All About Artwork

What kind of designs/printing do we do? At IndividualiTees® we specialize in providing simple, basic imprinting services. In the industry, these are typically known as spot color designs/imprinting. We're very good at what we do, but don't provide "process printing" (example right). Designs and t-shirts for events, family reunions, items for employees, schools, etc. are our specialty. We're not contract printers so if you need a source to print items for resale in department stores or to be used in starting a product line, then sorry, you're in the wrong place. We are not a graphic design firm or logo development company. If you have a logo, yes we can print it. If you want a clipart-based "logo" (explained below) we can hook that up. But true logo development costs hundreds to thousands of dollars. Most of our designs only cost around $25 and our shirts are as low as $4.75 each. (See the Do/Don't list for more information and if you must go to another source for printing, please read the rest of our artwork section, see Screenprinting 101 and Pay Up Sucker, before seeking a printer.) Nope, not us. But a great example of a well done "process print". A process print is where you take 4 different colors (Cyan, Magenta, Black, & Yellow) and combine them together to create an almost unlimited number of colors in a design (much like a computer printer that pulls together different inks when printing). This is called 4-color process. What we do is "Spot Color printing" up to 4 colors. We'll explain a bit more below.

What exactly do you mean by "spot color"? "Spot color" designs/imprinting is comprised of basic colors that are imprinted to create the finished design. Spot colors are essentially the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)--red, black, blue, grey, etc. Whereas 4-color process printing creates colors by essentially mixing different colors during the printing process, spot colors are just your basics. Here are some examples:
Samples of spot color imprinting (artwork and the imprinted shirt) in 1 color and multicolor designs for events, churches, schools, reunions, businesses, etc.

Customer: Hey can you hook me up with a "logo" Us: Of course we can! This is an example of a clipart- based "logo" creation. If you are looking for true brand identity logo development services, that is not our specialty. Locate a firm to create your logo, then send us the artwork in the proper format and we'll hook your tees up for you. Customer: I have a logo done, can you print it for me? Us: Of course we can! This is an example of a logo provided to us by a customer. Provide it in the proper format and it is easier on us and <cough, cough> cheaper on you, but if we have something reasonable to work with, ie jpeg, we can still hook it up. Read below for details.

What Artwork Level Do You Need? 1st thing's first: Art prices vary based on level, BUT the price per shirt doesn't change--regardless of art level. Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Don't already have a design? Want us to create something using clipart and text? Learn all about Level 1 You have a design/logo that you are already using and would like to put it on a t-shirt? Check out Level 2 You want a custom-drawn work of art? Well, have your wallet ready....(just joking). Visit Level 3 Artwork: The design is only the beginning.... Most people don't realize this, but creating and finalizing the design is only the beginning of the artwork process for screenprinting. The steps outlined in this artwork section comprise the entire artwork process, which is more than just showing the design. Once the design has been completed and approved, there are a few other steps that need to be completed before a design can actually be imprinted onto a shirt or product. This entire process is what you're paying for when you pay for "art". Here's a summary of the entire artwork process--from start to finish. Blackline We like most artist and printers produce your design in what is called "blackline". It doesn't matter what art level it is or if it is a one color design being printed in orange or a multicolor design being printed in red, white, black and grey. The art is produced in blackline and THEN converted into color. If it is a multicolor design, it will be separated and prepared for printing after approval. (See Separations below) To the right is an example of a simple two color design first created in blackline and then filled in with the appropriate colors. Proofing Before we print anything, we provide you with a Design Proof online. (Click here for a Sample Design Proof.) Proofing is twofold. One, to show you what the artwork looks like and get your appproval. Two when we say proofing....we mean proofing as far as proof reading. Once you give the approval, that's exactly what we are going to print. For one color designs, we usually present the proof in blackline (read above). For multicolor prints we usually provide the proof in color. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference in the way a design is translated on a sheet of paper vs a computer monitor vs a t-shirt. Your proof is a very reasonable interpretation of what the final imprinted product will be, but do keep in mind that shades of color vary and also that there may be some other adjustments that need to be made in order to ensure a good print (i.e., thickening or thinning of some lines, etc.). These adjustments won't compromise the overall integrity of your design, but are necessary in order to create a great final product. Separations After approval the artwork is prepared for printing. A positive (or film) has to be printed in order to create the stencil (screen). The positive is a clear/transparent film that is printed using the computer and an ink jet or laser printer. In the case of a one-color design, one positive is created in order to produce one screen. But in the case of multi-color designs, before any of that can be done the artwork for multicolor designs has to be separated by color to produce an independant positive/film for each color to produce a separate screen for each color. These separate screens will be printed in turn to create the final multi-color output. See the example below: Artwork done in blackline then converted into 3-color design Design separated by color--one color per positive. Each color then has to be converted to black in order to print the positives (see Positives below) and then choked and trapped before the final positive is produced (see Level 2 for details on choke/trap) Printfile/Positives The final step in the artwork process is to print the positive for the screens using an ink jet or laser printer. If it is a one color design, one positive is printed. If it is a mutlticolor design, one positive is printed for each color of the design (see Separations above). Each positive has to be printed in jet black so that the next step in the t-shirt imprinting process will go flawlessly (hopefully anyway). The positives then go to the screen making department which produces the screens that serve as the stencil to create your t-shirt. (See Screenprinting 101 for details) That's it in a nutshell. Hopefully at this point you have a better understanding of the entire process and the relationship between artwork and screen creation and the final produced product, which is your t-shirt. See below for sample positives and continue on to Screenprinting 101 to see the sample below become an actual t-shirt. The Design Proof in color The design separated by color, which are then converted to black in order to print on the film positives (See Separations above) The positives printed and ready for the screens. To see the continuation of this design being brought to life on a t-shirt from the screen process all the way to printing, visit Screenprinting 101.