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T-shirt help

Joe Diaz

Joe Diaz

New Member
*edit to add, the title is supposed to be "t-shirt help" I'm not sure what happened there, hopefully my mistake will pique the curiosity of someone who can help. LOL


Okay so I did this design for a shirt. It is a bit complex. The customer has picked out the screenprinter, but I'm having a hell of a time dealing with them. They want me to send vector files and they want spot color separations. They want me to simplify this file into 4 or 5 colors, and I don't ever do that type of stuff, so i'm unsure of how to even do that, especially with this file. I can do it with a bitmap, but their designer won't except anything but vector. I need a company that will just handle this for us.

Is it normal for a screenprinter to make you do this type of setup work?

cruise shirt final.jpg (this is the design for the back. I have a smaller simple design for the front.) My client wants it full color, and I designed it in Corel. So hopefully someone that works with Corel files if you even need vector at all.

I was hoping there might be just that company on this forum, and I can direct my client towards whomever that may be. Please contact me and let me know what the setup charge might be and maybe a website address and I will pass that info on to the customer.

Or if you don't do this work but have had good luck with a company like this in the past, let me know. I have been doing a lot more t-shirt designs and I'm looking for someone good.

Thanks.
 
Marlene

Marlene

New Member
The customer has picked out the screenprinter
Click to expand...

maybe they need to check with another screen printer to see if they can work with it. it would be a crime to alter that nice design to suit a printer!
 
SignManiac

SignManiac

New Member
Fantastic job on the design Joe! Now I see why you designed those cars... Sorry I can't help with the screen separations.
 
HaroldDesign

HaroldDesign

New Member
That is a 4cp job. If it were something that could be printed in only spot colors and their pre-press can't do it, it's because they don't know how.
 
Bigdawg

Bigdawg

Just Me
Should be a 4c process job for sure. But it almost looks like it could go 6 color spot if it HAD to - but I would only do that with spot separation software.

The big thing on 4c process is that the screenprinter needs to have an automatic press for consistency. We used to do short run 4c and there is absolutely no way to get the exact same pressure on the squeegee required for consistent color. And that holds true for anyone that prints 4c process on a manual press. It can look okay... but the colors will vary.
 
Mosh

Mosh

New Member
That is the problem with having someone with no screen-printing knowledge do the design work. It could be done in a 4 color process, but the colors never are bright with that process. It would have been better if you had a 6 color set-up in mind.
 
d fleming

d fleming

Premium Subscriber
Bigdawg said:
Should be a 4c process job for sure. But it almost looks like it could go 6 color spot if it HAD to - but I would only do that with spot separation software.

The big thing on 4c process is that the screenprinter needs to have an automatic press for consistency. We used to do short run 4c and there is absolutely no way to get the exact same pressure on the squeegee required for consistent color. And that holds true for anyone that prints 4c process on a manual press. It can look okay... but the colors will vary.
Click to expand...
+1
 
txsurfer

txsurfer

New Member
A good screenprinter will have a program to separate the design, they will use quick seps, or fast films, no big deal, they will separate the design for how many colors there press will print.
 
Joe Diaz

Joe Diaz

New Member
So it sounds like we need to find someone with a 4cp with an automatic press??? is that right? do you guys know of anyone? I would hate to just pick the first company that looks good from a Google search and deal with a whole new set of problems from them. LOL Any full color jobs I've done in the past were done with with sublimation? I think that's what its called. I wasn't happy with how those turned out, so I usually do relatively simple t-shirt designs, 1 - 3 colors layouts. This client want something more realistic.
 
Joe Diaz

Joe Diaz

New Member
Mosh said:
That is the problem with having someone with no screen-printing knowledge do the design work.
Click to expand...

Sure.... kick a guy when he's down. :Big Laugh You are probably right. Normally I do much simpler designs for shirts with no problems from the screen printer. This client wanted something specific, he didn't want the cars to look "cartoony", and I was under the impression that there were screen printers out there that could handle something like this, maybe I was wrong, but according to everyone else's response on this thread, I'm not alone in think that. Heck, I've seen photos screen printed before, excuse my ignorance, but I was amusing this wouldn't be all that different. And It wasn't like I was designing this just with t-shirts in mind. I for see no problems doing the other sign and print work we were hired to do.

I'm not looking for people to do business with that are going to complain about my process or my knowledge or lack there of. I make no apologizes for not having a full handle of every aspect of the graphic design world. Show me someone who does. I'm looking for people that do a great job and are willing to work with me despite my flaws.
 
HaroldDesign

HaroldDesign

New Member
Other than the printer being in-capable, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that your image cannot be screen printed with great results. There is NOTHING "wrong" with that art. Period. Is it more difficult than some other art? Sure, but that's why it should be printed by someone who knows what they're doing and doesn't suck at it.
 
L

laserman70

New Member
Joe Diaz said:
Sure.... kick a guy when he's down. :Big Laugh You are probably right. Normally I do much simpler designs for shirts with no problems from the screen printer. This client wanted something specific, he didn't want the cars to look "cartoony", and I was under the impression that there were screen printers out there that could handle something like this, maybe I was wrong, but according to everyone else's response on this thread, I'm not alone in think that. Heck, I've seen photos screen printed before, excuse my ignorance, but I was amusing this wouldn't be all that different. And It wasn't like I was designing this just with t-shirts in mind. I for see no problems doing the other sign and print work we were hired to do.

I'm not looking for people to do business with that are going to complain about my process or my knowledge or lack there of. I make no apologizes for not having a full handle of every aspect of the graphic design world. Show me someone who does. I'm looking for people that do a great job and are willing to work with me despite my flaws.
Click to expand...

+1
Amazing work. :rock-n-roll:
 
S

spur

New Member
4CP sucks....go with indexed color...it has to be converted to halftones anyway and that will still allow the colors to pop.

The screen printer should have figured that out on his own based on the artwork.
 
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