Frequently Asked Questions
We get asked questions all of the time. Here are a few answers to help you understand our process and how your overall experience can be simplified.
GRAPHIC DESIGN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. WHAT DO YOU CHARGE FOR YOUR GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES?
A. Prices depend on many variants, but you will receive the most creative concepts for your design project. Design jobs are charged by the hour. Typical graphic design projects are $35/hr. or a flat $75-100 for a small to med setup job. Web design is billed at $50/hr. If you have small changes to a pre-existing file that takes 30 min or less for a quick update, we will charge the min amount of $15-$25. We encourage our clients to use our design services for updated low quality art or re-creating existing art or logos and we're sure you won't be disappointed.
Q. HOW DOES YOUR LOGO DESIGN PROCESS WORK?
A. During our initial logo meeting, we first begin by discussing the client’s ideas, target market, and uses for this logo. We then ask for samples of existing logos that the client likes or dislikes to get an idea of their taste. Sometimes the client already has a design concept in mind. Other times, they have no idea what they want. Either way, we make sure we have collected enough information before we begin work. Our logo design service is very straight forward. If you’d like to see extra concepts after our initial three ideas or if you need a couple logo designs for multiple companies our service can be priced according to your needs.
Q. IS THE ARTWORK OUR PROPERTY ONCE PAID FOR?
A. Yes, you will have rights to the actual design created. However, we still have the right to display and showcase the designs in our portfolio unless otherwise stated and signed off as a written agreement. ALL approved web images and high resolution images purchased are 100% yours once the project is fully complete and paid for.
Q. IS THE ARTWORK FOR MY LOGO SOMETHING FROM MICROSOFT CLIPART?
A. NO, we create and draw artwork from inspiration given in our meeting and style review. All logos and art are custom to the clients need.
Q. HOW WILL I RECEIVE MY DESIGN PROJECT ONCE IT IS FINISHED?
A. A finished project is yours upon receipt of final payment. At your request, we will supply the electronic files to you in a zip file, dropbox, or flash drive. We also keep a copy of your project on file for later updates or should you lose your copy.
Q. DO I GET A VECTOR FILE FOR MY LOGO ONCE CREATED?
A. YES, you get EPS (vector), jpeg, png, and a PDF file. Our logo design can be used to complete stationery and brand marketing – including business card, letterhead, envelopes, brochure design, websites, graphics for web sites, direct mail design, email marketing, mailing labels, presentation folders, and any other designs your business may require.
Q. HOW DO I CHECK ON THE PROGRESS OF MY LOGO JOB DURING DESIGN PROCESS?
A. Once deposit is received, normal turnaround for logo design is 5-7 days. We present the logos to the client at the black and white stage, then again at color stage, and wait for final approval before we save out all the files for you. The client logo files are their artwork and we are up front about this part of the process. We do save your work in case you lose the files or need them sent again.
Q. WHAT IS THE CLIENT’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE DESIGN PROCESS?
A. As a non-agency, we listen to our clients from the start. We encourage the client to bring in any samples, color combinations/swatches, and ideas they may have to help us get an idea of style before starting to work with new clients. During the design process, the client is asked to approve certain colors and fonts before work continues. Once the design project is ready for print we will submit a final proof for the customer’s approval before submitting to production. Once a job is in production, the job cannot be cancelled. At the conclusion of a project, the client may request the artwork in various formats if payment was made for design services.
Q. I NEED SOMETHING DESIGNED YESTERDAY. CAN YOU HELP ME?
A. We can usually accommodate your rush job depending on how full our production schedule is however, a rush fee may be added. Call us to find out.
SCREEN PRINT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is your turnaround time?
A. Typical turnaround time is 7-10 business days + shipping time. Turnaround time is only an estimate and starts when your order is paid for and we have all information to complete your job.
Q. Do you have a minimum for screen print?
A. We will screen print an order as small as 24 pieces.
Q. Can I mix shirt sizes?
A. Yes, you can order as many different shirt sizes as you want.
Q. Do I need to pay for my shirts now?
A. Yes, we require a 50% deposit and the balance paid upon delivery or pick up. If we are shipping the balance has to be paid in full up front.
Q. I want to print on a shirt that isn't listed.
A. Of course! We print on hundreds of different brands but to make it easy we only list the most popular ones. As long as we can get the blanks we will print it for you. Just drop us an email and we will see what we can do!
Q. How much are the setup fees (aka screen fees)?
A. There are no set up fees. All pricing is set for printing and the shirt included. (Premium shirts will incur an extra cost based on brand of shirt).
Q. Do you print with specialty inks?
A. Yes, currently we can offer Metallic Gold and Metallic silver.
Q. What is the standard print size?
A. Image print size is based on the design and t shirt sizes.
Q. What format do you require for artwork?
A. All Files must be 300 DPI or a Vector File. Preferred file types are .PSD, .TIF, .EPS, .AI, .PDF, and JPEG. Design should be sized to print.
Q. Is there a rush service?
A. Yes, the fee is based on the details of your order.
DIRECT TO GARMENT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is your turnaround time?
A. Typical turnaround time is 2-5 business days + shipping time. Turnaround time is only an estimate and starts when your order is paid for and we have all information to complete your job.
Q. What can I print with a direct-to-garment printer?
A. The DTG printer can produce virtually photographic reproduction, so you can print basically anything you see on your computer screen. If you can send it to a desktop printer, you can send it to a direct-to-garment printer. That includes photographs, drawings, vector graphics, and bitmap graphics.
Q. What are vector images?
A. Vector images are made up of individual, scalable objects. Objects may consist of lines, curves, and shapes with editable attributes such as color, fill, and outline. Resolution is irrelevant when working with vector images on the computer, until it is ready to be printed, then you will want to use the highest recommended resolution to get the highest quality. Vector images have many advantages, but the primary disadvantage is that they're unsuitable for producing photo-realistic imagery. Common vector formats include cdr (CorelDRAW), ai (Adobe Illustrator) and eps.
Q. Can I scan an image and print it on a t-shirt with a DTG printer?
A. Yes, just make sure the image is large enough and has enough contrast to scan well, and scan it at 300 dpi or higher.
Q. Can you print more than four colors?
A. Yes, A DTG printer can produce over 16 million colors. The print mode is RGB
Q. What is the largest size image that you can print?
A. Images can be printed up to 14″x16″.
Q. What type of file is needed to print a DTG image?
A. A png file is used to print a DTG image on to the garment. We do however except any type of digital image ie. jpg, pdf, psd, ai and eps. A high quality transparent png file is recommended for the best output. If printing on a dark garment the background needs to be removed in order for the shirt to be the background. Supplying a jpg requires the background to be removed and as a result if the image is low quality a white border or jagged edges may be seen around the image.
An editable pdf, ai or eps file with the fonts outlined are also accepted and can be used to get a high quality print.
Q. What is the lowest/highest resolution image that you can print?
A. We can print any resolution. Graphics with under 300 dpi may look pixilated and blurry. We recommend that you only supply images with at least 300 dpi, sized to at least 10" wide or larger. The better the artwork, the better the print.
Q. Can you only print on white or light-colored shirts?
A. We can print on any color garment. Unlike older DTG technology, we can also print white on dark garments.
Q. What is the difference between printing on a white garment versus a dark garment?
A. When printing on a white garment, you only use RGB inks - the garment IS the white background. When printing on a dark garment, you will print a layer of white ink first, then print the RGB colors on top of the white layer. This extra layer of ink will make the ink thicker on the garment and you will feel the difference. You may also notice a slight difference in colors if you print the same image on a white garment and a black garment. This is because the colored inks soak deeper into the white garment, but on the black garment the colored inks bond to the top of the white ink layer.
Q. What types of fabrics can you print on?
A. We can print on almost any fabric. However, we prefer to print with 100% cotton garments. Cotton garment produce the best results. You can print t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, hoodies, tote bags and more. Direct-to-garment water based inks are formulated to print on 100% cotton, but higher cotton content blends will work as well.
Q. How do I wash a garment with a DTG image on it?
A. Garments printed using DTG technology have excellent washability because the ink actually penetrates into the fabric. Unlike silkscreen and heat transfers, your image will not crack or peel off after a few washes. To be safe, turn it inside out for the first few washes, and wash on cold.
Q. How is direct-to-garment printing different from screen printing and other printing processes?
A. The bread and butter for screen printing has always been one and two and three color work, and will likely continue to be. Because of setup time, screen printing is best suited to longer runs, especially in multi-color work. A full color image on dark garments for a screen printer only makes economic and production sense in quantities of 96 or more.
On the other hand, direct-to-garment printing is geared to shorter runs and full color images. A full color image can be printed within minutes of bringing it up on your computer screen. Using a direct-to-garment printer you can achieve a much higher resolution images than could ever be achieved via screen printing.