21 September: Spoonflower sampler

An exciting start to the week when my first ever sampler from Spoonflower arrived on Monday morning for proofing. I worked in the print industry for a number of years, so I am no stranger to proofing, or finding unexpected results and learning from them.
I ordered proofs for a variety of different patterns to see what works and what doesn't. The printing itself is very good and close to the original, but I could see that I need to buck up my design ideas! The one that worked best of all was the 'vintage tie' design. Patterns which look the strongest on screen printed the least successfully; Yay! Flowers for example, because the close tones and colour harmonies don't show up so well.
After close critical scrutiny I made a check-list for designs for Spoonflower ...

Comparison between riginal artwork (left) and Spoonflower sampler (right). It was impossible to photograph or scan the sampler fabric accurately, the samples are not so contrasty and appear softer and more faded, but these images show how big the images printed. The sampler square dimensions are 204mm, whereas the physical dimensions for a 2048 x 2048px provided in Procreate's canvas information is 173 x 173mm, so I was expecting the whole pattern tile to fit with just enough space to check the pattern repeat. I suppose the print size is due to the 300dpi resolution I use.

​The biggest surprise was the print size - it's enormous compared to what I was expecting, and doesn't do the work any favours (compare the samples on the right with the lower left corner of the artworks). I found a blog post here which explains Spoonflower's default resolution is 150dpi, and files not set at 150dpi 'can cause some unexpected changes in scale'. My bad for not reading the handbook before uploading - I just assumed because 300dpi is print industry standard that Spoonflower would print at that. I always work at 300dpi, I wouldn't work at 150dpi because I use the same artworks for different print services which do require 300dpi. Spoonflower's advice is to adjust the resolution once the work has been uploaded to Spoonflower (I wondered what that little box and the rulers were for - what a newby!)

However, the sampler yielded so much other information I was able to see from the variety of designs I had printed what works and what doesn't.

Check List:

• Keep colours distinct and clear. Close-toned work and very subtle colour differences don't show printed on fabric.
• Leave grungy textures out. They look stodgy and dirty.
• Forget textured backgrounds. They don't show  up well and also look a bit grubby.
• 'Crayon' drawings don't look great. They look fuzzy and out of focus.
• Remember to adjust the dpi to 150 after uploading to Spoonflower.
• When proofing, upload an image in which the pattern repeat is in the centre of the sample square so it can be checked.
• Never use an image with components which have been manipulated in Procreate. If they look fuzzy on the screen they will look fuzzy in the print.

I am now reworking the vintage tie daisy pattern colour separations using plain colour and hard outline instead of chalky. It's possible I can rework other designs, too. It means a change in my work habits, using crayon work and collage not as the finished design, but as prep sketches to be worked into final patterns; there is a nice feel about that which suits my traditional background).

So, bright and clear is my motto moving forward!

Redbubble
I'm not sure how worried I should be about works on Redbubble. I have seen a couple of my designs on Redbubble's physical products, and the reproduction is excellent right down to the finest detail, even on products where the design is scaled down to fit. The difference is that Redbubble print on 100% polyester which gives premium print quality for the sublimation process, but the process prints differently on Spoonflower's cotton and natural fibres. I disabled a few designs on Redbubble which I knew may look scruffy or dirty, but they are ones I would rework anyway for Spoonflower so they will be back all shiny and new in time - it won't do my Redbubble any harm to smarten up my technique!