FAQ
Find answers to our most common questions about artwork, screen printing, inks, apparel, and file preparation.
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What T-shirts do you usually use?
Our default shirt is the Gildan 200 Ultra Cotton. It's dependable, primarily manufactured in this hemisphere, and has consistently offered excellent quality and availability over the past decade.
We can also order virtually any apparel you need, including:
- Ladies styles
- Fashion tees
- Made in USA garments
- Premium brands
- Performance apparel
Gildan 200 Ultra Cotton
- 6.1 oz.
- 100% preshrunk cotton
- Seamless collar
- Double-needle stitching
- Taped shoulder-to-shoulder
- Sizes S through 5XL
What kind of ink do you use?
We proudly use One Stroke Inks, manufactured right here in Louisville, Kentucky.
After more than twenty years of printing with One Stroke, we've found their inks provide exceptional durability and consistency. While less expensive inks are available, we've found the long-term quality is worth the investment.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Learn more at:
https://www.onestrokeinks.com
How can I see standard ink colors in Illustrator or Photoshop?
One Stroke provides official Adobe color swatches that closely match their production inks. Using these swatches is the best way to preview colors before your artwork is printed.
Simply tell us which swatch names you used, or include them in your artwork layers.
Adobe Photoshop
Installation
- Download the Photoshop (.ACO) palette.
- Open Photoshop.
- Open the Swatches panel.
- Select Replace Swatches.
- Choose the downloaded .ACO file.
- Select Small List view for easy reading.
Download Photoshop Color Palette
Adobe Illustrator
Installation
- Download the Illustrator (.ASE) palette.
- Open Illustrator.
- Open the Swatches panel.
- Select Open Swatch Library → Other.
- Select the downloaded ASE file.
- Switch to List View.
Download Illustrator Color Palette
What is Vector Art?
We accept vector artwork from both Mac and PC systems via email, cloud storage, or USB drive.
Vector graphics are made from mathematical paths instead of pixels, allowing artwork to be resized without losing quality.
Bitmap (raster) graphics are made from tiny colored pixels. When enlarged, they become blurry or pixelated.
If your artwork is only available as a bitmap image, we may need to recreate it as vector artwork, which may require an art fee.
Why do we need Vector Graphics for cut vinyl?
Cut vinyl machines don't print images—they physically cut shapes from rolls of vinyl using a precision blade.
Because of this, our equipment needs clean vector paths to follow. Bitmap images don't contain those paths and therefore cannot be cut accurately.
For digitally printed vinyl, vector artwork isn't required, but it still produces cleaner, sharper results whenever possible.
What if I want a specific font?
If you're requesting a text-only design and have the font you'd like us to use, simply send us the font file (.TTF or .OTF) along with your artwork.
If you're creating vector artwork yourself, convert all text to outlines before sending the file. This ensures we won't need the font installed to print your design.
Adobe Illustrator
Type → Create Outlines
We recommend saving a separate copy before converting text so you can easily make future edits.
If you're sending layered Photoshop files with editable text, include the font files whenever possible.