Welcome to RIPT Apparel!

Welcome to the RIPT Apparel Artists FAQ

A lot of our artists have been asking similar questions, which we expected and we’ve created this document to help answer those questions. We realize all of the designers have different proficiencies in their knowledge of the screen printing process and the dynamic problems involved. Some of this information may seem rudimentary, so please keep in mind we are trying to accommodate even the most novice of shirt designers.

Q: What are the size limitations for my artwork on a shirt?
The largest screens that we are currently allowing are 13.5″ wide X 17.5″ high. There is also an over-sized option of 16″ wide X 26.5″ high.
We are currently only allowing front screen print shirts. No back prints, sorry!

Q: How many colors can I use?
To keep our costs down, yet still allow our artists some creative freedom, we are currently limiting the amount of colors to 4. This means 4 spot colors of ink, plus the shirt color. We are not really looking for CMYK prints, however on a white shirt we can consider a CMYK styled design because the background would be more similar to paper. Please try to stick to spot-color designs and implement halftones.

Q: What color shirts are available?
We can pretty much accommodate any color expectations you have, but the color matching will be less accurate compared to the PMS colors of the inks. For instance, if you give us a PMS color for a shirt, we will not be able to find a perfect garment color match. We may be able to give you a suggestion for a shirt color if you are designing something from scratch. Sometimes we will have an extra stock of a certain color that would be nice to use, but it will not be mandatory. We encourage you to try some different colors. We hope to not have a majority of any one color of garment for the RIPT designs.

Current colors are as follows:

• White
• Silver
• Heather Gray
• Charcoal
• Black
• Navy Blue
• Sky Blue
• Turquoise
• Lemon
• Natural
• Brown
• Army Green
• Purple
• Red
• Cardinal

The following colors are not available in both mens and womens sizes

• Royal Blue (Mens Only)
• Kelly Green (Mens Only)
• Fuschia (Womens Only)
• Pink (Womens Only)

You can follow this link to see some very simple approximation of the shirt colors that will be available.

Q: What other types of printing techniques are available other thank straight ink?
At RIPT, we understand our artists’ need to push the limits of the standard technique of making exceptional garments. To start, we are just keeping it pretty simple and letting the artwork speak for itself. We are not ready to try techniques like foil stamps, embroidery, etc. This is of course all for the sake of keeping costs down. There may be special cases where an artist has a spectacular idea that would excel from trying a specific technique. We are willing to discuss, but we cannot promise we will be able to provide you with that service.

For now, we will be using standard screen printing inks that may use the process of flash drying. Metallic and fluorescent inks are also available.

Q: What about placement on the shirt?
We are currently only allowing prints on the front of shirts. However, with that can come specialty placement such as over the heart, neckline, shirt bottom overprint, etc. We cannot break designs up to cover sleeves as well as the front. We can do side prints as well, as long it is all part of one cohesive screen. If the shirt has to be moved during the printing process, we will most likely be unable to do it. We are willing to do SOME experimenting though so have at it!
We will need some sort of mock up image of the design on a shirt image. The shirt placement graphic should also include the intended shirt color.

Q: What kind of files do you guys need?
Separated Illustrator files (.ai) or .eps files are always the best for precision and alignment. However, we will accept anything that is the proper resolution. Almost anything in the Adobe Creative Suite will be fine. Paul will be putting the finishing touches on your files before they are off to print, and he has quite a few years of experience translating artist ‘work to the proper screens for production.

Here are a few rules of thumb to go by:
In Illustrator, label the proper PMS colors that you expect the ink to be on the finished design. Save your files as .eps files and OUTLINE YOUR FONTS if any are used.
In Photoshop, make sure you are designing in at least 300 DPI, and have your artwork at the proper scale. If you want your art to be 10 inches tall, make sure it is 10 inches tall in the file.

Q: Can I sign / add my signature to my art?
YES! We actually encourage our artists to add their signature to one of their screens. Don’t make it the focus of the design, but it’s definitely cool is you can sign the art to give it your own personal flair and calling card.

Q: How do I separate my colors into usable screens?
If you are aware of how to separate colors in Illustrator or separate your artwork into color channels in Photoshop, by all means, please do this. Otherwise, RIPT will take care of this delicate procedure for you. There may be some back and forth between you and us before we agree upon a finished piece of art. You will always get the chance to see your art before it is put into production.

Q: How do I send you the files?
We request that you provide a link where we can download your artwork file(s). It might be a good idea to compress the file into a .zip, .tar, or .sit. If your finished file is over 10 Megabytes, we suggest using a file upload service such as yousendit.com or megaupload.com. You can then send us the link to download your work. We currently do not provide an anonymous FTP to submit your work. If you have your own FTP, upload your file(s) to your own site and send us a link to download it.

All art files should be submitted via our online artist agreement. If you have all ready sent you file in via some other means, you will still need to fill out an artist agreement for your shirt.

Q: When do I need to get you the finished work files for production?
Once RIPT has confirmed with you that you will be creating a design for sale on their site, you will be given a live date and a deadline for your artwork prior to that. Our expect launch is currently June 1st, but we have a lot of work to do before now and then. You will be getting artwork deadlines soon.

Q: How many shirts will be printed with my design?
We print a one-time run of the design that is for sale on our site. We make exactly as many as are ordered. If 10 people order the shirt, we make 10 shirts + 2: One for the RIPT vault and one to send to you as a gift for providing us your design.

Q: How do I get paid for my design work that is sold on RIPT?
All artists receive $1 per shirt sold during the 24-hour period that their design is featured for sale on RIPT. We will send your payment by Paypal within a week of your shirt being sold. You will also receive one of your own tees from RIPT. You will know how manye shirts were sold of your particular design because we supply you with the email addresses of everyone who ordered your shirt. You can utilize these email addresses in your own personal newsletter or mailing list as you choose.

Q: Can I order more shirts and ship them with my free artist shirt?
Yes, please email us at support[at]riptapparel.com and we will hook you up.  If you know ahead of time, let us know the day before your shirt goes on sale and you will will be issued a coupon code.  Every shirt you purchase in addition to your free artist shirt will cost $10 like all other shirts sold on RIPT Apparel.