it's more beneficial to focus on what you do and outsource what you need help in.

I could spend 10 hours figuring out how to write a PHP script, or I could pay someone who is a PHP expert to do it in 1 hour and spend 10 hours marketing my website or designing more t-shirts.

hongkongdmz said:

Do most people here make their own designs (say in Illustrator) or do they pay someone on a regular basis? I still find myself having to learn things like Vectors...and fashion....and shipping. Gah...being the boss is hard. I have to learn little bits. But graphics I need someone with talent rather then doing it myself.

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Really? Who did all the nifty graphics on your site? I agree with the people who say you should follow your strengths - in fact, if you plan on making this your sole means of support, I'd say that marketing is slightly more important than design, stress slightly.

But, if you did all that work I saw at your URL, then I'd say you might be being too modest.

Unless, of course, it took you six months to put together


MjM

Yeah, I wish I did the design work. That didnt take my designer that long, my point was that I need to learn some basics of design to understand what he talks about when he suggests changes. Same with anyone really. My site's only been up 2 days thanks.