Be as specific as you can to ensure efficiency and accuracy from our art department.

Here are some things to think about when coming up with a description:

1)  What is the art being printed on, what color the product is, and who the product is for (men, women, boys, girls).

Check out our apparel search for  help with ideas!

2)  Do you have any elements that are required, such as a logo or specific words/phrases?

3)  What is the visual style you are looking for? Use specific descriptions for the imprint colors, typography, textures, images etc. 

The color light blue could mean a variety of shades and the word vintage could have a variety of meanings. We listed some adjectives below to help you with your description, which, will give us a better picture of what you are looking for in your design. If you choose to use a word we have not listed, please define what that word means to you.

4) If you have any images, sketches, or documents that might be helpful in creating your project, share them with us! Click here to submit your logo.

If you would like to play around with some ideas check out our

Online Designer by clicking on the image below

and create your own custom designs!

LIST OF ADJECTIVES

Please keep in mind some words do not describe styles very well because of their vague definition. If you choose to use a word we have not listed, please define what that word means to you.

Funky – stylish and modern in an unconventional way

Fun – playful, noisy

Cartoony – young, childish, simplistic

Vintage – distressed, applique, weathered look

Girly – curly fonts, playful

Edgy – hip, thrilling, grungy

Folksy – country looking, not formal

Formal – structured, conservative

Antique – the style of ancient art, (Greek/Roman)

Rock Concert – in your face/loud graphics, 1 color, large imprint, medieval fonts

Sport/Athletic – collegiate fonts, sport graphics

Raster Artwork - Definition: Any artwork that is composed digitally of horizontal and vertical rows of pixels to make up an image. Raster files are resolution dependent and cannot be enlarged without losing image quality.  Typical File Types: .psd .tif .jpg .gif .bmp

Raster Artwork viewed at 100%: 

When enlarged Raster Artwork will pixelate - Here is the same image enlarged.

This type of enlargement is typical for custom t-shirts and other types of promotional items.

Raster images cannot be scaled up in size because they will look pixelated (like the image on the left) when printed.

If you choose to send a rasterized file to your graphic artist, you most likely will have a recreation fee for converting bitmap

to vector art. In this case, save the file at 300 dpi to get the best recreation possible. Photo editors, like Adobe PhotoShop,

use raster-based images to allow for precise editing and total freedom in image appearance.

When enlarged Vector Artwork will keep its quality of detail - Here is the same image enlarged.

Vector images can be scaled up in size because they are not made up thousands of dots like bitmaps are.

They are made of a lesser amount of points that the computer can easily connect those dots.

Sending your graphic artist a vector file to work with will reduce additional artwork cost and you will not have to worry

about quality issues. Drawing programs, like Adobe Illustrator, primarily use a vector-based drawing mode

to allow for the art to be re-sized with clean lines.

Garment Graphics is here to help you with any art questions you may have. Click here to submit your logo idea and we will help you transform it from a concept to an awesome design. You may also be interested in going through our apparel search to know what shirt to put your design on. Take a look at some of our online catalogs for ideas or just call us and we will help select the perfect style for your event or project. And check out Garment Graphics’ many innovative products and techniques for screen printing! From burn out tees to simulated process printing, we are here to help you determine which of the options or combinations are right for your project!

Using Adobe Illustrator

So you created your art design in Adobe Illustrator, so it should be vector art, ready to print on a        t-shirt….right? Unfortunately, in most cases the answer is no. Here at Garment Graphics we want to make your order process as simple and easy as possible.  Here are some tips to help you or your artist get your awesome design ready for printing.

Tip 1:  Always convert your fonts to outlines

Fonts are not universal and will not transfer correctly if they are not saved as outlines. Even a .pdf file will not keep the fonts you have chosen for your design if you have not saved them. To do this go to Menu>Type>Create Outlines.

It is a good idea to save 2 copies of your art file, one with the fonts not converted so if you need to use it again you don’t have to guess which font you used, and the second with the fonts saved so you don’t have to worry about transfer issues.

Tip 2:  Expand art with strokes

Working with strokes can be unpredictable, so it’s best to convert them to shapes. This ensures consistency if the artwork needs to be resized (Strokes can often be pushed out of proportion when resized with the Scale tool). Depending on if your art has many strokes, fills and effects will determine which steps you need to do. (Illustrator will grey out the option if it is not needed.) Select your object(s) and go to:

1)     Menu > Object > Expand  OR  Menu > Object > Expand Appearance and then Menu > Object > Expand.

Tip 3:  Convert all CMYK or RGB into Spot Color

Screen printers appreciate it when an artist sends a file that is already put into spot color.  This cuts down the time having to recolor from CMYK or RGB and most importantly help save your effects such as lenses, meshes, gradients etc. the way you want them.

Spot Color – When a color is a spot color, the swatch in the Swatches palette will have a unique appearance.

You can easily convert process colors to screen-print friendly spot colors. Double-click any process color swatch in the Swatches palette. It will open the Swatch Options window.

With its special weathered look and feel, this v-neck is just what your look is missing.

• 2.5-ounce, 75/25 poly/ring spun cotton
• 40 singles

Microburn fabric infuses each garment with unique character. Please allow for slight color variations.

Stress relievers are great items because they are fun, reliable, long lasting, useful, and inexpensive. These are all fantastic qualities for a promotional product. Stress relievers also come in dozens of different shapes, so there are many more choices than baseball. These are great for trade-shows  fundraisers, and safety campaigns. In addition, whenever buying stress relievers make sure you buy a high quality product that is lead and toxin free!

Baseball Bear With Sounds Chip

Kirby Bear is a fun and cute promotional item! He wears a shirt that says, “It’s a Whole New Ballgame” on the front, and features full color imprint on the back. Also, included is a sound chip that not only holds your business card, but also announces “That one’s out of here, a Grand Slam!” When it comes to marketing, it doesn’t get much cuter than Kirby Bear.

Red Solo Cup Tumbler

Ever since the song “Red Solo Cup” by Toby Keith came out, the red solo cup tumbler has been a popular item. These red cups are double walled tumblers that are perfect for using over and over again! These cups are great for using on the run like most tumblers, but add a special look that makes it exciting. These are great for tailgating, park outings, and casual sporting events.

Stadium Cushion

We all know how uncomfortable stadium seating can be. The small seats, lack of leg room, and hard or nonexistent backing can make anyone stiffen up. The stadium cushion is the one of the simplest solutions to the seating issues! It is perfect for gameday promotions, school fundraisers, or season ticket holders and is a budget friendly item that can come in many different colors.

Sports Sunglasses with Custom Printed Lenses

These sports sunglasses are a popular promotional product that are fun and original. These are fantastic fundraising items for any sports team and a cool way to connect with your fan base. The sunglasses are  FDA approved, drop ball tested, scratch resistant polycarbonate lenses, waterproof, so not only do they look cool, but they also last long and are high quality.

If you are interested in these, or any other promotional products, contact us today! Give us a call at 520-544-0529 or visit our website at GarmentGraphics.net. We can help you with any promotions this summer!

Client Information: A local ’50s theme restaurant

Objective: To increase restaurant visibility, generate additional sales and promote repeat visits.

Solution: Many times, the decision of where to eat while on vacation is greatly influenced by where the kids want to eat. One restaurant based a very successful program on this concept. Targeting tourists in the Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton area, wooden nickels for a free custard cone were distributed at area hotels and resorts. Ten thousand visitors to nearby Jellystone Park campground received welcome bags containing a coupon redeemable at the restaurant for a free beach ball, and kids eating at the restaurant were given “Summer Things” to play with at the table.

Result: The promotion was very successful. Summer sales at the diner increased 40 percent over the previous season. Families, in particular, thoroughly enjoyed their experience at the restaurant and many said they would recommend the restaurant to a friend.

Interesting in learning more about Summer Promotions? Go to our Facebook at Facebook.com/Garmentgraphics. There you can read about more summer promotions and claim a special offer just for our fans!

Umbrellas

Umbrellas are particularly great promotional items for the summer in Arizona. The hot weather coupled with the torrential rain in the monsoon season makes them a popular and useful product. The have a high perceived value and stay in the hands of your customers for a long time. Best of all, these items have a prominent full color imprint area so you can show off your logo. Trust us, when your promotion helps your customer avoid getting soaked in an unpredictable monsoon, they’ll be extremely thankful for you.

Coolers

Coolers are another great item for the summer. Warm nights mean summer parties and it’s important any and all drinks stay ice cold. Smaller coolers make great lunch packs and larger coolers can hold dozens of sodas and can even come with wheels for easy transportation! Coolers are great for schools, sports teams, fundraising, and casual corporate gifts. Like umbrellas, these items have great imprint areas that stand out so everyone will notice your company.

Infuser Water Bottle

Infuser water bottles are an up and coming item in the promotional products market. Infuser water bottles are similar to most popular water bottles available today. They have a slim, tall, cylindrical shape and are made of clear BPA free plastic. However, what sets these items apart from most water bottles is a small container in the middle. You can fill this item with fruit, vegetables, or other solid food, to add natural flavor to your water! This is a great item that is still not reached its peak popularity and it will be sure to get your customers sharing. Of course, when they share their water bottle, they are also be sharing your message.

If you’re interested in learning more about some popular summer promotions, follow us on Facebook! Keep your eye out for more posts about marketing ideas and strategies that are great for summer! The staff at Garment Graphics has years of promotional products and apparel expertise to help you create the perfect promotion. Let us promote you!

At Garment Graphics, Vacation Bible School is one of our favorite events that churches hold. Vacation Bible School wonderful time where kids can play, do crafts, watch movies, learn about the Bible, and have a good time! According to some parents, the best part is it’s cheap daycare! We know that a lot of work goes into making a week of VBS successful. We aren’t experts in VBS, but we are apparel experts and we do help a lot of churches in Tucson with Vacation Bible School shirts, so we wanted to let you know a couple ways you can make the t-shirt ordering process as easy as possible.

1. Sizing

Picking out sizes can be difficult, but with the right set of t-shirts, it doesn’t have to be a problem. For most VBS orders, sizes are going to have to range greatly. These shirts need to fit the smallest kindergartner and the largest volunteer, so usually sizes from XS in youth to XL in adult sizes are necessary. Make sure you can get similar styles in both adult and youth sizes so everyone looks unified together.

2. Printing Technique

Many VBS t-shirts use transfers on their shirts with the theme and logo of that year. There is nothing wrong with doing transfers; however, we do suggest looking into doing a screen print as an alternative. Transfers are often easy to make and apply, but they can quickly crack and fade if made or applied poorly. Screen printing can be a cheaper method of printing t-shirts, and the print is more durable. Garment Graphics does all of our own screen printing in house, so we can guarantee a quality product at a competitive price. Transfers can be the right choice, but make sure you look into doing a screen print as well.

3. Ordering

We know managing a VBS process is challenging  A few years ago, a local church in Tucson ordered their t-shirts from a VBS vendor. They had to estimate the number of shirts they needed for VBS because they had to make the order weeks in advance of the camp. We know that, with anything that requires sign up, parents often wait until the last minute to get everything in. Then, more parents wait until after that to try and sign up.  The church did their best to accommodate everyone and they wanted to make sure that everyone got a t-shirt, so they would always over order to account for last minute families to avoid a shortage. However, they would end up wasting money on unused t-shirts. When they came to us, we were not only able to print their shirts in house at a much lower price, but we were also to print the exact number that they needed. We were able to print them an initial order, and then print them a second order a week before the camp. Check and make sure you can order your shirts so that you don’t need to waste money on unused shirts.

If you want to make your screen printing process as easy as possible, contact us today! We can help you with sizing, ordering, printing, and even those late registrations by parents. We can’t make them go away, but we can help you prepare for them. You can give us a call at 520-544-0529 or visit our website by clicking here! We can help you get high quality VBS shirts at competitive prices. We have plenty of experience with Vacation Bible School t-shirt printing in Tucson and we do all of our printing in house so we can guarantee a quality product!

Objective: To develop a new, forward-thinking and efficient method of promoting and distributing the university’s student handbook to freshmen.

Solution: Playing off of the freshman orientation theme of “Start Your Engines,” Gardner-Webb University developed a race car shaped flash drive featuring the school’s colors and mascot. The USB drive was preloaded with the student handbook, allowing for easy access and reference. The students were completely comfortable browsing a digital document as opposed to an actual printed book and had no issues accessing the document. The handbook was also locked file that could not be deleted from the flash drive by students. An extra benefit of the item is that the 113-page handbook only takes up 6% of the 1GB drive. The flash drive was a useable document and a re-usable gift, in one!

Result: The promotional drive designed for and distributed to freshman, have gained quite a reputation on campus with many upperclassmen requesting their own drives. Instructors supervising the yearly, mandatory student handbook orientation session noted a distinctly more upbeat and engaged student body that had an easier and more interactive way to access the handbook.

Interesting in learning more about tech promotional products? Go to our Facebook at Facebook.com/Garmentgraphics. There you can read about other tech promotional products and custom apparel, watch videos, and relieve a special offer!

1. Usefulness

Technology promotional products are useful! Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other technology dominate the world we live in. These products can also use many different accessories. For example, mouse pads are commonly used with most computers. Students, professionals, young, old, chances are they use a mouse pad. Why not take advantage and give them one to market your own business?

2. Pricing

Some of the technology products we mentioned above can come with expensive accessories. Things like cleaning cloths, cases, chargers, and stylus are all great products that add up in price. We recently held an event for several people at a local University. All attendees received pens with a touch screen stylus. The response was tremendous and one attendee commented how she had recently discovered how useful they were and was going to buy one online for $12. The pens can be ordered for about 1/10 of the $12 price tag. Many tech products have a high perceived value that won’t ruin your own marketing budget.

3. Impact

Often, usefulness goes hand in hand with impact. Products that are useful are often high impact as well. For example, the USB car charger is one of the most useful promotional products. These products can also be high impact. Almost everyone who takes a ride in that car will see your logo on that car charger. This can help with awareness, branding, and gaining new customers.

Be sure to check out our video about five of the best tech promotional products you can get under $5. These are great promotional items that will help you market your product without breaking your bank, many of which we mentioned in this article! You can get a real life look at the products and more suggestions on how to use them! Just go to our Youtube page by clicking here! If you’re interested in learning more about technology products visit our website by clicking here! You can look at more products or even place an inquiry online.