How To: Make Good T Shirts

First things first, you should download our t-shirt template by clickinghere.

You should use this template to position your design on the t-shirt template in relation to where you want it displayed on the t-shirt then save your file as a PNG file. Finally you should not change the (2000 x 2000 pixels) dimensions of the template provided. Instructions are given on the template, but make sure to delete them when you're ready to upload.

If you want to create your own document for your t-shirt design you must make sure the dimensions are 2000 pixels (height) x 2000 pixels (width) with a transparent background in RGB format.

Below is what you should see when creating a new file in Photoshop or GIMP:

FAQ's

What graphics software can I use?

You can use any graphics software that supports PNG files. Our recommendation is Adobe Photoshop, but you can use free programs like GIMP if you do not have or don't want to buy Photoshop.

Other software that supports PNG files include Photoshop Elements, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Photo-Paint, Inkscape (also free), Paint Shop Pro, Pixel image editor, Paint.NET, Macromedia Fireworks and Xara.

What is a PNG file?

A PNG file is the type of file we use to make our t-shirts. This file is used because it is the smallest file that can have a transparent background. To save as a PNG file, you should click 'Save As' and make sure the 'File Type' chosen is PNG, if not you should choose to save as a PNG file. PNG files only deal with colours in RGB, to make sure this is in place or to change it so it's correct, in both Photoshop and Gimp you can find these settings under:

image > mode

You can change your colour to RGB format there.

Preparing Your Artwork

Once you document is ready you can paste, import, drag an image into it or start designing from scratch on the document itself.

To drag an image, open your t-shirt template document or new document you have created to the spec listed above, delete our instructions image if you are using the template. Then open your design as a new document, and then simply drag the layer with your design on into the t-shirt template document.

To import an image in Photoshop, select File > Place. And to do the same in Gimp, select File > Open as Layers. Then choose the image you wish to import.

You can often copy and paste images between programs if they are compatible; if not then you should save the document and import it using the method explained above.

Transparent Backgrounds

You should make sure that the background of your image remains transparent. A transparent background looks like a white and grey chequered pattern. If you do not keep this transparent, your background colour will be printed onto any t-shirts that are made. Some examples showing this can be seen below, with the correct, transparent backgrounds being shown on the right and the wrong on the left:

Note: If you are asked if you want to flatten layers at any point you should choose no or ignore.

Removing Background Colour

If your design has already been designed and has a background colour that you wish to remove in order to upload a good t-shirt design, the following tutorials can help to explain how to do this in both Photoshop and GIMP:

1. Removing Backgrounds Quickly in Gimp

2. Removing Backgrounds Quickly in Photoshop

Another technique in Photoshop that is available is if you choose Select > Colour Range option if you want to remove all trace of one particular colour from an image.

If the above still does not help, try searching Google and YouTube for tutorials and we're sure you'll be able to find what you need.

Saving your File

As mentioned above, you need to save you file as a PNG. When you go to save this should be an option in the save as file type menu. If you do not see the PNG file option in your drop down options, check your settings under Image > Mode (in Photoshop and Gimp) to make sure you have the file set to RGB.

Upload Your Design

When you have finished your design, check all the above is done correctly and upload your image on your Add/Edit Work page in your control panel and choose to sell as a t-shirt.

Further Notes: The print area never changes in size, yet our t-shirts because of different sizes a quick example of this can be seen below:



Below: Here you can see how the same design at the same size looks on the smallest and largest t-shirt.



Where Can a Design be Positioned?

A design for a t-shirt can be positioned anywhere within the template area. If you imagine your template area is one of the blue squares on one of the t-shirts above, if you place your design in the bottom right hand corner of the template, it will appear on the bottom right of the blue square in relation to the t-shirt. So you can become quite creative with regards to where you position your design elements on a t-shirt.