faq

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 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. 

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.