I cut my teeth (and a fingertip or two) in the graphic design world, learning the ins-and-outs of screen printing, way back in the late seventies. Yes indeedy, I learned how to print t-shirts the old fashioned way, in the dark ages (before PCs). Today’s t-shirt print design process is worlds away from those traditional roots …

While gone is the overwhelming need for a steady hand, you’ll still need a good eye, not to mention a solid understanding of Adobe Illustrator, FreeHand or CorelDRAW to prepare your artwork for screen printing.

In the olden days (ha!), we had two choices when preparing the screens for printing: either cut the stencils by hand or separate the artwork through photographic processes. While we didn’t have the luxury (and extreme precision) of computer-aided separations, there was something to be said for the subtle nuance and craft of those old hand-cut stencils. Today’s screen printed artwork is razor-sharp without the razors.

Is there a t-shirt project in your future? If you’re about to embark on a t-shirt or other screen printing project, you’ll do well to check out my tips for t-shirt printing success …