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Here are a list of terms you might hear thrown around when working with us on your next project!
A vector image is an image made up of lines and curves that are stored as mathematical formulas, and can be moved freely or modified without losing detail or clarity. Whereas a bitmapped image will lose clarity when rescaled, the vector graphic can be scaled indefinitely without losing clarity.
Bitmap means a map of bits (or pixels) that form a picture. Thus, a bitmapped image is an image comprised of pixels. Though bitmaps store images in high resolution, they do not rescale very well, and tend to appear jagged when zoomed in, and blurry when reduced in size. Bitmaps are ideal for storing digital images. Whereas a bitmapped image will lose clarity when rescaled, a vector graphic can be scaled indefinitely without losing clarity.
The process to convert your artwork into a vector file for manufacturing.
Halftone is the process that creates images through the use of dots, varying either in size or in spacing. The dots are so small, to the eye they blend together to create varying shades of a color.
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key or Black. These 4 colors, when combined, can make almost any color.
PMS stands for Pantone Matching System. It is a method of consistently matching colors developed by Pantone. A general standard for the screen-printing industry is the Solid Coated book.
.EPS, .AI, .PSD, .JPG, .PNG, .PDF.
.EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) - PostScript file used primarily in the transfer of images to different operating systems.
.AI (Adobe Illustrator file) - Vector graphics file that uses paths connected by points.
.PSD (Photoshop Document) - Image file created by Adobe Photoshop; supports various types of Photoshop image options, including image layers, adjustment layers, etc. We recommend that .PSD files be flattened prior to being uploaded.
.JPG (Image Compression File) - Compressed image format that uses lossy compression; commonly used for storing realistic photos (digital photos), since it is able to compress substantially with minimal loss in image quality.
.PNG (Portable Network Graphics) - A bitmapped image format with lossless data compression. Gradients come out smoother and do not have the distortions that may appear in a .JPG. Used mainly for archiving files. Does not support CMYK.
.PDF (Portable Document Format) - The most preferred file format to be set in pre-press quality. Ideal for viewing on multiple computers, because it preserves the formatting, fonts, and other elements within the document on different computers, as well as when it is printed.
In typography, a typeface is the design of the set of characters. Times New Roman is one typeface, Arial is another. There are many different categories of typefaces, including: Roman (Serif, Sans-serif, Script, Ornamental), Blackletter, Gaelic, Monospaced, Symbol.
A font is a set of characters in a particular size and typeface.
For example, within the typeface Times New Roman, is a series of fonts. Times New Roman in 20 pt. is a font, and Times New Roman in 16 pt. is another font. Times New Roman in 16 pt., Bold and Italic is yet another. In other words, a font is a member of a typeface family, and designates the size and style of the typeface.
DPI
This stands for “dots per inch”. It is a measure of printing resolution that indicates the number of individual dots a printer can produce in a linear one-inch space
Resolution is also known as dpi (dots per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch). It indicates the number of colored dots or pixels that make up one image. The higher the dots per inch/pixels per inch, the greater the resolution and the clearer the resulting final print will be.
LPI, or lines per inch, is a measurement of resolution that uses a halftone screen. LPI measures how close together the lines are in this halftone grid. The higher the lines per inch (or the closer the lines are together), the better and clearer the image will be.
In order to determine the appropriate image resolution needed for print, the combination of your printer's DPI and the required LPI must be observed. Whereas the DPI determines the number of dots per inch, the LPI is also needed in order to determine the frequency of the lines containing the dots, per inch of the halftone grid.
Once these two elements are calculated, the correct resolution can be determined. The image usually must have 1.5 to 2 times as many dots per inch as lines per inch.
Exposing a prepared screen to a very bright light to harden the emulsion. Wherever the light hits the emulsion, the emulsion itself hardens. Wherever the film blocked the light out, the emulsion remains somewhat soft and is washed out of the screen. What is left on the screen is the stencil.
When you send a screen printer a full-color image, color separators then figure out how to break down your image so that it can be printed. This is done using bit mapping and halftones.
This occurs when an ink migrates outside the area it’s meant to be in. This can occur with 2 different colors printing closely as well.
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key or Black. These 4 colors, when combined, can make almost any color.
The process of printing the same ink color twice on a garment. It is most often used when printing a lighter color ink on a darker color material.
The act of spreading ink over the screen and then pushing the ink through.
The alignment of one color of artwork with another. Multicolor prints require the different colors of the artwork to line up correctly with each other.
This is the material which is stretched over the silk screen frame itself. Different screens have different mesh counts. The lower the number, the more ink it allows in.
A spot color is any color generated by an ink that is printed using a single run.
Once your art is created, each color must be printed on a clear film called separations. These will be used to burn the images for each color into the screen.
Printing a layer of white ink before any other colors when creating on darker garments. This allows the colors to stay true and maintain opacity over the dark fabric.
This refers to prints that appear to extend past the boundaries of the shirt or other printed apparel. These prints work better on some apparel rather than others (we suggest your run off design does not go over any thick seams or pockets as this will interrupt the continuous look special to this type of print).
Ink that has been through the oven at about 330 degrees Fahrenheit. Curing is the actual chemical process of the ink drying and bonding to the shirt fabric.
A plastisol ink base containing metallic particles.
Ink made up of water that dyes a garment directly, becoming a part of the fabric, rather than laying on top of a shirt.Customers have questions, you have answers. Display the most frequently asked questions, so everybody benefits.
These inks sit on top of threads instead of soaking into them and are not water soluble. They are best for printing opaque graphics onto garments.
This is the clear piece of “plastic” with your artwork printed onto it in all black.
This is a tool with a flat rubber blade on one side used to pull ink evenly across the screen.
This is the portion of the screen that is not covered and allows ink to go through the screen to be printed onto the surface underneath.
Material used under your garment to support the embroidered area.
The process to convert your artwork into a stitch file for thread.
The number of stitches the machine needs to do to replicate your design.
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900 South 5th Street, Easley, South Carolina 29640, United States
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