Thinking of having a photo shirt made?

When you’re thinking about having a photo t-shirt made, here are some important reminders about what we need to achieve best results for you.

The photo should be of the highest quality possible in the size that you wish to print. So, if you want the print to come out 10 inches wide by 8 inches tall, the photo file you send us should measure that size.

Don’t know how big your photo is or what resolution it is? We can quickly tell you. We can also tell you that if the file size of the photo you email us is way less than 500kb, it’s most likely going to be less than great.

Alternatively, if you have access to Photoshop, load up a file and check it out through the Image>Image Size command. In the box that comes up you’ll see the image size and the resolution. We look for 300dpi(dots per inch). (Don’t be tempted to just change the resolution to get 300dpi output if you’re not dramatically reducing the picture size at the same time. It won’t work. You’ll get lessened quality.)

We can usually downsize photos without any problem. The problem comes when you want to enlarge something. Some people assume that they can send us a photo they take off the web and that we can enlarge it to t-shirt printing size. Usually we can’t!

If you take original photographs, set your digital camera to take the highest resolution photos. Some cameras let you shoot in 300dpi; others don’t. Just set your camera for high resolution and it will probably turn out just fine. A photo that shows up as shot in 72dpi but that is like 32-inch wide will downsize into a nice 10” wide, 300dpi photo in Photoshop.

If this technology talk doesn’t make sense to you, just go back to that rule of thumb that if the size of the photo you want printed is much less than half a megabyte (500kb) for a 10-inch wide printed photo, it’s probably going to be a problem.

If that’s the case, we have a couple of solutions. One is to scan a hard copy photo (a print) at the desired print size at 300dpi. In other words, enlarge the photo using your scanner. In this case you'll be making a whole new source file.

A second solution is to turn the poor quality photo into a work of art using a filter in an image editing program like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter. This can create a very pleasing effect that in many cases can improve the image quality for printing.

Printed t-shirts for all occasions

Here is a sample of a direct-to-garment printed t-shirt idea. Printed shirts of a home for sale!

I bring this to your attention for several reasons. One is that with DTG printing, unlike screen printing, you have access to millions of colors. This photo and the accompanying graphics print beautifully.

The second is the idea of using t-shirts as a promotional medium. It's a great way to attract attention, especially if it's something people are not used to seeing on a shirt. It's the purple cow concept that Seth Godin made famous--you don't expect to see a purple cow or a t-shirt showing off a house for sale.

And third, we can make t-shirts out of many of the photos or graphics you may already have stored on your computer.

We are happy to answer your questions about digital garment printing and offer suggestions on how you can make the impact you want.

Save money on your embroidery

When you have your company logo (or any other artwork) digitized for embroidery, we can use that one file to produce different looks. The same embroidery file was used to render the above two garments. By changing the thread color and of course by the different fabric colors of the garment, we can achieve different appearances.

We are always here to answer your questions and give you suggestions on your embroidery and garment printing projects.

Salem Business Bloggers Network

Josh spent Friday at the kick-off meeting of a brand new group, the Salem Business Bloggers Network. It was organized by Margaret Oscilia (Creative Concepts and Contracting) and Victoria Linton (Lawyers Title in Salem).

This group was fantastic. Melina Tomson shared insights from what seemed to be a very deep well of knowledge on Wordpress.

This was mostly a group consisting of real estate professionals, but the information on blogging applies to many professions. Blogging is the new prospecting for clients.

For me (Josh) the exciting thing about social networking media is that it represents a whole new model of doing business. The old way is to advertise, advertise, advertise using expensive advertising sources such as print ads. The advertising media conglomerates largely controlled the show. They set the prices for ad space, and they could because they were the only game in town.

When it was the only game in town, consumers did benefit. If people wanted to buy a home, they'd go to the newspaper or real estate magazine to see what was available. Or they would go to a Realtor and have that person search the MLS for available homes.

But have you ever tried to get a great feel for a home for sale from a photo that is smaller than postage stamp size? When the Internet came along, suddenly you could search for homes where you could see big photos. You could get a good feeling for what was being sold.

Print real estate advertising has become, I believe, largely irrelevant. The writing is on the monitor.

Blogging is not only a great way to find new clients, but it is also a great way to nurture the relationships you already have. When you come to our blog or Facebook page you can see what we're up to. And it's interactive if you wish it to be. You can leave comments, send us emails, or give us a phone call.

Doing business is changing. Many of the social networking sites and services are free to use. Instead of a postage stamp photo of a house or your particular service, you can create a whole slide show. Not only do you benefit from all the gifts technology gives, but your clients benefit, too. They can get much more information than before and make better choices.

I was so happy to be a part of this group of bloggers. I am excited about the growth that's coming.

Launch your small business with a great look

Get your new small business off to a great start with some fashionable logo attire by Creativity On. With both embroidery and garment printing at your disposal, along with our famed customer service, you'll be good to go wth things you'll feel happy to wear.

Chances are that if you have started a new business, you'll already have invested in a logo design. You will have done this for your business cards, signs, stationery, and possibly a website. We can easily turn vector art into printed t-shirts or sweatshirts.

While any small business person is very mindful of start-up costs, having a good uniform will do several things. First, it will give you more credibility. Showing up at someone's house to perform a service like home cleaning or gardening or carpentry wearing an "official" shirt will give off a better image of your dedication to your business. Clients like that.

It also helps you feel more official. We have watched our customer's eyes light up when thy see what we have created for them. We know they'll feel better in their jobs.

Of course, your logo apparel also acts as advertising for your business when you are out and about. When you go to the bank, the grocery store, or anywhere else, people will see what you do when it's printed or embroidered on your clothing. They may need that service or know someone else who needs that service. People notice things that they have a need for, and you could find yourself attracting new clients that way.

Finally, our clothing is so reasonably priced that it's often cheaper to buy printed or embroidered garments from us than it is to by plain clothing from a store.

Since our direct to garment printing prints in full color, you can often get what's printed on your business card printed on your shirts. If the logo was created in vector art, it can easily be upscaled to a full front or back graphic. With our printing there are no set-up charges as you'll find with most screen printing where there is a set-up charge for each color.

We are very happy to discuss with you our services and how we can help you find the right apparel for your business or group.

Fall is fund-raising season

In autumn people's minds often turn to fund-raising. That is especially true in slower economies when organizations that depend on donations see a drying up of income.

At Creativity On we are very big on giving great prices to non-profits and other fund-raising efforts. We do this for both embroidery and garment printing.

Over the last few months we supplied shirts and other items for the Play for the Cure fund-raising softball tournament in West Salem. The event was a great success for the nonprofit, and they gave us this sweet endorsement:

"This was my first year ordering from Creativity On! I found Jolene easy to work with and willing to listen to my concerns and questions. She promptly answered each phone call and e-mail I directed her way. I was especially pleased that she was willing to order the smaller quantities we needed and had a genuine interest in the success of our event. She had great suggestions when we needed original ideas for fun presentation gifts. The quality of her products is exceptional." (Dianna - Play for the Cure Apparel Coordinator)

We also did shirts and caps for a nonprofit in Lebanon, Oregon. They are in the midst of a fund-raising effort to finance a new skate park for the youth of that town. With our low pricing they can sell shirts at a retail level and make good money for their cause.

Of course, we give great pricing and customer service for all of our customers. We have built a reputation on it.

If your organization is thinking of fund-raising, one great idea to consider is finding one or more corporate sponsors. For their financial contribution, they get a space for their logo on the garment. In turn, their contribution lets your organization reap more profit from garment sales.

We are always happy to discuss with you strategies and techniques for making your fund-raising efforts as successful as you want them to be. Give us a call.

We're on Facebook

We now have our own Facebook business page. Use the link at the top of this blog to go there. Please join!

Embroidery machines whirring

It's a beautiful crisp autumn day here in Salem, Oregon and the embroidery machines are whirring away.

Here is a beautiful rendition of an elk Jolene did for the McKenzie River Ranger District. Did you know that we use macro photography when we show you these embroidery samples because most of them are so small in real life. You'd have to use a magnifying glass to see them in real life this up close and personal.

Photography this close shows off every eensy-weensy imperfection, which at some level may not be a smart thing to do. But if you don't see other companies show you the zoomed in shots, it might be because they're afraid to show their quality. We aren't afraid because we strive for the best quality.