Design by Humans Collective Apparel artist illustration

DBH Collective Exclusive is the Answer to Threadless “Made”

Exciting news from Design by Humans. As on the biggest Threadless competitor, it’s launching DBH Collective Exclusive, which apparently, following Threadless recent move to offer Threadless Artist Shops (so-called Threadless “Made”).

So what’s this DBH Collective Exclusive? It’s a collection of DTG-printed tees by some of the site’s most well-known, most loved (anything you want to call it) and in-demand artists and a new way for consumers to purchase and customize graphic tees from the industry’s top apparel designers. 

8 Secrets to Make Your Custom T-Shirt Printing Better

This article is writte by Lee Patterson is a custom t-shirt printing specialist that works with many different companies to create promotional products. He has held positions with many top labels and brands, consulting on their artwork design process. 

Custom t-shirt printing is not only a great business idea but can also be very fulfilling on a personal level as well. Whether you’re designing promotional products, gifts or even items for your own use, custom t-shirts have a variety of uses.

They are easy to manufacture, hold great value/novelty, and do not have to be extremely expenses to produce. However, if you want to do things right, there are some secrets of the trade that you should know. Keep these 8 tips in mind whenever you are designing a custom t-shirt and you’ll ensure that there is strength and quality in your design.

#1 – Always Use High Quality Products –

There are a lot of different t-shirt manufacturers out there. They are located from Canada to China and all offer differing quality, price and cuts. But when designing a custom printed t-shirt you want to ensure you have the top of the line when it comes to plain t-shirts. Always use a 100% cotton t-shirt when possible, and a 50/50 blend in cases you can’t.

There are several brands to choose from including American Apparel, Fruit of the Loom and Gildan. Depending on the feel you want from the t-shirt, you can choose from light to heavy weights. When decided which style of shirt to get consider your budget, purpose for design and the end user of the shirt. This will ensure you have the best possible quality for the job you’re trying to do.

#2– Get Your Colours Right –

When designing artwork there are several things you need to consider. Some obvious ones include the size and style of the design, the message you’re trying to get across and even the colours you use. When deciding on your colour scheme, however, be sure you know which colour mode you should design in. Most computer software works by default with RGB and CMYK colour modes.

However, to ensure full accuracy of colours you will want to incorporate PMS colours. PMS stands for Pantone Matching System and is a system of matching colours for use in manufacturing and printing. It ensures the closest match to the colours you intended with your artwork. Ask your designer or t-shirt printers more about how this works if you’re unclear.

Second Thought on Modern T-shirt Printing Industry

Competition in the apparel printing industry (particularly for T-shirt printing) is getting stiffer every day with technology playing a really huge role. While I’m more interested to blog about the outcome of the printing industry, the T-shirt itself, I can’t close my eyes from witnessing what’s happening in the industry. Set aside the gloomy economy outlook.

On the technology side, digital printing gives t-shirt printers and suppliers a flexibility to execute demands without having to face “minimum order” dilemmas, especially from retail customers who often order a single piece per order. Some of them — you’ve heard these big names: Cafepress, Spreadshirt and Zazzle — take this advantage by allowing people to re-sell its printing service and get hundreds (I don’t know… maybe thousands?) so-called instant-entrepreneurs who sell their T-shirts not only to friends and family, but also across the nation and overseas.

At the same time, e-commerce technology (read: internet with its “online shopping” feature) helps them to find customers and sell their services to customers at a much lower cost on both the customer and seller side by eliminating overhead — like shop’s rent. Don’t forget about printers that use on-demand online printing technology, like InkImprints.com, that allows customers to create their own custom t shirts. As easy as 1-2-3, simply upload your t shirt design or photos, then preview it… Once you got the right look, click the “purchase” button and pay it via credit card and your order ships in 24 hours.

Modern T-shirt printing companies like InkImprints.com combines the use of screen printing and “DTG” or Direct to Garment printing for its production. It uses traditional screen printing (which known to be the best printing method to date) to handle large quantity custom shirts while they house several direct to garment printers for small run orders that require full color prints with attention to detail. This is what all modern tee shirt printing companies suppose to achieve in term of efficient work-process. Want to hear its business model? No Minimums and Free Shipping on all orders no matter what size you want.

*image courtesy of Phillie Casablanca and InkImprints.com