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The biggest difference between light and dark apparel is the way your image's background is handled. On dark apparel the white areas in your design (often the background area) will no longer automatically become transparent. With dark apparel you need to specify where you want white ink printed and where you want transparency (the shirt showing through your design).
Let's use this JPG image as an example:
Here's what this JPG image looks like….
on a White T-shirt
on a Light Blue T-shirt (notice how the white background is ignored-- the shirt color shows through)
on a Black T-shirt (notice how the white background is printed-- a big, UGLY white square!)
Since everything white in your design (including the white background) will print as white on dark colors you might be wondering how exactly you're supposed to differentiate between "don't print anything here!" and "print white ink here".
Transparency to the rescue! Transparency is the equivalent of saying "don't print anything here". Transparent areas in your design are left blank (the shirt color will show through). In order for transparency to work you'll need to save your design as a PNG file with transparency turned on. JPG files do not support transparency. Notice the difference between saving as a transparent PNG file and a JPG file...
"The Champ" saved as a JPG file (notice how the background is white!)"
"The Champ" saved as a transparent PNG file (the "checker board" pattern indicates transparent areas where nothing is printed... perfect!)
Using the transparent PNG file the white ink prints only where we want it. A perfect looking Black T-shirt!
How do I create Transparent PNG Images with my graphics program?
First, decide if you want to create a new file with transparency or edit an existing image to become transparent.
Click on a link below detailed instructions:
Not using one of these programs? Visit our forums for additional help!
Is there ever a time when I should use JPG images?
If your design is "full bleed" and takes up the entire image area you can safely use JPG images on dark apparel. Digital photographs are a perfect example. The photo takes up the entire image area (no white background) so the JPG file works great:
JPG Image with no white background
A perfect looking Black T-shirt!
What happens if I use a black background on a black shirt?
The black background in your image will be printed with black ink. The black ink is lighter than black fabric and will usually produce less than ideal results:
Image with black background
The black background prints lighter than actual black fabric! Make the background transparent for better results.
You didn't answer my question… and I have some suggestions too!
Visit our forums for community support or contact us directly! We're more than happy to answer your questions and would love your feedback.
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