There are a few key factors to consider when creating designs for printing on products.
- Color profiles - Some work best when creating artwork that will only be viewed digitally, while others will work better for printing
- Design - Some designs work better with some printing processes than others.
- Type of product being printed on - Paper products will display brighter colors, but garments are more muted because they absorb more ink.
- Printing process - If a t-shirt is printed using sublimation, colors will display brighter than if printed using direct-to-garment.
Color Profiles
RGB (red, green, blue) is a color range/spectrum that is used to display colors on electronic devices, whereas CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) is a color range/spectrum of ink colors used for printing.
We highly recommend designing in CMYK since that is the color profile the third-party printers use.
If you choose to design in RGB, please note:
- RGB color spectrum encompasses colors that are not supported in CMYK.
- Preview the work in CMYK (so that you have a general idea of what colors will look like on a product)
Can't design in CMYK?
Some programs don't offer CMYK settings. However, some computers, like Macs, have a built-in option to view images in an alternative color profile. When you view your file in "Preview", you can click View, then Soft Proof with Profile, then choose Generic CMYK Profile.
If you are using a computer that doesn't have a built-in option, you can always use a website that can convert files using RGB to CMYK.
Transparencies
If your designs include a transparent background, your files must be saved in PNG format. Remember to preview your work in CMYK and keep in mind that the printed products will look more muted than you see on your monitor.
Need help creating transparent backgrounds? Check out this blog post for more nitty-gritty information!
Gradients and halftones
The success of a garment print using halftones and gradients depends partially on the print method.
When printing using the direct-to-garment print process, a white base layer is sprayed on dark garments before printing the color on top. The sublimation print process doesn't come with the same obstacles since it uses heat to turn inks into gas that combines with the textile.
The white base layer can cause unwanted print results for the design.
- Color fading to nothing printed on a dark-colored shirt would appear as color fading into white because the base layer is white.
- White fading to nothing printed on a dark-colored shirt would have two layers of white and may appear like the white did not fade at all.
Halftones tend to be more forgiving, but you should still keep these tips in mind if you have enabled products that print using the direct-to-garment process.
- Dots that are too small can reveal the base layer and create an unwanted faded look.
- Dots should be individually visible and larger than a few pixels.
- Anti-aliasing creates semi-transparent pixels around each dot to make them appear more smooth and circular, but this will reveal the base layer, so we recommend turning off anti-aliasing.
- It is not necessary to halftone gradients that do not involve transparency.
|
Design |
Sublimation |
Direct-to-garment |
|---|---|---|
|
Black fading to nothing |
Ok |
Ok |
|
White fading to nothing |
Ok |
Tricky |
|
Color fading to nothing |
Ok |
Tricky |
|
Color fading to another color |
Ok |
Ok |
Products by print method
|
|
|
|
|
Unexpected print outcome
If the color difference is greater than it should be, we’re happy to work with you and investigate further.
However, if the difference is slight, which is expected, we suggest adjusting your file to better align with your artistic vision.
TL;DR:
Expect the printed colors in your designs to be similar to what you see on your computer, but not exact.
Products are printed using different methods, inks, and printers. There will always be color variations between each product, and there may even be very slight color variations on the same product type printed on different days.
After you upload your design, take a peek at your listing. Adjustments are made to the listing image to provide a more realistic expectation of what the print will look like.