Frequently Asked Questions (You are not alone!)
Q: Where are you located/How do I work with you?
Q: What type of artwork to I need to supply?
Q: What factors impact the price?
Q: Is there a minimum order?
Q: Can I order different sizes and types of shirts?
Q: Can I supply my own shirts?
Q: What is your turnaround time?
Q: What types of payment are accepted?
Q: How do we get started?
Q: Where are you located/How do I work with you?
A: Currently Creations by Design is a home based business. We have been operating this way since 2003 and have many satisfied customers. See our Yelp! reviews for some satisfied customers. Typically we can arrange meetings at your home, office, or local Starbucks (Let us buy you a cup of coffee!). More often than not, 90% or more of our business can be handled through email and phone calls. Shirts can be delivered to you or you can pick them up from the home office.
Q: What type of artwork to I need to supply?
A: For best results we require files that are 300 dpi at full size. The preferred format is Adobe Illustrator for vector based artwork. For photographic artwork, Adobe Photoshop is desired. EPS and high resolution PDFs may also be acceptable.
For direct to garment printing, a full sized 300 dpi file is also recommended. But with DTG printing files should be saved in a format that maintains transparency like a transparent tif or PNG.
We can advise you on preparing your artwork for the best print. If you don’t have clean artwork Creations by Designs provides an hour of art time for free. If the artwork cannot be fully prepared within that hour, the charge is $50 per hour billed on the half hour.
Q: What factors impact the price?
A: There are five main components that impact the price you will pay. These are number of colors in the design, number of print locations, type of shirt being printed, shirt color, and order quantity.
Number of colors in the design
There is a $30 screen charge per color (think of it as the cost to create a stencil for that color). So a one color, one location design would cost $30 in set-up charges vs. a 6 color design that would cost $180 in set-up charges. Additionally, for each additional color printed, there is a slight incremental cost per shirt.
Number of print locations
Once a shirt is printed, it goes through a conveyor dryer to cure the ink. When a shirt is printed in a second or third location (front, back, sleeve) it requires double or triple the amount of time to load, print, and cure the shirt. So 100 shirts printed in three locations takes roughly the same amount of time to print as 300 shirts printed in one location.
Type of shirts being printed
There are countless types of shirts that can be embellished. A plain white 100% cotton t-shirt will usually be the least expensive item to print. To see the many different types of items that can be printed and get a general idea of their undecorated costs, please visit our online catalog page.
Shirt color
Lighter colored shirts are generally easier to print than darker colored shirts because most inks show up on them. When darker colored shirts are printed, they require specially formulated inks that are higher in opacity or an underbase to be printed underneath the print. The underbase (usually white) lays down an opaque layer of ink on the shirt. This ink is partially cured under a spot dryer and then printed with the remainder of the design. The addition of an underbase to a dark shirt requires both more time and materials (another screen and more ink) than a print without an underbase.
Order quantity
Put simply, the total cost of printing a shirt includes the time it takes to set-up, print, and clean up a job. Once a printer gets into a rhythm the efficiency of printing goes up. For this reason, the incremental cost of adding more shirts to the order goes down and thereby the price can also be reduced. Additionally, when you place a large order, it may be possible to get reduced pricing on the garment blanks from the supplier. These factors combine to reduce the price as the volume goes up.
Direct to Garment
Direct-to-garment or DTG printing is a process where shirts are printed on a large waterbased printer. This process is different from traditional screenprinting. Since the printer prints directly on the shirts, there are no screen charges and the number of colors is not a factor in the print cost. With direct to garment printing, the cost for each individual shirt is higher, but there is no set up charge, making it ideal for small orders and one off samples. If you would like to know more about DTG, please give us a call.
A: We prefer that you order at least a dozen shirts. Due to the set-up costs/screen charges, it is more cost effective the more shirts you print. That being said, we can work with you to explore options for small runs. For one off prints, we can even look at heat transfers or DTG printing as a potential option.
Q: Can I order different sizes and types of shirts?
A: As long as the design does not require modification in size or color, you can order different sizes, colors, and types of shirt in the same order. If the design needs to be resized, additional screen charges may be applicable. If the design needs to have a color change, a charge of $10 per color change will be applied.
Q: Can I supply my own shirts?
A: Short answer is it depends. The long answer is that we can print customer supplied garments but there are some caveats. All supplied garments must be inspected before we can finalize a quote to ensure there is not any reason that would prevent us from delivering a quality final product. Also, we print customer supplied garments at your risk. We do not charge enough to cover the cost of the garment if something goes wrong. So if anything goes wrong with the job, we will not cover the cost of replacing any garments that were supplied. There are rarely issues, but it is important that we outline the limits of our responsibility up front so as to avoid any issues if and when a problem arises. Most of the time, we can source the garments you want or a reasonable facsimilie at a cost that is lower than you would pay, so before you buy your shirts, let us know what you are thinking and give us the opportunity to source them for you.
Q: What is your turnaround time?
A: Normal turnaround time is between 7-10 business days from when artwork is approved and order quantities are confirmed. If an order is needed sooner, please let us know and we will do everything we can to schedule appropriately. For promotional items, lead times will vary due to supplier schedules. Make sure you let us know if you have a deadline so that we can find a solution to meet your needs.
Q: What types of payment are accepted?
A: We accept checks (personal, school, business, cashiers), Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. We also accept Venmo (@cbdprinting) and Paypal. For those wishing to pay using Paypal, please let us know and we can make arrangements for you. Unless previous arrangements are made, first time orders require a 50% deposit before garments are ordered. The balance is due upon delivery. If your job has special circumstances, we can work with you on an individual basis.
A: Call or text a message to (949) 735-1991 or send an email with your artwork and job specifics to info@creationsbydesign.net. Or if you prefer, fill out our project inquiry form.