Tutorial

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MULTIPLE shows you how to create a piece of

digital artwork in Illustrator and transfer it to
a T-shirt using screen-printing techniques

ave you ever wanted to get one of your designs onto a T-shirt? Well, in the following
tutorial, we talk you through the process of creating a digital design and transferring it
to a tee using silk-screen printing. Screen printing is one of the most accessible forms of
reproduction available and, matched with its flexible uses, its ideal for the production of all
forms of textile prints. Its no wonder that its still the primary means of producing designs for the
fashion and garment industry. We show you how a simple two-colour composition is easily
transformed into a physical, wearable design that can be paraded around.
We start with the basics of setting up a print file to laying out a T-shirt design. From here, we add
bespoke patterns using simple tools and techniques in Illustrator and then prepare the artwork for
production. Then we talk you through the hands-on process of silk-screen printing to show you how
you can turn your digital design into a wearable object.
Although our tee is produced in a professional environment by Nottingham screen printers I
Dress Myself these production techniques can be replicated easily. Many of our tips are those used
by professionals within the industry and are invaluable for anyone tackling such a project at home.

Expertise provided by Multiple and I Dress Myself. Find out more about both
these companies on page 107.
Youll find some files to help you work along with this tutorial on CD106, in the
DiscContent\Tutorials\Tutorial Files\Tshirt folder.

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Part 1: Getting started

Prepare your workspace and begin building elements to use in the blends
Materials

In Illustrator, open the file

TeeOutline_v1.ai from the
DiscContent\Tutorials\Tutorial
Files\Tshirt folder on CD106. This
gives you a file containing a tee
outline on a locked layer. Next,
open MultipleType_v1.ai from the
CD to get the basic Multiple type
elements that can be used for this
tutorial. In this case, as its a full
chest print, it needs to be
approximately 220-250mm wide.

In this tutorial
we use a
professional
setup to
produce our Tshirt. However,
you can easily
replicate the
same process at
home. A screenprint table can
be homemade
from wood and
hinges (even
multiple colour
carousels), or
you can pick up
secondhand
materials from
eBay. If youre
interested in
exploring
screen printing,
its worth
investing in the
book How to
Print T-shirts for
Fun and Profit
by Scott O.
Fresener.

Now begin building the

blended tonal elements. Draw
a box the height of the letter U on
the left-hand edge. Using the Direct
Selection tool (press A to get a
white-headed pointer), select the
bottom-right corner point and
move it back left so you end up with
a diagonal cut shape. Now
duplicate it (hold down Alt and drag
to the right) and position this at the
right-hand edge of the U.

Select both shapes then go to Object>Blend>Make. Between the two

shapes a blend is produced of repeated stepped shapes. These can
be controlled by going to Object>Blend>Blend Options. Select Specified
Steps and 8, then click Preview to see its effects and select OK.

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Now put the

stroke back
onto the letter
form. Select the
letter form path
and set its width
to 2pt stroke. Due
to the coarse
nature of screen
printing, dont set
any widths to less
than 1pt or have
elements smaller
than 1mm.
Setting up your
artwork close
to the actual
finished size
ensures you
wont set things
too fine for the
print process.

With your blend of elements complete, select Object>Blend>Release

to break the blend into its individual components. Now you need to
get these shapes into the letter forms. Bring the letter form in front of the
blend (Ctrl/Cmnd+Shift+]), then select both and go to Object>Clipping
Mask>Make (Ctrl/Cmnd+7). Your blend will now be pasted inside the
outline of the letter form.

Part 2: Artwork preparation

Colour the elements, prepare separations and run out films

Now go through the other letter forms making varied tonal blends. Using different base
shapes as starting points, you can make a wide range of blends. Try dots, squares and
lines. Blend between elements of different sizes or stroke widths. For this we have also
included another colour element with the blends pasted inside.

For screen printing its best to set up any colours used as Uncoated
Spots because these give you the closest match to actual colour on
a white shirt. Go to the Swatches palette and select Open Swatch Library
then PANTONE Solid Uncoated. Now select your colours.

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Artwork preparation, continued...

Film separations
We have played out our separations
on film for best results. If you cant do
this, you can print them on paper and
boost the exposure time or even rub
oil on them to make the paper
translucent. This is a handy trick
which you can use on already printed
material, such as books or magazines,
to create unusual original artwork.
You can even cut your designs out
from black paper/positive film and
use this as a stencil to create areas to
be unexposed for a very loose, handcrafted, low-fi feel to your designs.

Once youve set your colours, save your file. Now copy your design
and paste it into a new A4 Landscape document. Select File>Print.
Go to Marks & Bleed and select Reg Marks and Colour Bars. Within
Output, select Separations from Mode, turn on Trapping (if available),
then turn off the CMYK Ink but make sure the Spots are left on.

Print your seps. On most laser printers youll be

able to print on Acetate or OHP transparency,
acceptable quality for screen films. Use the Reg Marks
on the films to line them up. If you do get any dots or
marks on the films, scratch them off with a scalpel or
fill them in with a black marker.

Part 3: Set up your screens

Youre ready to make up your screens and prepare to print

First, you need to get your design onto the

prepared screen. The silk screen has been coated
with a UV hardening liquid and left to dry. The film
separation is then placed on top of the flat front face of
the screen and, if possible, held tightly in position with a
vacuum. Its then exposed to a timed blast of UV light.

The sep is removed and the screen is washed

using a high-pressure jet of water. The UV
coating will have been hardened by the light where
exposed to it. The black areas of the design are left soft
as the sep works as a mask. This soft coating is then
washed out to reveal the mesh of the screen that will
still allow ink to pass through it.

Once the screen is dry, simply tape up all areas

that the coating did not cover. Normally this will
be the edges. This will stop any unwanted ink passing
through the still uncoated screen. Its worth holding up
the screen to the light to check any other irregularities
or holes to the coating, and these can be filled with a
bit of coat repair or more tape.

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Part 4: Colour registration

Make sure the colours match up across the two different screens

For this job were using a

multiple colour carousel, but
the principle is the same on single
colour beds. Loosely attach your
first screen and begin positioning it
correctly to match the separation
underneath. Firmly push down and
youll see exactly how it will act
when printing. This will help ensure
correct alignment. Fix it into
position when satisfied.

On the board or pattern surface that will carry

the tee print, mark up its centre points, both
horizontally and vertically, for the position of a chest
print. Now simply position the seps as required and
tape them down. You can ensure this is exact by using
the registration marks on the seps.

Go through the same process with the second

screen. Take your time at this point and ensure
that your screens line up with the underlying seps.
This will guarantee that the two colours butt up
against each other, and even bite in slightly, so that no
T-shirt material is exposed between the prints.

With everything in position, remove the seps from the pattern board. Apply some textile glue to ensure the
tee remains firmly in position and does not move or lift when the screen is lifted. Then correctly position
your tee onto the pattern board. Until recently, this would have been done with spray adhesive but there are now
more environmentally friendly products available that are much better for your health.

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Colour registration, continued...

Communicate

Now begin pulling a print. Place a reasonable amount of ink (around

half a cup) in a line, at the far end of your screen. Using a squeegee,
pull the ink towards you, across the screen and design with a firm and
controlled pressure. Lifting the screen ever so slightly, push the ink back,
drop the screen and pull again if required to get the correct coverage.

Lift your first screen. Were using water-based inks and the first print
is dried quickly using a spot dryer, but you can do the same with a
hairdryer if youre careful. Now bring in your second screen. Apply your
chosen ink and pull the print again as before. Then lift the screen and
check your handiwork.

The joy of Tshirt designs is

that theyre
walking
billboards for
your ideas.
Think about
whether you
want a
contemporary,
tight design that
allows the
production
process to add
an extra quality.
Also consider
the positioning
of the design on
the shirt and
how an audience
views it.

Part 5: The finished article

Once your garment is complete, wear it and spread your message

To ensure the print is stable and will last, its run under a large
conveyor belt dryer that seals the ink firmly to the material. This final
touch can also be done using a hairdryer. The advantage of using waterbased inks is that they dry much easier, dont contain the same solvents as
traditional inks and so dont give off the same fumes when heated.

Once your T-shirt is dry, try it on and check the print does exactly what you want it to.
Then you can wear your handiwork for all to see. ca p

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Expert profile: I Dress Myself/Multiple

Two Nottingham-based companies working ethically and with big name clients

LEFT: Three
T-shirts screen
printed by I
Dress Myself:
Pumpkinhorse by
Jon Burgerman (far
left), An ode to
Modbury Town by
Conway and Young
(bottom left), and
The End by David
Shrigley (left).
BACKGROUND:
I Dress Myself is a screen-printing
business established in May 2006,
and run by husband-and-wife team
Pete and Hannah Conway.
The company is run on ethical
principles using only water-based
inks, organic cotton garments and
recycled paper. With their green
credentials they have worked in
collaboration with David Shrigley,
Luke Best, Jon Burgerman and
Laura McCafferty to produce
limited edition T-shirts. They are
currently in cahoots with Paul Davis
to produce a series of non-sexual
sex art prints.
Design studio Multiple has
produced both single prints and
entire ranges for the likes of Paul
Smith, Howies, Vans, Duck and
Cover, House of Fraser, R Newbold,
Peaceful Hooligan and, most
recently, One True Saxon.

FASHION LOVES GRAPHICS

BECAUSE
All creative disciplines are integral
to each others survival. Non less so
than graphic design and fashion.
Especially T-shirts. What marries
the two better than wearing graphic
art? says I Dress Myself.
WEBSITE:
www.idressmyself.co.uk
www.wearemultiple.co.uk

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