Pixels per inch needed for t-shirt transfer?

[tlh0726]

Can anyone advise as to what should be the least amount of pixels per inch that should be used when printing/creating a t-shirt transfer?

Going to give Photoshop Elements another shot.


Thanks

 

[jtanddolly]

I'm not sure what you mean by least amount... I usually make mine 300 per inch. The more the better in case someone tries to enlarge your image.

When you are working with photos...the size that cameras take pictures is 72 for pictures from a camera but I always increase mine to 300 for a better resolution.

 

[ShellsShirts]

300 pixels per inch (ppi) is for High Resolution output. It's what photos in magazines are set at to print clearly off the printing presses. For home use, I find anything around 200 and over to be sufficient to print off a color printer. The more pixels the larger the file size. 72 ppi is strictly for web/screen viewing. Anything made at this size will look pixelated, especially if it is enlarged.

Tips for producing the best possible image
1. Make your image to size. If you are printing on 8.5 x 11 paper set up your file to 8.5 x 11 at 200 ppi (at least).

2. If you are getting images and clip art off the web (google images for example,) you need to find the largest file size (say 400x640pixels or above). If you find an image that's 1"x1" on the web (or 72ppi x 72ppi) and want to enlarge it to 8"x 8" in a 300ppi file, you will be enlarging the image too much and it will become grainy and pixelated. It's best to create or scan your own images as you can then control the input size. You can get around this sometimes by using the artistic filters (watercolor, pastels, paint daubs etc) and layers in photoshop to create an image that looks better.

PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[tlh0726]

Thank you both for your replies.

This may be one of those DUH questions. But if I create something and print it (one size for DH & my shirts, and another size for DD & DS) if I print one sample of each size and it looks good, then it should look the same when I actually use the transfer paper correct?

 

[ShellsShirts]

Yes, if it prints fine to paper and you are happy with the results, it should print fine to the transfer paper. Create your larger-adult image first and then downsize to your child sizes. This will not make your image degrade when resizing. Have fun and good luck.

 

[tlh0726]

thank you!
If I can do something simple (crop and add a border) it will make me happy and save some work for the DISigners. I know I will never reach their level