# newbie to DTG ..clueless? no graphic experience!! do you need to be.



## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

*Re: Graphics???*

hello all,
Im a newbie. and no nothing about this business. I've been searching the net and also this wonderful website. I'm interesting in the DTG. I have no Graphic expericence what so ever. I'm clueless when it comes to this. Can someone please explain step by step how it works.. Say I buy a machine and someone hands me a business card and says "here print me some shirts using this logo" how is this done? Do I scan it in the computer and then what? Whats coral, photoshop, Rip... HELP!!!


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

hello all,

Im a newbie. and no nothing about this business. I've been searching the net and also this wonderful website. I'm interesting in the DTG. I have no Graphic expericence what so ever. I'm clueless when it comes to this. Can someone please explain step by step how it works.. Say I buy a machine and someone hands me a business card and says "here print me some shirts using this logo" how is this done? Do I scan it in the computer and then what? Whats coral, photoshop, Rip... HELP!!!​


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## zhenjie (Aug 27, 2006)

If you dont have graphic experience then you'll definately need to start learning. You must be able to accept artwork and make a few modifications to it for printing to get the best results. Most of the things that are required are fairly basic to do and as time goes by you learn more and more, the print results get better and better.

Heres a basic rundown
1) Customer sends artwork in an image format
2) You import the artwork into a graphics program, and then create a canvas size that is appropriate for your printer. You then need to centre the image on this canvas or move it around depending on where you want to print it on the shirt
3) You may have to remove any backgrounds in the image file
4) Save the file and print. Some DTG printers RIP software need you to open the file again in a different program to print.

So your example of a someone handing you a business card will most likely not work with DTG printing. They will have to hand you a DIGITAL file of their logo and you need to do some modifications on it to make it DTG ready.


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

Zhenjie,

thanks a million.. your awsome.. God bless..


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## alldealshere (Oct 27, 2007)

> So your example of a someone handing you a business card will most likely not work with DTG printing. They will have to hand you a DIGITAL file of their logo and you need to do some modifications on it to make it DTG ready.


Your comment above isn't exactly accurate -- as the user gets better with Graphics and design especially photoshop he/she will be capable of using a business card and with some modification create shirts - It really all depends on the level of expertise and patience.

Although taking a small image and blowing it up is tricky there are ways to fill/replace bad areas and basically reproduce the logo.


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

Alldealshere,

Hello. and thanks for the tip.. I'm so bummed..about not knowing anything about graphics. I guess I kinda thought. photoshop, coral, etc was a progam and you some how scan in a image and touch up with those programs. Or example: I thought if someone wanted me to create an event carshow t-shirt. I would use coral program click on cars pick out a Mustang, Corvette, & hot Rod .. choose the color of the car .. kinda build the shirt with a program. therefore not really drawing. And and as far for the business card handed to me by a customer with his logo or just the way his/her business font or lettering on the card scan and copy enlarge it some how? I'm so lost on this. Sorry but im lost. so so bummed. is there a chance for me. I mean do I gotta go back to school and totally take graphics? where do I get a book on DTG???


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## zhenjie (Aug 27, 2006)

If you have a nice set of images then yeah, you can create t-shirts quite easily once you get the hang of the graphics program. I'm not an 'arty' person but I can whip up a nice design just by importing some pictures and adding text/headers.

You can scan and enlarge business cards or other small items. The process is called vectorizing. It basically means you trace the outlines, fill in the colors and then expand it. Since you are quite new to this process its why I didn't recommend or mention it in my initial response.


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## kustom (Aug 11, 2007)

Not Trying to bum you out more but anyone can buy graphics exipement it all comes down to who can run it. Designing the graphics is about 90% of the aquired skill.

Now there is a sign shop in my town I will not name if but the guy who owns it can't even turn a computer on. He inherited a lot of money and bought a National Sign Shop Franchise. Bought franchise, rented space, bought equipement, Hires college students for Min Wage to do all the work. Go Figure. So he relies on a student to design and print it, then another to install it, all he does is go around as a salesman. I don't care for this type of Business owner though he is making money I just love when people come to me and pay me to Remove the graphics he did and I redesign and install my graphics. on the other hand I am constantly doing whole sale printing because his student got drunk the night before and didn't show up. He even pays me $500 a day to come to his shop and hwlp him with vehicle wraps. all this said you don't really need graphics skills, you will learn them as you go but you might want to find a designer or a Pre-Press shop (a shop who sets up the art work and is print ready) and use that route until you get graphics skills. Remember we all have to start somewhere but at first out source the designs untill you can do it.

al far as a business card to a 12" wide image. it don't work that easy. you can scannit in and the size will be say 300 DPI at 3.5" wide. now you stretch it to 12" and you got about 60 DPI and a scan the levels and colors will be off. trying to change a spot color on a jpg. is not possible either. you really need a vector image to print out. hope this don't discourage you and help you out.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

I would urge you to become pretty good with a graphics/photo program. Customers will being you photos, on paper or digital, and most of the time you will have to do some adjusting for color, do cropping and a variety of other things. 

Having said that I would say that anyone who buys a 15-25K DTG system and is not experienced in graphics/photo manipulation is heading for a failure....unless you have enough capital to carry you over the first year to 18 months while you learn..


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

thank you guys .. I'm trying hard not to give up a dream that I have had for a longtime.. I hope and plan on going to the Long Beach Trade Show. And try to narrow it down as far as to which machine I plan on going with.. Im leaning towards DTG HM1, Fast T-Jet 3, and Anajet. Any tips on a book I can read on Dtg printing. ???


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## AustinJeff (May 12, 2007)

*Re: Graphics???*



queenVee said:


> Say I buy a machine and someone hands me a business card and says "here print me some shirts using this logo" how is this done?


I use Corel and it has a feature that will trace bitmaps and turn them into vectors (which can be resized). It's not perfect, but it is quite good.

There are people who specialize in this. Send them a scan and they will turn it into a vector for $20-$50.

Also, keep in mind that we are not really talking about artistic ability so much as knowing how to use a piece of software, and learning the fundamentals of graphic design. You can learn this stuff. There's tons of info on the web, including videos. There are lots of books, classes, etc.

Unless you have some particular reason for scaling up immediately, you might want to consider starting with laser or inkjet heat transfers. You can learn the skills and see how your designs look on shirts without the cost of a DTG. Almost all of the skills you learn doing digital transfers are transferable to DTG.


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## Mistewoods (Jul 7, 2007)

*Re: Graphics???*

If you choose a program- Corel or Photoshop- it doesn't even have to be the newest version. You can search for free tutotials and begin to learn the program immediately.

Also look at packaged art like Action Illustrated. This has art and templates which will help you out quite a bit to get you started.

If you are an artist/photographer you can learn to enhance or scan and print your own art.

You don't have to wait until you get a printer, you can start getting your art skills up and running right away. Even just practicing printing your art to paper will get you a long way.

Michele


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

If you plan on going to the Long Beach Show, then make sure that you take some of the seminars related to graphics. You will learn a lot.

If you go the CorelDraw route, then you might want to look at Smart Designer from Digital Art Solutions. It is a simply program that works with CorelDraw to help you create graphics. It is kinda expensive, so just start off with the books that fit your target market. 

You might also want to check out the following resources for additional online / DVD training as well:
- Learning @ Your Own Pace® - lynda.com (online videos for working with different graphic software)
- Direct2Shirt Learning Center (online videos for working with CorelDraw and PhotoShop specifically for the Decorated Apparel Industry)
- www.greatdanegraphics.com (just launched an educational DVD for how to use Photoshop)


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

thanks so much everyone.. great info..you guys are great!!!!!


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## queenVee (Aug 16, 2007)

*Re: Graphics???*

thanks AustinJeff, MisteWoods, DA Guide, Charles 95405


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## Art_Director (Oct 24, 2007)

Many of us have 30 or more years experience. Old school, art school and more. ZZZZZZZZZZ are you asleep just yet? Scanners are actually limited to 300 dpi, the CCD Device cant actually do any more than that despite all the advertizing hype. All the rest comes from interpolation, add phony resolution which isn't there and never exists via mathematics in software. Do you have a digital camera? a 4x or more add on lense (aka Filter) can magnify those small icons on biz cards. Take a snap and bring it into Illustrator or PSD. LEARN to USE the Beizer PEN tool, it was developed in Illustrator then adopted in Photoshop. Click and drag and option click, it's like a rubber band on steroids. Old school we used to use rapidographs (ink penz) and French curves (plastic curvy guides) and a hair dryer for speed - your so spoiled. Other methods get a cheap art projector around 30 bucks project the art up onto a piece of paper, trace it in a darkened room, then scan it and use as a tracing template, you can magnify it up way past your scanners range. It's going to take at least 6 months to get reasonably good at your art program, 2 years is the normal. Don't get discouraged after all were the luck ones who get paid to play for a living! I get the greatest kick in stores when someone I never met purchases my artwork on well known international brands. LEARN THAT PEN TOOL NO MATTER HOW FRUSTRATING IT MAYBE. Here's a tip "1/3 rule" start your drag about 1/3 of the way along the curve. Experts at the pen outproduce because it makes masks etc. I have the 768th registered copy of Illustrator in the USA purchased on the very first day it was available. Every day I'm having fun creating. Within the first 2 weeks of using software to draw I decided I'd never go back. You'll discover it too, and devote the time it takes to learn it. Maybe you can pick-up a slightly older version of your software try version 8 of Illustrator ($5 bucks on eBay?). It was very good and does not have all the things in the newer versions that may be a little daunting to you "Young Grasshopper!" LEARN THAT PEN TOOL
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