Creating images for DTG printing

[AJLA]

What is the best programme for creating images to be printed with a DTG machine?

[John G]

Any design program such as Coreldraw, Photoshop, illustrator should be OK, I would have thought.

[AJLA]

Thats what I though John unless they come with their own software rip but now for a really stupid question......... if i was to sit down and draw a picture something with different colours and tones in it other than scanning it afterward how could I draw it in photoshop.
After all I could be (but i'm not) a very talented artist on paper but useless (which is me, god knows how I manage to scrape through with it) at using photoshop.

[Paul]

you can swap a pencil for this thing
http://brain.pan.e-merchant.com/9/8/03614389/l_03614389.jpg

same thing but drawing on the screen :)

[AJLA]

Thats what I thought someone might come up with Paul or that was what I was worried about. An artist who is good at painting pastels or oils would not necessarily be able to do the same on a pad which is a problem.

[mgibbs]

Why wouldn't you just scan the drawing?

Mark

[AJLA]

Errrm not sure, I could easily do that but do you think thats the way it's done if you can't draw with a pad?

Mandy

[mgibbs]

I can't draw with a pad whether its digital or paper :)

Mark

[Paul Richards]

Mandy both ways work well, The Wacom tablet is like a pen with paper but scanning your drawing would be easer. There is a software called Akvis .com, they have a program called "Sketch" it makes photographs into drawings and more. You can download the free trial to test . It really works well. Its a Russian Company and they are trying hard to get into the Uk market. Well worth a look

Regards Paul

[Stitch Up]

Tablets are a waste of money - just another sexy gadget I bought, got used ONCE, maybe!

You will need a RIP ideally designed for the DTG printer you have.

[Paul]

Tablets are a waste of money - just another sexy gadget I bought, got used ONCE, maybe!


are you saying that is useless for dtg image prepering :)
for photography industry this is unreplaceable tool :) my 2p

[Stitch Up]

I guess I should have said 'based on my experience' ............

Having said that, I've not read many positive comments about tablets.

[Paul]

tablet are things that wont work stright away. you need few days to get useto them. holding a pen is more natural then holding a mouse. with tablet you can make very fine details that you could not do with mouse. also working on pc for 6h your wrist will be tired when useing a mouse ;)

my2p

[Paul Richards]

Interesting point of view Stich-Up, I find it the opposite way round . Most graphic artist i know work all the time with wacom tablets.I use one myself,it took me about a month of getting used to the pen and different pressures, but now I would not be without it especially when doing intricate pattern work
I have used Raster Image processors with Large format A1+ printers but find with modern professional printers the cost factor of either RIP software or even more expensive hardware difficult to justify Do you need work to such high resolution bitmaps. maybe you do large size printing where resolution is taken to the limits, I find I do a maximum of up to A3+ so i cannot justify a Rip costing. For the sublimation work i use a Ricoh Gx 7000 and Ricoh don't even make either software or hadware RIPs for what they call a small domestic printer

[chongsta]

Mandy both ways work well, The Wacom tablet is like a pen with paper but scanning your drawing would be easer. There is a software called Akvis .com, they have a program called "Sketch" it makes photographs into drawings and more. You can download the free trial to test . It really works well. Its a Russian Company and they are trying hard to get into the Uk market. Well worth a look

Regards Paul

I can vouch for the Sketch addon for photoshop...actually its incredible if you want to convert a photo to an artists type drawing.

Dave.

[AJLA]

Thanks for your replies everyone, have been crazy busy these last few weeks unfortunately not making money just short staffed and lots of equipment failures so I have been unable to keep track of the thread.

I will take a look at the Avkis demo Paul and see if this is what I may need if we go the DTG route.

Dad has been investigating for weeks if this "is" what we want to do, after spending so much time on the screen printing stuff and then not really using it we need to be sure this time if we want to offer colour printing by DTG machines.