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What is the right software to design T shirts

67419 Views 33 Replies 20 Participants Last post by  dennyk671

I am trying to design t-shirts. There are lots of ideas in my head but I don’t really know what software is best to realize any of them . So far I have used Serif draw plus 4 . But I find it too basic. Can you please give me some tips on what software i should use. Cost effective software.

I heard vector is good as it scales. but i hav eno idea what vector software is best.
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there are a few choices... the 3 below have free 30 day trials... then you can buy them
adobe photoshop...
adobe illustrator...
corel draw

free programs...
Gimp
Inkscape
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There are so many GIMP releases. Is there any specific one I should look at
Get

adobe photoshop...
adobe illustrator...

It's the industry standard. Plus 30 day free trial.
Corel Draw is much easier to learn than Adobe Illustrator, but Inkscape is free and many really like it.
Corel Draw is much easier to learn than Adobe Illustrator, but Inkscape is free and many really like it.
I use Corel Draw and I have found it very useful. So, obviously it gets my vote :D
Gimp 2.6.1 latest version.... and inkscape is a really great vector program... i was pretty impressed
and i use photoshop mainly with illustrator more and more... when i have more time i am going to explore inskscape even more
GIMP - Downloads

inkscape version 0.46
Inkscape. Draw Freely.
as some of the members already said, I think adobe illustrator is the best program for t-shirt designs
illustrator here... would love to learn CorelDRAW though.
I'm an Illustrator user and its funny because I find the look of Coreldraw to be intimidating hehe. Illustrator is cake for me to use.
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (CS4 just released. Whee!) are the absolute most versatile design/illustration programs you will find.

I also highly recommend Flexi for vector work. It handles text and outlines much better than Illy or Corel (and has a really nice trace tool).
Wow thats a loaded question. You are right that vector has the advantage of being able to scale up or down with no loss in resolution or detail. It also has other advantages (files size, sharp crisp lines etc...) However that doesn't necessarily make it the best tool for every application. For photorealistic effects and subtle gradients bitmap programs are superior. The particular program you use is really just a matter of prefference. You will get as many different opinions as there are programs. Here are my two cents on the subject. Adobe products are the industry standard. They are the programs of choice in most major graphics related businesses. They are very powerful and have all the bells and whistles. This fact also makes them relatively difficult to learn. There are also free programs that are pretty good and do and adequate job for most appliations. However, These programs are not widely used in commercial envioronments so if you ever intend to work or even exchange files or tips or info with professionals I recomend you don't learn on these because this will make the transition to commercial programs more difficult. Corel Draw is found in most sign and screenprinting shops. Usually along with Illustrator and photoshop. I would recomend you download the the free trials and play around with them untill you find the one you are more comfortable with. If money is an issue corel is cheaper. Goodluck
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I know this may sound like a dumb question, but I am a newbie to T-shirt design. Once I have dreamed up a design for my T-shirt, how do I produce it and deliver it to a screen printer or have it heat pressed?

Thanks!
In other words, how do I get from design on paper to design on t-shirt?
Computer Arts - Design and screen print a T-shirt

there are many ways to get a completed shirt.... check out the forums and read and learn as much as you can... are you an artist or familiar at all with any graphics software?
Computer Arts - Design and screen print a T-shirt

there are many ways to get a completed shirt.... check out the forums and read and learn as much as you can... are you an artist or familiar at all with any graphics software?
Thanks Catbox! I am learning lots by reading threads. I am very creative, not an artist though. What softwear program would you recommend for help with designing shirts? Could I design my logo with a program such as Adobe photoshop or illustrator? I am looking to design guitar playing cats.
so illustrator or photoshop? which is more liked?
so illustrator or photoshop? which is more liked?
They're two completely different programs and not really comparable. One is for vector illustrations and the other is for bitmap graphics. It depends solely upon the project you are trying to accomplish on which would be more useful.
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