[859Executive]

I have recently decided to start up a clothing company and my lack of experience has brought forth a couple problems. First off, I am unsure on what graphic design software I should use to aid in the creation of the designs. Another dilemma is the production. I can either go the china route or a smaller U.S. based company. I am leaning towards the U.S. for start-up due to the high minimums in china. I would appreciate any advice from someone who has experience in this field. I am looking for the highest quality possible. I believe silk screening would be the best choice, But I am not sure as to how I should go about this. Thanks in advance.

[ltressel]

During your research of which manufacturing company to go with, ask how they want the art work formatted. Printers require certain dpi, software, and compressions (usually not Jpeg because you lose too much info) preferrably PNG or TIF.

That's how you will determine those things by simply just asking the printers themselves.

LT

[859Executive]

Thanks. Do you have any advice on design softwares?

[ltressel]

Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, Corel draw.

[859Executive]

I have been using corel draw and I'm not real happy with the interface, but I'll check out illustrator. Thank you for your help.

[outsourcingcheck]

yeah try use adobe products..such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop CS.

[MASapparel]

please email me, not saying people here do not know what they are talking about but this is what I do.

Stay away from CorelDraw most printers do not even accept that as a file type for printing.

[DCswimwear.com]

for silk screening, almost everyone i've dealt with uses illustrator, and printers almost always request the .ai file format to shoot their plates. vector art is scalable without degredation and a must for good quality screen printing.

in regards to "Another dilemma is the production".. what type of goods are you planning to produce? what most people don't realize about startups, is that manufacturing off shore is difficult because finding a manufacturer is only the beginning. The setups and minimums are a huge expense, and you have to hire a liaison to deal with the contractors for you over there, to oversee quality control, then you have to ship the goods back, obtain an import license (which is a pain) and pay the customs duties for the import. Unless you're doing massive quantities it's simply not profitable. And the paperwork is absurd.

Let me know what you're planning to produce, i might be able to help you locate a short run contractor here in the states. there are many in the L.A. area with low minimums.

best of luck with your venture...

Larry Garman
Dangerous Curves Swimwear
DCswimwear.com