Skip to main contentGarments introduce variability: sizes, colors, and print locations. Keep designs modular and let customers personalize within defined print areas.
Typical products
- T‑shirts (front/back), hoodies (front/back/sleeve), polos (left chest)
- Tote bags and fabric accessories
- Team apparel with names/numbers
Building blocks
- Image placeholders sized to print areas (front, back, sleeve)
- Smart Texts for names/numbers with character limits
- Optional QR Codes for campaigns or team links
- Page names to map to print locations (e.g., “Front”, “Back”, “Left Sleeve”)
Patterns that work
Single‑location prints (front only)
- Create one page labeled “Front” and define a visible imprint area
- Enable bleed only if your process requires edge‑to‑edge; most garments do not
- Offer colorways via product options; keep design layer colors adaptive where possible
Multi‑location prints (front/back/sleeves)
- One page per location; name pages clearly
- Lock garment mockup imagery and keep print areas as distinct layers
- Provide alignment guides (center lines) for user‑placed graphics
Team names and numbers
- Use Smart Texts with presets for approved fonts and sizes
- Apply character limits and uppercase transforms to keep consistency
- If producing rosters, use Mail Merge to generate a page per player
Mockups vs print areas
- Keep mockups as locked background layers for context
- Maintain a separate top layer (or named group) representing the actual print area bounding box
- Export/test PDFs without mockup layers if your prepress expects only the imprint artwork
Production guardrails
- Minimum line thickness and type sizes per print method (DTG, DTF, screenprint, embroidery)
- Spot colors or vector requirements documented in your template where applicable
- Convert overprint/knockout expectations into layer notes if needed
