T-Shirt & Apparel Designs
Apparel is the use case where vector stops being a preference and becomes a requirement. Screen printing separates artwork into spot colors, vinyl cutters follow paths, and DTG wants clean edges at 300 DPI on a 14-inch print area. A raster mockup that looked fine on screen turns into fuzzy edges and a rejected print file — every print shop has that conversation weekly.
Generate the design as a vector illustration, then do the print prep in the studio: reduce to your spot color count, check that the smallest element still holds at actual print size, and convert any stroke you want printed into a filled path. Export SVG for the cutter or the separation software, and a high-resolution PNG on a transparent background for DTG and mockups. Icora output is yours commercially, so designs can go straight to a print-on-demand storefront.
Print specs
| Print area | Standard adult front print is about 12×14 inches — design to that, not to a screen ratio |
|---|---|
| Color count | Screen printing charges per color; 1–4 flat spot colors keeps unit cost sane |
| Minimum detail | Nothing thinner than about 1pt at final size — fine lines fill in on fabric |
| Files to keep | SVG for cutting and separations; 300 DPI transparent PNG for DTG and print-on-demand uploads |
Styles that fit
Each of these presets is tuned for full-scene illustration, not icon glyphs. Pick one to open the generator with it already selected — suggested canvas for this job is 3:4.
Example prompts
Describe the whole set in one prompt — generating the scenes together is what keeps them looking like one family.
How the illustration flow works
- 1
Pick the job
Open the Illustrations tab in the generator and choose the use case — t-shirt & apparel designs maps to a tuned prompt template rather than a blank box.
- 2
Describe the scene
Give the product context and, optionally, the specific scene. Suggestions appear as you type, and you can attach up to three of your own illustrations as style references.
- 3
Review before you commit
Generation returns a preview first. Keep the ones that work, generate more into the same batch, and only then import — credits are spent on generation, not on browsing.
- 4
Vectorize and refine
Accepted scenes are traced to real SVG paths and land in a project. Open any one in the studio to clean nodes, recolor fills, or simplify paths.
- 5
Expand later, still matching
When you need scene number nine, expand the same project. Your existing illustrations become the style reference, so the new ones match instead of drifting.
Frequently asked questions
Are generated designs OK to sell on merch?+
Yes — what you generate on Icora is yours to use commercially, including print-on-demand and physical merch. Avoid prompting for third-party trademarks, logos, or recognizable characters; that constraint comes from IP law, not from the tool.
What file do print shops actually want?+
For screen printing and vinyl: vector, usually SVG, EPS, or AI, with paths and no live text. For DTG: a 300 DPI PNG at print size with a transparent background. Icora exports both, so you can hand over whichever the shop asks for.
How do I reduce a design to fewer print colors?+
Generate with a limited palette from the start — ask for two or three flat colors in the prompt rather than trying to reduce a gradient-heavy design afterward. You can then merge any remaining near-duplicate fills in the studio.
Related illustration guides
Keep reading
Make your t-shirt & apparel designs
Describe the scenes, pick a style, and get a matched set as editable SVG. Free to start, no credit card required.
Open the illustration generator