 | How to get started?
I feel that the artwork/design is the most important starting point! Ask yourself? (1) How many colors in the design? (2) How many locations on the apparel? (3) What style and color of apparel am I going to print on? (4) If there is going to be text in the design, what style fonts? These are the main factors in making your apparel cost effective. And lastly "KEEP IT SIMPLE" if you can... Some of the greatest most memorable designs are as simple as the Nike Swish for example. back to top
| | | I need help with my artwork - can you help us?
Absolutely, at Dry Heat Design, we can help you with basic edits and layouts and that type of work is included in the prices. However, if you require full featured, created from scratch artwork, just give us a call and we will see what we can do to create that perfect design for you. Our typical hourly rate is just $25 an hour for full featured, created from scratch concept artwork design. Remember that an artwork fee will only be charged for that created from scratch, custom designed artwork. Basic edits and layouts are included in our price and are typical of over 99% of our orders. If you have any doubt or questions just call or email us. back to top
| | | Is there a difference between screen printed shirts and vinyl heat transfer shirts?
Yes. Simply put, silk screened shirts are printed to last, heat transfers are not. That does not mean that vinyl transfer shirts are inferior.
Remember those 1980's T-shirts with the photos on the chest? The ones that made you sweat in a big, square shape on your chest? Those were vinyl transfer shirts. Sure, they disintegrated and got too ugly to wear after a couple of months, but they sure were cool while they lasted.
Screen printed shirts, on the other hand, are actually ink printed onto your shirts. And while it may fade or crack a little bit, if you take reasonable care of your shirt, they'll look great for years to come. back to top
| | | What is Screen Printing?
Screen printing is one of the early methods of printing. It involves the passing of ink or any other printing medium through a mesh or 'screen' that has been stretched on a frame, and to which a stencil has been applied. The stencil openings determine the image that will thus be imprinted.
Companies like CafePress use a "direct to garment" printing system much like your inkjet printer. Dry Heat Design Tee's uses the oldskool method. It is more artistic and lasts for much longer that the "direct to garment" method. back to top
| | | My logo has a dark color in it, and I would like to get black tee shirts. Can this be done?
Printing on dark shirts is more difficult than on white, however we can use a white underlay and print the other colors over this. So for Hot Pink ink to show up on a dark colored tee, a white underlay is needed. The total number of color would be two: white and Hot Pink. Sometimes a design with many colors is best printed on a light shirt so that the underlay is not necessary. back to top
| | | What types of art files do you accept?
We can usually work with just about any type of art file short of a paper napkin. Obviously, the better artwork you provide us the better your shirts will turn out. Below is a list of common files we can easily work with.
Adobe Illustrator (EPS, IE)
JPG
GIF
TIF
PNG
Adobe Photoshop (PSD, PPD)
Corel Draw (CDR)
CDR
BMP
If your file type is not listed above, please send it anyway. We will do our best to convert it into a file we can work with. If for some reason we can not work with the file(s) you have sent us we will notify you immediately.
Please make sure you send us the highest resolution and largest size of your image (300 DPI or greater preferred). The better the artwork you send the better the shirts will look.
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| | | What's the difference between vector and bitmap files?
Vector graphics are made up of many individual objects. These objects are defined mathematically as a series of control points joined by lines or curves. Each object is self-contained, with properties such as color, shape, outline, size, and position on the screen. As an example, to draw a red square with a black outline, the software only has to know the position of the 4 corner control points, draw black lines between them, then fill the enclosed space with red. Since each object is self-contained, you can move and change its properties over and over again while maintaining its original clarity and crispness. Vector-based drawings are also resolution independent. This means that they appear at the maximum resolution of the output device, such as your printer or monitor. The image will not loose its proportion or definition when it is scaled up or down.
Bitmap, or raster, graphics are actually a "pixel map" that describes how to display an image pixel by pixel on the screen. Bitmaps are very resolution dependent, meaning that if the image is stored at 300 dots per inch (dpi) then every square inch of the picture will have 300 dots or pixels. Each pixel needs color and shading information stored for it. This makes for very large files at high resolutions. Bitmaps also do not scale up very well. If the image starts out being 1"x1" and 72 dpi (common dpi for web graphics) and you need to enlarge it to 10"x10" it still only has 72 dots. Now you can see the individual pixels quite clearly and the image looks very jagged. The computer can compensate for this and guess where more dots are needed but the image will be blurry because the "guess" is not perfect.
Comparing a vector-based image with a bitmap image.
Original 2 x Zoom 4 x Zoom
Vector
Bitmap
Remember that vector graphics are created as collections of objects and bitmap images are made of individual pixels arranged in patterns. Of the two formats, bitmap images are better for photographs because they tend to offer greater subtleties for shading and texture but require more memory and take longer to print. Vector images are best for drawings that need sharper lines, more detail, and easy modification. Vector images require far less memory and computing resources. back to top
| | | How long does it take to complete a job?
Screen Printing on average takes 5 to 7 business days from final art approval but we have been known to improve on that time for customers who need it! back to top
| | | Do larger sizes cost more money?
Yes, Add 2.50/each extra for any Tee you order in 2x. Add $3.50/each extra for any Tee that's 3X. Sweats & Polos add $3.00/each extra for 2X and Add $4.50 /each or 3X. back to top
| | | Do the shirts shrink in the wash?
Everything Shrinks! Usually not a whole lot, but please take into consideration when picking your sizes. Usually a 100% cotton shirt will shrink 10% If washed in hot water and high heat dried. 50/50 material shirks much less! Always wash printed apparel inside-out and do not iron print. This will give you print item the most longevity. back to top
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