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Archive for Artwork & Design

Artwork Tutorial | How to knock out shapes and text in Adobe Illustrator

Here is a quick video tutorial for a common question that we see from apparel decorators who are not sure how to “knock out” or eliminate a portion of their graphic to make it shirt color.

Preparing Freedom Artwork | Understanding Blues & Purples

Understanding how color will be produced is one of the more complicated issues of the printing industry. The goal of this installment is to provide you with a thorough understanding of color reproduction so that you can effectively translate your customers expectations into satisfied repeat business.
There are two types or modes of color: CMYK (4-Color [...]

How to correct live fonts in Adobe Illustrator

The term “live font” refers to text in an art file that is able to edited with the the text editing tools. The problem comes when you open an art file with live fonts on a computer that does not have that particular font. Often time design programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Corel Draw [...]

Too thin to print? Learn how to check your file to prevent line thickness issues

The most common problem that we see in graphics submitted by our customers are issues with line size or details in the artwork that are too thin to print. Even though we have the tightest print tolerances in the industry, we still see files that are not going to reproduce well on press because those [...]

Artwork Tip | How to view white objects within Adobe Illustrator

A common question that we get from customers trying to set up their artwork for heat transfers that contain white is “what color should I use for white?”. The answer is white. Make all objects that you want to print white, white. The response is almost always “If I make it white, I can [...]

How To: Foil Heat Transfer Application

Want to offer custom foil designs? It’s easier than you think. This tutorial walks through the application process.

Step One

If you ganged multiple images on a sheet to save cost like we did in this example. You’ll need to cut the designs apart. NOTE: The foil adhesive has a grey tint which makes it [...]

NEW | Distress Patterns for Your Custom Artwork

Ever wish you could make your t-shirt designs have a cool vintage distressed look? Well, now you can.

We at F&M are excited to introduce our new distress pattern design service for your custom spot color artwork. Check out the distress patterns in the custom spot color heat transfer section of our site. [...]

Submitting Artwork: Why do we ask for a proof?

Including a jpg, pdf, or png proof along with your artwork (.ai, .eps, .psd, .cdr) helps us ensure accurate and on time delivery of your custom screen printed heat transfers. Our team of graphic artists use the proofs to:

Ensure that we received the art file that you intended to submit
Check against file corruption that [...]

Submitting Artwork: Live Fonts

The term “live font” refers to text in an art file that is able to edited with the the text editing tools. The problem comes when you open an art file with live fonts on a computer that does not have that particular font. Often time design programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and [...]

New stock colors!

You asked for it. You got it. We are happy to announce the addition of four new stock colors available for custom spot color and myIDwear heat transfers.
Vegas Gold 4505C
Texas Orange 1525C
Pink 1905C
Brown 476C
Thanks to all the customers who provided feedback. Your valuable input helps us help you meet the [...]