Art

14 Mar

Posted at 15:08h in Art, Astro Catagory, Business, Customer Spotlight, Design, Screen Print
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Candi Factory started out in 2001 as the brainchild of Candice Levine, who was searching for the perfect pair of women's underwear. Unable to find what she was looking for, and with a Degree in Fashion Design from the renowned Parsons School of Design in NYC, Candice set out to create them herself. The result is fun and fabulous underwear that come in a range of quirky prints, while keeping comfort and quality at the forefront of the brand. Candi Factory soon followed up with men's briefs, and has expanded to include a range of printed women's clothing, all the while keeping their witty and colourful design attitude. With the Toronto One of a Kind Show around the corner, where Candi Factory has become a show staple, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to pick Candice's brain on everything from her design process to how she prepares for the OOAK show. Check it out! Where did the idea for The Candi Factory come from? I went to Parsons School of Design, started making and selling hand-dyed, hand-painted, hemp clothing.  One day I made underwear in hemp, not a great idea.  Then realized if I made them in better fabric I’d be onto something. The Candi Factory is rife with fun and witty graphics that you design yourself. What is your design process like? Where do you get your inspiration? I like bright, but simple things, like stripes and dots.  As for the prints and text, it has to make me laugh.  Sometimes the fabric dictates the rest of the piece, sometimes I have an idea and find the fabric to go with it. You are a staple at the One of a Kind Show in Toronto and your booth is always booming. How do you prepare for the show? Months of and months of work.  Including dreaming of booth display in my sleep, literally.  I plan my pieces, order fabric, make the patterns, samples, then have them sewn and printed. I build/add to the booth, make signage, postcards, hangtags, etc. Do you find that you have a lot of return customers? How do you keep them coming back? Lots of people have been shopping with me for years.  You have to keep the designs similar enough to have a certain feel, but different enough to be new.  Above all else you need great quality. All of your garments are locally cut-and-sewn. Any advice on how to find a good contractor? I’ve had 3 different sewing contractors close down on me because of all the manufacturing going overseas.  It’s hard to find a company that does the quality you want and can understand your process as a small business. There are no real resources to find contractors, just word of mouth. What have been your biggest obstacles as a small business owner? Fabric delivery is often a challenge.  Finding the right balance between selling retail and wholesale is tough. What would you say is the most important thing to keep in mind when starting your own brand? Be original. You’ve been coming to Astro for years, and we’re always really excited to see what you bring for us to print each time. What keeps you coming back?  Awesome customer service!       A very big thank you to Candice Levine for sharing her wisdom on small business ownership. Check out everything Candi Factory has to offer here. Article By Emma Hanninen  ...

26 Jan

Posted at 21:13h in Art, Business, Design
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Looking to print something special on your next run of shirts? Maybe you have a design or detail that you want to really POP! Astro has many specialty print finishes to choose from that can up your design game. Here are some examples of some of our specialty finishes, along with what they are and how they are achieved. FOIL Looking for a way to make your shirts pop? Foil printing is a two part process that involves printing a layer of adhesive on the garment, curing it like normal ink and then heat pressing a sheet of foil onto the image where it sticks to the areas that have adhesive. We carry gold, silver, green, bronze, black, red, blue, pink, purple and rainbow foil. Try to find that variety at another print shop! This premium finish is definitely one of our specialties. PUFF You’ve probably seen this one before; it’s a fun finish add into any design! Puff is an additive that is mixed into plastisol ink, causing it to expand and ‘puff’ up as it is cured in the dryer (think expanding foam insulation). Puff print can add dimension and visual interest to your design, or just certain parts of it. HIGH DENSITY High density ink is similar to puff ink but, while puff ink results in softened and rounded edges, high density is a raised print that results in hard, sharp edges. Just like puff it adds an interesting, tactile, element to any design. High density printing is finicky and very precise, so many screen printing shops do not offer this option. We love it though, so don’t be afraid to use it in your design! CRYSTALINA Yup, it’s just as fancy as it sounds! Crystalina is a glitter that is added to a clear base and is then printed on to a shirt just like any other ink would be. The cool thing with crystalina is that it can be printed on it’s own with it’s transparent base, or it can be printed over a base colour. Either way it adds some serious sparkle to your design! METALLIC INK Metallic ink is a plastisol ink with small sparkles pre-mixed into it to give it a metallic-like finish when printed. This finish is definitely more toned down the the crystalina, sort of like a metallic finish on a car. Fun Fact: We've affectionately dubbed our metallic gold, 'Drake Gold'. GLOW IN THE DARK This one is pretty self-explanatory. Screen printed on to shirts, the ink is charged by exposure to light and then, well, glows in the dark! ...

10 Nov

Posted at 15:29h in Art, Business, Design
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When you are sending file for print, all files must be at least 300 dpi or Vector Format. Always design your art to the final print dimensions you require. Providing low-res art will result in a low-res looking print. Always feel free to contact our art department for tips and tricks. If you are not sure what size you want your graphic to be? Measure your favourite t-shirt to get dimensions you already like....

08 Nov

Posted at 21:20h in Art, Business, Design
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Believe it or not “bad” designs get printed all the time. We’ve put together a list of 3 main areas where we see people fail at creating good t-shirt design and why it’s considered “bad”. image 1. A message that doesn’t connect with your market, employees, fans and users. More than likely, you have a following of people wearing your shirts because they are particularly interested in what you do. They might be employees or customers, but either way, they believe in what you’re doing. Make sure the message you intend to get across, gets across. Successful brands are consistent! We’ve seen more times than you can imagine off the wall designs that are not congruent with the brands message, lifestyle or values. Don’t find this out when it’s too late. Seek honest feedback and take it graciously. 2. A design that is not consistent with the brand or other designs. Just because you’re a designer doesn’t mean you should design everything - especially if it’s not consistent with your brand. We’re not saying don’t go outside the box and get creative, but if you typically design rocket t-shirts and this time you’re trying to throw in a monkey, just don’t do it. Stick to your rockets or things that are parallel. This is not to say don’t experiment with different trends or other styles of printing like tonal, sim process or foil. If you’re ready to try something new, check out these 20 ideas to try on your next custom screen-printed shirt. 3. A low quality art file that could produce a distorted image. There are plenty of resources available to produce high resolution files that are good for printing. There are videos and online tutorials to guide you through the process - they go over the basics of good t-shirt design, editing artwork for screen-printing and creating high quality art. There are also plenty of to-scale templates that will help you visualize what your design will look like once printed. Set your proportions accurately and visually create what you want to see in the end....

08 Nov

Posted at 14:41h in Art, Business, Design
1 Like

In a post last week on the 10th, I brought you the first few recommendations from Leslie Docherty of Fat Buddha Store in Glasgow on how to pitch your brand of Tees to stores. Today we’ll cover the rest of his tips. Your brand name The name is the first thing people will encounter with your brand and first impressions are difficult to dismiss. Per Docherty: “Calling your label ‘Birds & Bombs’ or ‘Southside Narcotics Mob’ is going to immediately isolate and pigeonhole your brand.” A poorly chosen name will not sit well alongside companies with more mature identities. Consider the money carefully Try to figure out what your price will make for the store. Try to guess the base price of the other products in the store you’re targeting. Compare this with the retail price and calculate what the store is making from selling T-shirts. Use the above information to better understand retail pricing and where you need to peg your prices. Cheaper is not always better. To avoid your brand being deemed a budget brand, show confidence by setting the prices appropriately higher. Docherty suggests a retail price of GBP25 to 35. The CAD equivalent is $50 to $70, which seems high by North American standards—but you get the idea. Online consistency The buyer will look you up online. Make sure your pricing is consistent throughout. If an online search shows your Tees on sale less 50% somewhere, you’re not going to sell to the new prospect. Big retailers It might be an enticing idea to have your Tees on the shelves of a big retailer but that will limit your market with the niche independents. Why would independents stock your Tees if they have to compete with the big retailers? Attention to the little things Branded care labels and swing tickets can be visual stimulants to help the buyer to visualize what your garments will look like next to others. This will also help your brand look complete and ready for shelves. Introductory incentive Offer a guarantee to take back unsold Tees. This shows confidence in your product and gives the buyer comfort. Market creatively Docherty points out that: “A creative and unique marketing campaign can turn a good brand into something great.” Use models but keep it tasteful. A web site with a short video or bold model photography is a good idea. And in a final piece of advice Leslie Doherty urges: “Whatever you do, put everything into it. Be bold and you’ll be rewarded. (article reposted from http://www.insidescreenprinting.com/want-to-get-your-own-line-of-tees-into-stores-part-2/)....