If you’ve got an idea for a t-shirt but don’t have the art software to make that idea manifest, we have a solution for you! Our online t-shirt designer tool allows you to quickly create a t-shirt design, receive an instant quote, and place an order, all without leaving your web browser. It’s an ideal way of ordering a custom t-shirt if you’re looking for an easy way to create a professional-looking design.
You can start off my by choosing a product from our online catalog to print to. You can get anything from a plain crewneck t-shirt to a tank top, pique-knit polo, hoodie, and pretty much everything in between. After you select a shirt, you’ll have the option to customize the shirt with a design, which will bring you to the online designer. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, contact us with a quote request and we’ll get in touch with you to get you exactly the kind of shirt you need.
The online designer provides numerous customizable templates for many different scenarios and events, such as school events, holidays, and sports activities. You can create anything from a collegiate style athletic shirt to a band shirt with tour dates on the back.
The templates are a great way to formulate an idea of how the design should be laid out. They already have text and art laid out in pleasing ways, and if you want to change anything, you’re free to do so at your heart’s content.
If you don’t have a design of your own, you can use the online designer to mix and match artwork from a searchable database of more than 13,000 vector graphics. Slap an animal mascot on there or create a fancy monogram. Or just make something random and wacky from the variety of clipart available. Let your inner artist run wild as the online designer gives you the freedom to pretty much do what you want.
The vector graphics provided by the online designer means you don’t have to deal with the hassle of making your design the correct resolution, so your print will always turn out high quality while using the online designer’s built-in clipart. The software will also keep track of the colors you use, giving you an idea of the final cost of the print. You can easily modify these colors if you want to use more or fewer colors.
You can add your own text just as easy as any other graphic, with several font styles to choose from to match the mood of your design. Select from basic san-serif typefaces, brushed calligraphic styles, futuristic and sci-fi, bloody and horrific, and so much more. You can add texture and distress effects to the design as well.
The online designer features robust tools that let you effortlessly manage the artwork on your shirt. You can organize the design by layers, resize images to your liking, and move them all about within the design window. There are ways to flip images, rotate them, nudge them into a specific position, or snap them to the center to ensure that your design stays in the middle. Don’t forget that you can also print on the back as well as the front on most t-shirts! Depending on the product you select, your design space may be limited due to the printing process, and the online designer accounts for that.
If you do have your own artwork, you can upload it to the online designer. Just make sure you follow our Design Guide so you can provide a high quality image to ensure the best quality print. The general rules to follow are high resolution and vector image preferred. The online designer software can even attempt to automatically make the background transparent or reduce the amount of colors if you need to.
If you get interrupted (you know, life happens), you can save your art and come back later to finish the design. You can also easily change the product without messing up the art if you decided you wanted to upgrade that plain tee to a hoodie or something like that. If you’re super proud of your shirt and can’t wait to show it off, you can share your shirt design on social media right from the online designer.
In many instances, there will be 2 versions of a piece of clipart: a 1-color version and a multi-color version. If you select the multi-color version, you will be able to select certain parts of the image and change them to a different color.
A very useful artistic technique is to incorporate the color of the shirt into your design. Not only can it look really cool, but it can save you money by using less ink colors. The online designer allows you to select any color and replace it with “Transparent,” which will remove the color and show the color of the shirt or whatever is behind the image. The “Transparent” color is denoted by a white box with a red line going through it.
Layers are a very valuable tool when it comes to design. Most fancy art software has them, and our online designer is no exception. By working with layers, you can create depth in your design, placing objects in front and behind one-another for more dynamic-looking art.
Click on the “Layers” button at the top of the designer to see all the layers in your design. Each element of your design should have its own layer, including graphics and text. They should be ordered from the
You can organize layer elements directly by right clicking on a graphic in your design, which will bring up all sorts of options. By selecting “Bring Above Objects” you will move that object up one layer, and selecting “Send Under Objects” the object will be moved down one layer. “Bring to Front” will bring an object to the top of the stack and “Send to Back” will bring it all the way to the bottom. You can also copy, paste, and mirror objects through this right-click menu.
We almost always want our design to be placed at the center of a t-shirt, and it’s usually pretty hard to eyeball it. Luckily, the online designer has an easy way to place an object in the center. Just left click on an object to select it, then right click it and choose “Snap to Center.”
Also, when moving an object around, the designer will display a pink line down the middle to indicate the center of the shirt, so you can adjust your design elements accordingly.
To the left of the designer you will see an option for “Change Product Side.” Click on this and it will give you a location of all the parts of the shirt you can design. This will usually include the front, back, and a chest-pocket area. Just click on the desired location and you’ll be allowed to design for that side.
Please note that with certain products, your design space will be limited. If you have a place you want to print to that is not selectable in the online designer, such as a sleeve, contact us by requesting a quote and we can get your specialty job ready personally.
The online designer can only work with designs limited to 6 colors or less. If you want a full-color print, we’ll have to set up a special print job for you on either Direct to Garment or Screen Printing, depending on how many shirts you want. Request a quote from us and we can help you get started.
If you’re not finding your design to your liking or you want to do something that is not possible in the online designer, such as printing on a sleeve or using specialty inks, let us know and we can discuss how to make the shirt to your liking. Give us a call, shoot us an email, or click that “Request a Quote” button so we can talk about your order in more detail.