Episode 1: Prepare Artwork for DTG Printing / Print on Demand -

00:00:00 - Welcome to the first part of our series where we explain how to set up T-shirt design files for Dire2Garmin printing, which is the printing method that most print-of-demand platforms use to print on T-shirts.

00:00:16 - We decide to split this topic in several videos because there is a lot we need to cover.

00:00:22 - In the next few videos we are going to talk about image size and resolution.

00:00:28 - If you should create your designs in CMYK or RGB, which designs elements you can use, how you can enhance the colors of your designs and how you can correctly export your files.

00:00:44 - We will also share a few tips and tricks that will make your designs look better.

00:00:50 - We are very excited about this new series and in this video, which is the first part of the series, we are going to talk about image size and resolution. So, how are image pixels and resolution connected? Let's find out.

00:01:08 - Hi everyone, this is Everson with DTG Merch, where we talk about everything you need to know to run a successful t-shirt business. We normally talk about subjects like t-shirt design, print on demand, and direct to garment printing. So don't forget to hit that subscribe button. And this week we are running a special Black

00:01:38 - Friday sale on our online course about direct to garment printing. So if you would like to know more? Head over to learn.dtgmerch.com. I'll put the link on the description below. If you take away one thing from this video then we hope is this. You cannot look at image size and resolution as separate things. They are connected and in this video we are going to explore how. Let's look at one example that many of you are familiar with.

00:02:15 - We want to create a design for Merge by Amazon, so let's go and find out their requirements.

00:02:22 - We open the Merge by Amazon page and click on the Create tab.

00:02:27 - When we click on Edit Details, the form opens where we are supposed to upload the design.

00:02:35 - As you can see, they ask for files in 4500 x 5400 pixels.

00:02:44 - This is it.

00:02:46 - In which resolution do we have to create the design?

00:02:50 - Why are they not giving any requirements for this?

00:02:54 - Most people would start to search for additional resource or ask Google to find this missing information.

00:03:01 - It should be 300 DPI, that's what we use for designs, right?

00:03:07 - And here it says, merged by Amazon, prints with a size of 15 by 18 inches.

00:03:15 - What should we use now?

00:03:17 - Inches, pixels, DPI?

00:03:20 - It's no wonder that many people get so insecure when dealing with this topic.

00:03:26 - But relax, this is not necessary.

00:03:30 - Why?

it's extremely easy. Firstly, we have to differentiate between two different image sizes, one in centimeter or inches, the second one in the number of pixels. With a printing size of centimeter or inches, you can define the actual printing size of your product. If

00:03:55 - If you have a printing size in pixel, it shows how large your image is in terms of pixels.

00:04:03 - If you have an image with a resolution of 72 ppi, it contains 72 pixels per inch.

00:04:12 - If you have one with a 300 ppi, it contains 300 pixels per inch, which means there are many more dots in one inch.

00:04:22 - This means there are much more information in there and much more details on the image.

00:04:28 - Just for the vocabulary, let's have a look at those two terms, PPI and DPI.

00:04:34 - PPI means pixel per inch and this is the resolution you see on the screen.

00:04:39 - DPI means dots per inch and this is the resolution for printing.

00:04:45 - The more dots per inch a printer can print, the higher is the resolution.

00:04:52 - Let's consider the example from before but this time we are going to print the file.

00:04:58 - So if your print has 72 dpi, it prints 72 dots per inch.

00:05:05 - If the printer has 300 dpi, it prints 300 dots on the same inch which means it use much smaller drops.

00:05:16 - Therefore it can print more details and the printer has a higher resolution.

00:05:22 - So how is the image size in centimeters or inches connected to the image size in pixel?

00:05:30 - Well, they convert into each other with the help of resolution.

00:05:37 - Let's do some math, but don't worry, it is easy.

00:05:41 - Let's review what we know about the Merced by Amazon's requirements.

00:05:46 - Someone asks for your design in a size of 4500 by 5400 pixel.

00:05:53 - We know their printing size is 15 by 18 inches and they want 300 dpi.

00:06:00 - Now look at the following formulas 4500 equals 15 times 300.

5400 equals 18 times 300.

00:06:14 - Do you notice anything?

00:06:16 - When you look at each side of the design separately, it means horizontally and vertically and we can convert one into the other.

00:06:27 - In this formula, you have the pixel, the printing size in inches and the DPI.

00:06:34 - And hopefully, now you can also see why an image size in pixels is much less prone to mistakes.

00:06:43 - If you have an image in the correct pixel size, it does not matter too much if you export in the wrong resolution.

00:06:50 - If you would, for example, export an image of 4500 by 5400 pixels with 72 dpi, the following would happen.

4500 divided by 72 equals 62.5 inches.

00:07:11 - Then 5400 divided by 72 equals 75 inches.

00:07:18 - The image size in inches would be much bigger, but the image size in pixels stays the same.

00:07:26 - If you would print this design at this size, the resolution would be lower because there is less information per inch.

00:07:35 - But by exporting the image with 72 dpi, you did not destroy it as many people think.

00:07:43 - If you change the resolution of the file to 300 dpi, again, no arm is done.

00:07:52 - The image size in inches would became smaller again, but the total number of pixels inside the design did not change.

00:08:03 - All the image information was there all the time.

00:08:07 - However, it would be different if you would export the image size in inches with 72 dpi.

00:08:15 - In this case, the following would happen.

15 inches times 72 dpi equals 1080 pixels, 18 inches times 72 dpi equals 1296 pixels.

00:08:34 - As you see, the size of the image in inches stay the same, but the amount of pixels and details inside the image is well reduced.

00:08:46 - If you would change this back to 300 dpi, the image size would be much smaller.

00:08:52 - If you would want to print this image on a size 15 by 18 inches now, you will blow it up because at this size it has only 72 dpi.

00:09:04 - This means you will lose a lot of detail inside the image.

00:09:09 - Let's see what we mean by this.

00:09:11 - If I resize that image to 15 by 18 inches and I zoom to 100% inside the image now, you will see some pixelation and it will also print in this way.

00:09:25 - If you compare it with the same design but in 300 dpi, it will look a lot worse.

00:09:32 - And the bad news is it is not reversible unless you saved the old design.

00:09:38 - By the way, did you know that most direct-to-garment printers can print with resolutions up to 1200 dpi?

00:09:48 - But you don't need to create designs in that resolution, that would be crazy.

00:09:53 - Your file size would be huge and honestly, on regular fabrics for t-shirts, everything higher than 300 dpi is really not visible.

00:10:04 - When printing on fabrics, you always have uneven surfaces, misplaced dots, bleeding, so 300 dpi is good enough.

00:10:15 - Just make sure that you have the correct image size in centimeters or inches, in combination with the correct resolution and the correct image size in pixels.

00:10:28 - So, which options do you have if your design does not have the required quality?

00:10:35 - The easiest option would be to locate the original file.

00:10:39 - If you know that you created it in the correct file size, go ahead and try to find where this file is, or maybe talk to the designers and ask them if they still have it.

00:10:52 - Another option would be to make the print smaller, even though Merch by Amazon requires you to deliver a file size of 4500 x 5400 pixels, you can see that size as a canvas.

00:11:07 - And on this canvas, you can place your design wherever you want.

00:11:11 - Maybe it would be a nice small print on your chest, or a cute small print on one side of the t-shirt.

00:11:20 - You can leave the rest of the canvas empty.

00:11:23 - Another option would be to vectorize the design.

00:11:27 - But this is not an option for every kind of design.

00:11:30 - If you have a photo, for example, you cannot turn it into a vector.

00:11:35 - This is only an option for designs with solid colors.

00:11:39 - And if you are looking for an easy way to trace pixel images into vectors on the iPad, check out Maggie's tutorial.

00:11:47 - I will link in the description below.

00:11:51 - The last option and by far the worst one is to redraw the design completely.

00:11:57 - So this is it.

00:11:59 - As always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

00:12:04 - Next week we are going to talk about another topic that causes a lot of confusion.

00:12:09 - Should you design in RGB or CMYK?

00:12:13 - It's gonna be a lot of fun.

00:12:16 - We are looking forward to see you next week here and if you like this video, maybe this other video about t-shirt design is for you.

00:12:26 - So all the best and see you in the next week then!