Turn View > Outline ( command Y ) ON.  See if you can see the paths.  No paths, no vectors.  If you can see the paths, they should be selected ( command A ) when you select all.  If not, I have no clue what that file is. ... View more

Many t-shirt printers offer design services and it sounds like you fall into that category.  I am a designer that works with t-shirt printers who do not have the resources or time available to invest in what the customer wants.  I have many, many resources that I use to come up with a "solution" that the t-shirt printer does not have.  As I said, one of the key resources is my design skills.  I do understand now where you are coming from.  You are responsible for customer service.  Customer comes in and wants a high school reunion t-shirt.  One of the resources Barbara gave you can help supply stock layouts where you would just replace name elements with the customers' and perhaps change the the colors.  Onto to the next customer.  I get it.  In retrospect, Barbara has been very helpful in that she forwarded on to you some great resources.  I actually worked inside a t-shirt company as their art director.  My job was to work with the customer and deliver, spot on, what they were looking for.  Many times that required an original piece of artwork "hand-drawn" and then recreated for color separations on the computer.  I guess what I am saying is you will probably need someone like me so you can focus on runnning the business, if you are not already.  I also found that, over time, an art archive was setup as an internal resource of artwork you could use over-and-over.  There was also a focus on working with agencies where they brought in their artwork ready to be separated.  Those were the profitable jobs. ... View more

Not that I am aware of and, even if there was a "tool kit", I wouldn't use it.  The really good shirts are "created" in the head of the designer.  That creativity is not found in a box or, er, the cloud(?).  Believe it or not, there is a lot of work involved in creating.  Illustrator is just one of the "tools" at your disposal.  Online clipper sources are also available.  But the best designs are original and strikingly different than anything else out there.  That, sorry to say, may require some original thoughts and ideas on your part.  Mix them up with your own flair for illustration, and well you can guess the rest. ... View more

If your "graphic" elements are vector, then you could create a compound path so the tree knocks out of the state of Florida.  It would be great if you could get a little more specific on what you are working with.  For instance, what color is the shirt?  There are a few ways to do the same thing, like using the Pathfinder > Divide tool where you could delete the tree elements, alng with the state elements to leave nothing but the shirt color where thos elements overlap. ... View more

Try opening the PDF using Illustrator.  After opening, select all.  If you see all of the element connected using anchor points, then it is in vector format.  If you see just a box selected, then it is not vector.  Another option would be to open the PDF using Acrobat Pro > then "Save As" > EPS > then open the EPS in Illustrator.  If even then, you do not get the Paths, you will have to redraw the artwork.  Soccer balls are easy to find in clip art.  The other thing to consider is what color garment is the design going to be printed on?  Is it going to be one color?  Or will you have to print the White?  Will it be screen printed or will be heat transferred?  Those are questions you need to get answers to before you attempt to create the artwork.  On the other hand, you could just give the print vendor the PDF as-is.  They will be able to tell you if they can use it or not. "I assume it has to be CMYK, at least 300p, and with a transparent background?" CMYK, yes.  300p ( ? ), no.  Transparent background, vector is transparent unless you assign a background to it.  As far as sizing goes, it depends on how the shirt will be printed.  You need to find that out and then, like I said, prep the file according to the printer's requirements.  Otherwise, you're whistling dixie. ... View more

Use the image you posted as a template, create a new layer as your artwork layer > use the Pencil tool and draw the "forms" of the "Y", "E", and "Z" > copy the E and Y to complete the word.  I sense you could probably "improve" the fonts, because even grunge type like that can be improved. ... View more

Are you talking about Illustrator's Character dialog?  If you are, that could be corrupt preference file or a corrupt menu op.  Can you backup from Time Machine? ... View more

Let's start at the beginning.  What are you using to print?  Specifically, the make and model number of the device.  Are you printing the file or is someone else printing the file?  All desktop printers rely on either their internal hard drives and/or your computer's system memory and RAM to print your file.  In some cases like yours, the system runs out of memory and you start seeing errors in data communication ( i.e., spot color conversions ).  You are asking a little too much from your output device.  Are you using a RIP? ... View more

When you "File > Place" the pics, make sure the "Link" in the Place dialog is selected. ... View more

I hear in the pipeline that Adobe does not supply Pantone color libraries.  That leads users to buy Pantone swatch library reference books and then download Pantone's Color Manager which will allow users to install the latest libraries into their current applications.  So, at a minimum, you should consider buying Pantone's Solid-to-Process reference fanbook, plus the "Bridge +Series".  Pantone will then give you the ability to access their Color Manager application.  I myself prefer to reference color from Pantone's printed reference guides because color can be deceptively different on the computer monitor.  ... View more

You might want to take a look at Adobe's Print Publishing Guide.  A good reference book that explains ( or used to ) levels of gray, printer resolution(s), and image file resolution.  What resolution and color mode ( RGB vs. CMYK ) depends on the actual output device.  I used to work with an HPDesignjet5500 large format inkjet printer.  Deep inside the technical literature for this particular printer is the stochastic screening frequency ( 72 lpi [ lines per inch ]  ).  Given that number, image resolution should be 144ppi at final size ( 72 lpi x 2 ).  The symantics of all of the techical information quickly overwhelms the average user.  Many people in the industry just say "give us image resolution at 300ppi" which is not correct.  The challenge for you is getting image sizes up to large format without losing image resolution.  Every time you enlarge an image 200% you cut the resolution in half. "What resolution should I use?"   Again, it depends on the RIP and/or output device ( printer ).  You could get away with a resolution as low as 72 ppi using some inkjet printers ( if you have to ) or split the difference and use 108 ppi or use max of 144 ppi ( again, depending on the printer itself ). "do I need to tweak the color profiles or will the defaults suffice?"  That depends on the printer, type of media used , and the RIP.  I recommend you consult with the person actually printing your large format job, ask them if they need your file CMYK or can RGB be used and, if so, what profile for either one?  Most standard profiles ( the ones that are listed in Photoshop's Color Settings ) are suitable, but again, ask the print vendor.  When the print vendor RIPs your job, they will use their own internal printer profile to output your job.  So, based on their output profile, they will recommend a PS profile that is suitable. Most Postscript printers and RIPs will accept PSD and / or tiff file formats. ... View more

The forums were faster before 4/15; I could go to several forum discussions in very little time.  I realize this is new stuff, but very, very slow getting around.  In a sense, seems to have gone backwards in a leap. ... View more

What Raster Resolution is the original artwork set to?  Low, Medium, or High?  In Preferences, select Anti-Aliased Artwork ( If I remember correctly, it is found in the General settings ).  Show a screen shot of the artwork's pixelation. ... View more

Try exporting the logo as a PNG via Save-for Web. ... View more

That is an out-of-gamut color ( will not print ).  CMYK = 91C, 72M; RGB = 0R, 0G, 255B.  In Photoshop, my color picker averaged it out to a spot Pantone 072 ( dark Blue ).  On press, the only way to get that color to print is to find some fringe florescent spot color, Bright Blue ( hypothetical ).  Check around and look at different spot color ink manufacturers like TOYO and Pantone florescents. ... View more

Try uninstalling the driver and installing it again.  Check the firmware, too. ... View more

When you say "CMYK version just sucks...", what do you mean?  Are you referring to your screen's view?  Have you printed the logo?  What profile do you have assigned to the RGB?  Typically when converted from RGB, CMYK will appear dull, but prints bright ( depending on paper and printer used ).  The other option would be to assign pantone spot colors to each of the elements and have that printed offset, but I get a sense you're not talking that far along.  I assume the logo was created using RGB color space in Illustrator?  Otherwise, there should already be a decent CMYK file created, along with a spot color version, along with an RGB version. ... View more

Try to refer to RGB as RGB.  How big a poster are you talking about?  What profile are you using for your RGB image files?  Always follow the parameters set by your print vendor.  As part of that communication, always discuss the project with your print vendor first, then proceed onto file preparation. ... View more

What computer did you have before?  What OS?  Which CS?  Was your previous monitor calibrated?  Have you matched your work spaces from previous to new applications?  Are you using the same printer as before?  If so, what brand and model number?  When you say the images are "completely off", what do you mean?  Is there a color cast?  Too bright?  Too dark?  As you can see, there are many variables that can affect color.  I would start by trying to match everything with what you had been using in the previous computer, because you found those images acceptable.  There is something somewhere that has changed, including your monitor settings and whether it has been calibrated or not.  White point could have a dramatic affect on color. ... View more

Can you show your Illustrator Color Settings?  Did you have the same problem before going to El Capitan? ... View more

What you see on-screen has a lot to do with your monitor.  The profile you mention is more an output profile.  What I would recommend is calibrating your monitor ( if you have not already ).  What system are you running?  What type of monitor do you have?  How far off are the colors?  Can you give an example?  Maybe show a screen grab of a particular Pantone swatch via Illustrator?  Keep in mind that the printed Pantone book is reflective color and your screen is transmissive.  They may never match. ... View more

Are you printing on fabrics?  Read the User Guide.  There may be some information related to .icc profiles.  Look over the options available in the driver.  It may take some experimenting to establish the workspace scenario that works best for your particular, closed-loop workflow.  I would look into RGB profiles in combination with media profiles in the printer.  I would use a test image and save a few copies under different RGB profiles and then print each one using different output profiles.  Not sure I would use CMYK based files. ... View more

Take a look at View > Overprint Preview ( if I'm not mistaken ).  Rendering on-screen could be affected by whether that is selected or not.  If "Assign Profile" doesn't work, that may be an option. ... View more

What if you "Save-A-Copy" of the 'good' file and rename it?  You typically do not create Color Settings for each document.  Instead, you could "Assign" a profile to the document.  If you have "Ask When Opening" selected in your Color Settings, you have the option of assigning a profile there in the Open dialog box.  Because you are noticing a dramatic shift, it could be the color profile assigned.  Close both files.  Go to your Color Settings > confirm "Ask When Opening" is selected.  Now, open the "good" file.  It should give you the option of assigning the profile there.  Write down the profile that is assigned and then click "Open".  Now, open the "Bad" file.  Write down the profile it assigned upon opening.  If they don't match, go ahead and assign the profile you wrote down from the "Good" file.  Does it match now? ... View more

It might be "Bitstream / Freehand 521".  But, I think the icon was hand letered. ... View more

Why transparent?  BMP does not support transparency. ... View more

Try File > Export > BMP > Windows.  If they are Black and White, use Bitmap.  If they are color, use 24-bit RGB. ... View more

I'm thinking that, for whatever reason, the change in raster resolution is not changing what was already done.  Illustrator may have the ability to retroactively change, but it is a question of why didn't it?  I generally will set the raster resolution first and then apply effects, so no need to change anything. ... View more