Design Tips

Design Tips

• Color & Fabric Variations

  Color variations from an identical image file should be expected to some degree across various fabrics.

  Each fabric base has a different base tone and varies in color, light reflectivity, thickness, weight, opacity and weave. They may all have an impact on the print color as well as the appearance of the print color.

  Also various lighting conditions makes printed fabrics color seemingly vary.

  We do endeavor to ensure all of our printers are calibrated for each and every fabric, however the above must be taken into consideration when ordering the same graphic or colors across various types of fabrics and ink sets. Choosing similar weaves and weights can help to ensure your colors look as brilliant as desired.

  Please note as well that every once in a while, our printing team tweaks printer calibrations to refine colors. They are constantly on the lookout for new and improved ways to print, strengthening print processes and improving color precision wherever possible. We might also upgrade our machinery to optimize printing outputs. These can result in some color variations between two identical orders on the same fabric. These will be minimal however still slightly visible. In case some color variations may impact your work and you wish to re-order after a certain time, we do advise to order new fabric samples shortly before your larger print run. This will ensure you receive prints with a the closest color accuracy possible.

  Our inks are also water based. None of our fabrics or inks contain or use Azo dyestuffs. No contaminants of any kind enter the water course thanks to our eco-friendly print process. Read more about Sustainability here.

• Color Profile & Pantones

  We advise providing images in the RGB color space. Specifically using the sRGB image profile, to achieve best color results. What does this mean? In your editing software, choose RGB as the working space and assign the image profile as sRGB (full name sRGB IEC61966-2.1)

  PANTONE refers to the “pantone textile color libraries". Some of the Pantone color mixes such as "coated and uncoated" are not advisable to use for fabric printing. Our printing process does not allow us to always have an exact match, however we try our best to be as close as possible. Is it crucial to have an identical match? Please contact us before placing your order!

  PRINTS & SCREENS

  Please note that a regular computer or a laptop screen will not show accurately how the colors will look once printed. A lot of colors are extremely bright and printers are not able to reflect this brightness. The only way to reproduce printed colors on a screen is by using a specialist graphic monitor under strict lighting conditions. In order to comprehend the imitations of colors on monitors and printed media, we recommend searching for "subtractive color vs additive color”.

  COLOR CONTINUITY 

  Ordering the same graphic again? Make sure you have the same color space and profiles. We advise providing images in the RGB color space. Specifically using the sRGB image profile, to achieve best color results. What does this mean? In your editing software, choose RGB as the working space and assign the image profile as sRGB (full name sRGB IEC61966-2.1)

  BLACK AND WHITE

  Upload your graphic as a grayscale file for better neutral B&W results!

  SPOT COLORS, UV

  Unfortunately we do not use sport colors or UV and are unable to achieve the true metallic or gold colors. However, it is possible to get similar results by using a shiny fabric such as Duchess Satin (search for the best match using our fabric filters) and a golden/metallic textured pattern. The color codese3c157 (gold) and d0d0d0 (metallic) are also another option but please note that the final product will appear plainer than if you use a pattern with a texture. We recommend starting with a personalized fabric and even order a fabric sample to make sure you are happy with the result before placing your order.

  There are only three types of files you can upload onto our design interface: PNG, JPG and flattened TIFF files. Do not upload unflattened TIFFs. Even though it will not be noticeable on the interface, this might result in unwanted changes to your design!

• Seam Allowance & Cutting, Hemming Options

  Types of finishing of the fabrics:

  There are three different options to finish off your fabrics:

  • As it comes: the fabric is cut around your image leaving a white border, this might be uneven.
  • Hem with thread: your fabric can be hemmed with black or white thread. Please note that this will affect the size of your print, check below for more information.
  • Cut on the line: your fabric is cut with precision on the edge of the image without leaving any border around it.

  Fabric shrinkage and all you need to know about Hemming:

  You can choose to have your printed fabrics hemmed for a small extra fee as we have our own in-house production and stitching department here in Contrado.

  There are two colored thread options: black and white.

  Note that if you choose the hem finishing, your final product will be reduced in size. For example, if you ordered a 39.37" x 39.37" squared printed fabric, it will be around 38.78" x 38.78" once manufactured. You have to take this into consideration when placing your order. You will have to make the print larger if you wish to maintain the initial size. 

  - Light Fabrics & Silks: a 0.23"- 0.31" (6-8mm) 2-fold hem. Minus 0.47"- 0.63" (12-16mm) per side.

  - Medium Fraying Fabrics: a 0.59"- 0.79" (15-20mm) 2-fold hem. Minus 1.38"- 1.57" (35-40mm) per side.

  - Stiff, Heavy & Non-Fraying Fabrics: a 0.59"- 0.79" (15-20mm) 1-fold hem. Minus 1.38"- 1.57" (35-40mm) per side.

  These are not exact measurements and it might change slightly. Besides taking into account the seam allowance, please also consider the 2-8% possible fabric shrinkage.

• Preparing your Design

  When uploading an image to your design, our interface will inform you whether your image is of sufficient quality to size of the product you have selected or if it is low quality. The orange warning advises that image does not have the best quality. In order to make sure your design is as clear as it can be, follow the above options:
  
  
  1. Scale down the image (until the LQ warning is replaced by the green sign) and use the tiling options to create a repeat pattern and avoid the white spaces.
  2. Reduce the size of the image (again until the LQ warning does not show anymore) and add a background color.
  3. Upscale your graphic using a software such as Adobe Photoshop.
  WARNING! We recommend only using the last option mentioned as a last resort as it might even result in loss of quality. The best way to get a better quality graphic is to recapture the image at a higher resolution! Do not just increase the resolution (dpi) of an image as it will fool the system into thinking it is a new design when actually it has not changed anything!
  
  
  You are able to resample your image on Photoshop through the image size dialogue > Preserve Details (enlargement) or Bicubic Smoother (enlargement) and then enlarge the width/height or the resolution itself.
  
  
  Resizing and resampling are two different things. When you resample an image, one pixel is enlarged into many more pixels. This results in a increase in terms of size of the graphic (file size, actual size and resolution) however it might not improve the quality itself - fine detailing can still remain blurry. A good tip would be to sharpen your image after enlarging it as this can help with focusing the details.
  "Real Fractals" and other Photoshop plugins are a good option for image enlarging (these might be available free of charge or for a small fee).
  
  
  If your image is quite simple and does not include many colors, you could also open this to Adobe Illustrator and use the "Image Trace" tool and change the settings until you get a trace of your graphic.
  When saving your image, please export it at the maximum quality possible and save it to a JPEG, PNG or flattened TIFF file ready for printing!

• Design Errors & Failed Designs

  In order to maintain a high standard of quality, our design interface notifies you if your design is not quite right. Here's what you need to know.

  Waiting for Approval

  Our system is processing your design, then it will be published.

  Out of Stock

  The product is out of stock. Check back regularly or sign up for an email notification on the product page.

  Design Errors

  • Low quality images: you've uploaded an image that won't print with the best quality. To amend this, either shrink your image or upload a new image that is higher quality. Try creating a repeat pattern as well.
  • Very small images: you've uploaded an image that is too small to see clearly. To amend this, enlarge your image until it's acceptable quality or replace with a higher quality image.
  • White space detected: you haven't covered the entire surface of your product, so part of it is left white. To amend this, please enlarge the image or apply a repeat pattern to cover the full surface including the bleed area. If this was intentional, apply a white background color using the hex code: #ffffff
  • Text too close to edge: you've added text too close to the edge of the panel and it's overlapping with the bleed area (in red). To amend this, please move your text out of the bleed area and away from any edges to ensure it prints correctly.
  • Incomplete design: you've either left a panel of your product only partially designed, or didn't design a panel of your product. To amend this, please review all the panels of your product and ensure they're all covered. If you'd like to leave part of your design white, apply a background color using the hex code: #ffffff
  • Offensive words: you've included one or more offensive words in your design. To amend this, please remove the offensive word. 
  • Brand words: you've entered the name of an established brand on your design. To amend this, please remove the brand's name. 

  Failed Design

  Our system was unable to process your design. Please try again and resubmit it.