General Graphics Preparation Concepts

The process of printing graphics directly onto garments is a fast and effective way to embellish many products. There are a few concepts in graphic preparation that, if kept in mind, can make the process much smoother. They can also greatly improve the final product.

1. Color Modes
   • What color space is being used? CMYK or RGB
   • How will this affect the print?
2. Color of Product (process printing)
   • With four color process printing, the color of the surface can play a large part.
   • Is an underbase required?
3. Vector vs. Raster
   • Can the graphic be scaled without loss of quality?
4. Image Resolution
   • Is the image resolution sufficient for a quality print?
5. Image Transparency
   • Does the image have a transparent background?
   • Does it even need one?
6. File Format
   • Will the file format being used support the features of the graphic?

Each of these will be discussed in the following sections.