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help with Illustrator: t-shirt

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
December 1, 2018
4 replies
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Hi, I am looking for as much step by step help on this as possible. I have asked elsewhere and the answers are vague or even suggest to use Photoshop.

1. I had a Santa t-shirt design done on Fivverr. This shirt is for Amazon Merch.

2. The designer did it on Illustrator and sent me the Santa design PNG file with the correct t-shirt Merch by Amazon specs: 4500x5500, 300 ppi etc. I uploaded this PNG design to Amazon Merch, done.

3. I also asked the designer for the Santa AI file so I could make variations of the design by changing the background color and just change a couple of words. In the initial design, the current background color is red and the fonts are white.

This is where I have had problems and have received confusing info.

-So to create a quick variation of the design, what are the next steps?

-Create a new Illustrator doc with the Merch specs and "Place" the designed Santa AI file I was given into it?

-For the variation design how do I change the design background to transparent and say yellow font?

Thanks

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Correct answer Ray Yorkshire

Go here

Merch by Amazon

and download the template

Adobe Illustrator(1.2MB)

Open the t -shirt file in Illustrator.

Have the Layers panel open ( Windows >Layers)

at the bottom of that Create new layer

Next go File > Open

Navigate to the illustrator file with your design and open it,

Unlock any layers

Edit > Select all on active artboard

Edit > Copy

Switch to the other illustrator file , the template tab,

Making sure thenew layer you just made is selected in the layers panel

Go Edit >Paste

to combine the 2 files

You probably don't have the font your designer used, like me, so illustrator has substituted another font.

Anyway resize , change the background etc, as suggested here.

Or you could start again and add something else .

Then when you are happy

In the layers panel

turn off the visibility, the eye icon, off on all the other layers

just leaving your art.

to save

File > Export > Export As

tick Use Artboard

Type png

Export

In the next Window

Set resolution to 300

transparecy

OK

AS the template window, the artboard, was

15 x 18 inches

that times by the resolution 300

= 4500 x 5400 pixels

as required.

Done...

Ray YorkshireCorrect answer

Participating Frequently

Go here

Merch by Amazon

and download the template

Adobe Illustrator(1.2MB)

Open the t -shirt file in Illustrator.

Have the Layers panel open ( Windows >Layers)

at the bottom of that Create new layer

Next go File > Open

Navigate to the illustrator file with your design and open it,

Unlock any layers

Edit > Select all on active artboard

Edit > Copy

Switch to the other illustrator file , the template tab,

Making sure thenew layer you just made is selected in the layers panel

Go Edit >Paste

to combine the 2 files

You probably don't have the font your designer used, like me, so illustrator has substituted another font.

Anyway resize , change the background etc, as suggested here.

Or you could start again and add something else .

Then when you are happy

In the layers panel

turn off the visibility, the eye icon, off on all the other layers

just leaving your art.

to save

File > Export > Export As

tick Use Artboard

Type png

Export

In the next Window

Set resolution to 300

transparecy

OK

AS the template window, the artboard, was

15 x 18 inches

that times by the resolution 300

= 4500 x 5400 pixels

as required.

Done...

KShinabery212

Community Expert

Now I am so curious as I did not know that one could upload designs to Amazon to be printed or sold on merchandise.

Quick question... how does this compare to Redbubble and Society 6? I use both and even still have some design on Zazzle. But if Amazon produces better quiality prints and creators get a higher percentage then I totally would give Amazon a try.

I also have used the Threadless Artist Shops... but it is worthless.

Let's connect on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kshinabery/

jane-e

Community Expert

Lots of good advice here; I’ll add just one more thing. Over the years, I have seen too many situations what the client asks the designer for the source file, gets something they think is the spice file, then when they can’t make changes, they call me in to find out why. The worst was a jpeg that was completely uneditable.

If you are having trouble, please open your layers panel and resize it taller and wider. Spin open the layers. Take a screen shot and post it. Then we know what you are working with and can best advise.

tromboniator

Community Expert

Assuming that you have Illustrator and that the document is AI, open it as you would any file: do not Place it. Immediately do a Save As so that you are working on a copy and still have the original if things don't go well.

What you can do once the document is open depends on what is in it: how it was built and what was done to it. Open the Layers panel (Window menu > Layers) and click the reveal arrows

to see if you have paths and type objects, or just paths, or something else.

If the background is just a red rectangle (path) you can select it and delete it, change its color, or change its opacity to get what you want.

If the lettering is live type or outlined type (characters are separate paths or compound paths) you can select it and change the color or move it around.

If you want to change the words, if it is live type you can select it with the Type Tool and type replacement words. If it is outlined type you will need to delete it and create new type objects.

If there are effects or multiple fills or strokes applied to objects, this all becomes more complicated.

What I have outlined here just scratches the surface, doesn't pretend to be a definitive answer. It's just guesswork, as we have no clue what the image looks like or how it was put together, nor what your designer may have sent you. If you want to share the AI document through a file sharing service, or attach a screenshot including the fully open Layers panel, it would be easier to know what to tell you.

Peter