From the course: Learn T-Shirt Printing and Design
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Vectors vs. pixels
From the course: Learn T-Shirt Printing and Design
Vectors vs. pixels
- Although you can use pixel-based files, vectors are my first choice. Vector is a file format that I recommend, and that printers generally prefer, because you have the freedom to scale your design to any size. If you're planning to print using vinyl, you'll definitely want to go with a vector-based file that you create in software like Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, or CorelDRAW. Vinyl prints are created by loading a sheet of vinyl, thin plastic, into a plotter. The plotter cutter then uses the vector paths to guide a blade along the sheet and carve out your new design. If you're screen printing or going direct to garment, you can use a pixel-based file you create in software like Photoshop, Painter or GIMP. Keep in mind, pixels need high-res. What does that mean? Just set up your artwork to the actual size you want on the shirt and set the resolution to 300ppi. For example, a 10x8 design, make sure you set the resolution to 300ppi. So, there you have it. A quick breakdown of why…
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