Five Common Artwork Sizing Mistakes for T-Shirts (And How to Avoid Them)

Printing your own t-shirts can be a fun and rewarding experience. However, it's important to avoid making common mistakes when it comes to sizing your artwork. Here are five of the most common mistakes people make and how you can avoid them.

1. Not accounting for the seam allowance

When you're designing your artwork, you need to make sure that you leave enough space around the edges for the seam allowance. The seam allowance is the amount of fabric that will be tucked under the garment when it's being sewn together. If your artwork doesn't take the seam allowance into account, it will look too small once the garment is finished.

2. Not leaving enough space around the neckline

The neckline of a t-shirt is usually curved, which means that you need to account for that curve when sizing your artwork. If you don't leave enough space, your artwork will be distorted when it's printed on the shirt.

3. Assuming that all t-shirts are the same size

how big should a design be for t shirt

T-shirts come in a variety of sizes, from small to extra-large. When you're designing your artwork, you need to make sure that you choose a size that will fit on all of the different sized shirts. Otherwise, you'll end up with a design that's too small or too large for some of the shirts.

4. Forgetting about shrinkage

When printing t-shirts, it's important to take into account the fact that they will shrink after they're washed. Most fabrics will shrink about 5% after they're laundered, so you need to adjust your artwork accordingly. If you don't factor in shrinkage, your design may end up being too small once the shirt is laundered.

5. Not using vector files

When designing your artwork for t-shirts, it's important to use vector files rather than raster files. Vector files are resolution independent, which means they can be scaled up or down without losing any quality.

Raster files, on the other hand, will become pixelated and blurry if they're scaled up too much. Vector files are also easier to edit, so if you need to make changes to your design later on, it will be much easier to do so if you're using vector files.

But, how big should a design be for t shirt?

When it comes to t-shirt design, size really does matter. The design should be big enough to be seen from a distance, but not so large that it looks out of proportion on the t-shirt. It's also important to consider the t-shirt printing process when determining the size of your design.

Too small and the details will be lost in the printing; too large and the design may need to be simplified to accommodate the t-shirt size. The best way to determine the perfect size for your t-shirt design is to consult with a t-shirt printing Denver expert. They can help you create a design that looks great and prints perfectly on your t-shirt.

Wrap up!

Designing t-shirts can be a lot of fun, but it's important to avoid making common mistakes when sizing your artwork. By following these simple tips, you can avoid making these mistakes and end up with a great looking design that fits perfectly on your t-shirt!

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