Impressions - January/February 2025 - 46

The use of halftone dots, as shown in the final image at right, represents
another way of dealing with faded edges. Images courtesy of Dane Clement
reason for this is you need these dots to be
solid to adhere to the shirt. By filling the
selection with a color, it acts as a backing
color to fill the dot so the halftones will be
solid and have enough area for the adhesive
powder to stick. Once the color is filled
into the selection, make sure the art layer
is above the halftone layer. Hold down the
Option/Alt key and click between the two
layers. The art layer will automatically be
pasted inside the halftone layer. Viola! Your
original image with the faded edges now
has a halftoned edge.
Note that while DTF transfer can hold
small details, there remains a limit as to how
small you can go. Check your printer for its
specifications and then use that measurement
to determine what dots may be too small to
hold. Erase those that are too small so you
are only left with printable dots.
There are two tricks I use to help determine
and eliminate dots that are too small.
First I make a new layer, and use the Elliptical
Marquee Tool to make a round selection
at the smallest size recommendation from
my printer. Fill the dot with a bright color
that will stand out from the image. You can
then move the dot around to see what dots
need to be removed.
Another quick way to remove several
small dots at once is to make a selection of
the halftoned artwork. Contract the selection
2 pixels and then expand the selection 2
P.46
pixels. Invert the selection and delete. This
will automatically delete any dots smaller
than 2 pixels. Depending on the size of the
dot you can hold, you may need to increase
or decrease the amount of pixel contraction
and expansion.
You may still need to double check using
the small reference dot, but this will help
remove a lot of unprintable dots at once
so that you're not wasting time manually
checking and erasing.
Having a Light Hand
As with any printing method, the more ink
you use, the heavier the design will feel on the
shirt. While today's DTF transfers naturally
have a lighter feel, it's still a good idea to design
your layouts with some open spaces where
ink won't print and let the garment show
through. The less ink you use, the lighter
and more comfortable the garment will be.
If you already know the color of the shirt
you'll be using, you can create some cool
openings in your design by knocking out
that same color from the image. For example,
if your design is going on a black shirt, you
can use the Color Range Selection tool
to pick the black in the design and knock
out that part of the design so the black of
the shirt shows through. This will reduce
the amount of ink being printed giving the
transfer a lighter feel. After that, you can use
ImpressionsMagazine.com Jan./Feb. 2025
the same technique described previously to
apply a halftone screen to the entire layout
for a nice finishing touch.
To Print or Not to Print
Now that you've got some pointers for
creating artwork to make better transfers,
how are you going to do the actual printing?
As with all production methods there
are the options of either doing it yourself
or contracting it out. Of course, doing it
yourself means the expense of equipment.
If you go to a trade show, you'll see all kinds
of DTF equipment available out there, but
you really need to do your homework to
make sure you understand the ins and outs of
what's involved. The equipment, the ink, the
adhesive powder-there's a lot to consider.
On the flip side, there are any number of
printers out there that you can send your
designs to and have your transfers produced.
The only equipment you need is a heat press.
For those just getting into the business, this
might be the best. It gives you a chance
to get started with lower out-of-pocket
expenses making it easier for you to get
off the ground quicker and easier.
If you've been in the industry long
enough, you know how DTG printing
flooded the market in its early years. Everyone
had one. Now only those companies
that really invested in and took the time to
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Impressions - January/February 2025

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