From Art to Apparel: How to Prep Your Design for the Best Screen Printing Results
You’ve got a great design idea—but how do you turn it into a great screen-printed shirt?
At New Avenues INK, we work with all kinds of clients across Portland—from artists and event planners to schools and small businesses—and one of the most common challenges we see is getting artwork ready for print. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or creating your first logo, here’s how to prepare your art for a high-quality print.
1. Start with a High-Resolution File
Screen printing is all about crisp edges and clean lines. To make that happen, we need your design in a high-resolution format—ideally a vector file (.AI, .EPS, .PDF) or a 300 DPI raster file (.PNG, .PSD).
Pro tip: Images from the internet (like screenshots or low-res JPGs) won’t print clearly.
2. Keep It Simple for Best Results
The more complex the design, the more screens, setup time, and cost. Designs with fewer colors are often bolder, more affordable to print, and easier to line up on garments. That said, we love creative work! If your design has lots of detail, we’ll help you adapt it for optimal printing. Also - DTG may be an option for a more complex design. Learn more about that here.
3. Provide HEX Codes or Pantone Colors
If brand consistency is important, provide HEX or Pantone color codes for your artwork. This helps ensure your red is the same red every time. If you’re not sure how to choose, our team can help you match colors based on your original design.
4. Design with the Product in Mind
Your design should look great on the garment you're printing on. That means thinking about things like:
Shirt color (will white ink show up well on a light gray tee?)
Print size (can it fit on a youth small shirt?)
Placement (front center, back, pocket, sleeve?)
As a Portland screen printer with years of experience, we’ll help guide you through these choices, so your final product looks just right.
5. We’re Here to Help—Seriously
Not a designer? No problem. For a small fee, we offer design support to help you fine-tune your concept or recreate your art in the correct format. You don’t have to have it all figured out before you reach out. We’ve worked with nonprofits, bands, breweries, schools, and brands all across Portland to bring their vision to life through screen printing—and we’d love to help you too.
Let’s Get Printing
Whether you’re prepping for a fundraiser, company swag drop, or your first-ever custom apparel order, we’re here to make the process simple, fun, and successful. As a one of the only screen printing shops in Portland shop with a social mission, we deliver more than just good shirts—we deliver good outcomes for youth in our community.
Ready to get started? Contact us here.
