We want you to be happy with your shirts - our target, in fact, is "delirious with glee" - so we need to be sure that the original artwork from which we work is exactly as you want it. The best way to present your design to us is in the form of positive acetates, but we appreciate that in most cases you'll be supplying either a computer file or a paper original. Please consider these guidelines when preparing your artwork: COMPUTER
FILES If you're using a non-vector format, please supply your design at a resolution of 300dpi or higher, at actual print size. When creating non-vector artwork, please avoid the use of anti-aliasing in the image; screenprinting requires solid colours and sharp edges, and the anti-aliasing effect which is designed to make curved edges look better on a computer screen is a big disadvantage to an image destined for screenprint. PRINT SIZE We can output acetates in-house up to roughly A3 size (29cm wide by 40cm high.) The biggest we can actually print on a garment is 35cm wide by 44cm high; acetates for print sizes above A3, up to the 35 x 44 limit, are usually outsourced, adding £20 (plus VAT) per colour to the set-up prices. For details see the Print Sizes page. When deciding on a print size for your design, please bear in mind that it will have to fit on the smallest size of garment you order. You can order additional screen(s) for larger versions of the print to suit larger size garments, but (much though we'd love to have your money) we generally counsel against this: for most designs, particularly standard "centre-chest" prints, it really isn't necessary to use more than one print size. COLOUR GRADIENTS If your design contains colour gradients (smooth shade transitions within a colour), this effect can't be reproduced directly by screenprinting. The image has to be halftoned (converted to patterns of tiny dots) in order that the colour gradients can be approximated; up close, you see solid-colour dots, but from a normal viewing distance the eye is fooled into seeing a colour gradient. High-resolution halftone outputs add £20 (plus VAT) per colour to the set-up prices; for a monochrome photographic image we usually recommend at least a 2-colour halftone print (white & grey on black shirts or black & grey on white shirts.) This can give excellent results. The £20-per-colour halftone charge can include an oversize output (and vice-versa), as our oversize and halftone output processes come from the same source. For details see the Print Sizes page. PRINT COLOURS We have a standard palette of off-the-shelf print colours, which we recommend that you select from if possible; this helps your order to be completed quickly, and guarantees colour consistency for re-orders. You can see the palette HERE. If your image uses colours other than those in our standard palette, please (if you can) provide Pantone colour references for the print colours; otherwise, please be as specific as possible in describing your requirements, so that we have a clear idea of what you're after ("sort of Ireland rugby-shirt colour" is specific enough; "green" isn't.) Please be aware that your computer monitor is not a good reference point for choosing print colours; no two monitors are calibrated identically, and there's no way of knowing whether what you see on your screen is what we see on ours. Pantone numbers (derived from a Pantone book, not an on-screen image) are the best reference; even then, we can only offer a close approximation. Exact Pantone matching with a garment print is almost impossible, but if an exact match is your aspiration, we can mix inks to specific Pantone formulae at an additional cost of £14 (plus VAT) per colour. (Even this is subject to slight variation because the ink chemistry - and therefore the perceived colour - can change slightly during the curing process.) CAMERA-READY
ARTWORK In either case, please ensure that we have all the information we need regarding the design and the print positions (see options) - we'd rather have too much information than not enough! IN-HOUSE
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