What Formats Of Artwork Do You Accept For Screen-Printing? As with any digital process the better the image the better the final product. We will accept your image in the following formats: CorelDraw® (.cdr) up to Version 12; Adobe Illustrator® (.ai) up to Version 12; Encapsulated Post Script (.eps); and Adobe Photoshop® Document (.psd) up to Version 9 at 100% of final print size with a resolution of at least 300 ppi. Jpegs are most often useless but can be replicated for use in screen printing at an hourly art fee. If you have any questions, please call us at 888-942-9518.
What Does Resolution Mean? Resolution is the number of pixels or dots used to represent a raster image. Resolution is described in PPI (pixels per inch) or DPI (dots per inch). Low-resolution images (web page or some digital pictures) are usually 72 ppi or less and are usually useless for screen-printing. High-resolution images may be as high as 600 ppi. We recommend an Adobe Photoshop® Document (.psd) at 100% of final print size with a resolution of at least 300 dpi for our purposes.
What Does PPI Or DPI Mean? Pixels per inch (ppi) and dots per inch (dpi) are the measure of image resolution that describes the number of dots per inch that are used to create an image. The higher the ppi of the image, the higher the resolution of an image.
What Is Raster Art? Raster images, also known as bitmap images, are defined by a grid of dots, or pixels. This is similar to if you were to view a newspaper under magnification. Raster images are dependant upon the number of pixels and cannot be enlarged without producing noticeably jagged, stair-step edges. They are produced by digital cameras, scanners, and can also be created by programs like Adobe Photoshop® and Corel PHOTO-PAINT ®. We will accept raster artwork files saved in an Encapsulated Post Script (.eps) format, or an Adobe Photoshop® Document (.psd) Adobe Photoshop® up to Version 9. For our purposes, all raster elements and art files must be saved at 100% of the final print size with a resolution of at least 300 ppi. If you have any questions, please call us at 888-942-9518.
What Is Vector Art? Vector artwork stores geometric information about lines and shapes. They can be scaled easily without producing the stair-step edges you will see on raster images. They adapt to the resolution of any output device so are considered to be resolution independent. They are generally produced in programs like Adobe Illustrator® and CorelDraw®.
What Is A Spot Color? Spot color is the term used to describe separation and printing using one spot color for each ink color in the design. Each color that makes a composite image will be printed using a separate screen. Spot colors are generally solid, flat fields of color used for screen printing where a printer can lay down several solid areas of color to produce multi-colored artwork. Spot colors are also used to identify additional colors in a four-color process file or print job.
What Does CMYK Mean? CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) are print process colors. This means that they are made up of the inks that all printers use for color printing. They are not a special color that would cost more. They are also the colors of a standard office color printer.
What Does RGB Mean? RGB stands for red, green, and blue. These are the three colors that are combined to produce the millions of colors of various hues and brightness used on your computer’s monitor.
What Is Four-Color Process Printing? Four-color process printing is used to reproduce images that have a palette of colors well beyond the limits of the press. It is effective in reproducing more graphic images that contain a wide variety of colors such as paintings or photographs. The four colors, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK), are printed as halftones that interact with each other and the background of the shirt to create color and tonal values.
Can You Screen Print Four-Color Process? Yes, we offer four-color process. High screen counts and screen frequencies are required to create the tiny halftone dots. One drawback is that the garment must be white and 100% cotton to produce needed color and tonal values. Many times spot colors can be more affordable and effective. We are happy to work this through with you to find the best colors for your design.
What Is A Gradient? A gradient is a graphic effect that uses a gradual transition of two or more colors or tints of the same color. Gradients are used to create depth and highlights as needed in your artwork.
What Are Halftones? Halftones are a pattern of tiny dots that can simulate different shades of color using varying percentages of a single ink. Visually, halftones create the illusion of a continuous tone image by using spots of varying size and density to represent the darker or lighter color values. Halftones can be used for screen printing to create a tint or lighter shade of color. This will allow more colors in the design without adding more screens. When creating a gradient, halftones create the appearance of continuous tone of color. Halftones are also used to create overlapping screens of different ink colors that combine to simulate more colors. For our purposes, we use 32-52 line screens.
What Is Line Count, Screen Frequency, And LPI? These terms all refer to the number of vertical lines of halftone spots per inch or lines per inch (lpi). Halftones are created using a grid of cells. Each cell contains one halftone spot. These spots vary in size depending on the shade and color being represented but only one fit in a cell. The sizes of these cells determine the lpi.
What Is Screen Count Or Mesh Count? The mesh count is the number of threads per inch (tpi) used to weave the mesh. Typical mesh counts for screen printing garments range from 85 tpi to 355 tpi. The mesh count defines basically two things: the thickness of the ink deposit and the size (or lpi) of the halftones that can be printed.
What Is A "Proof"? When creating designs for our customers, proofs are a way of assuring that we have set your type correctly and that all of the design elements are placed according to your requirements. A proof will be sent to you online or printed on paper that can be approved at our office or delivered to you. We do not start on your project until you have signed off on a proof. When artwork has previously been created, proofs are used to ensure that the artwork we have received is the same as the artwork the customer wants to be imprinted. Be sure to submit artwork with either a hard copy proof or an electronic .tif or .gif file displaying your design on ALL garment colors it is to be imprinted upon.
When Can I Change Artwork? You may change artwork at any time before production begins. Once a customer has given us signature or email approval on artwork, production will begin and we will no longer be responsible for any errors or changes to artwork. You will be charged an art fee for edits requested after you have signed off on the artwork.