5 Fabulous apps for t-shirt designers

Back to articles

Are you all pumped up to create your own line of originally-designed, printed T-shirts but don’t know where to start? Then you’ll be pleased to know that you could be holding the answer in your hands right now. Your smartphone or tablet could be the key to your T-shirt printing success, thanks to some wonderful new apps that are made just to inspire and support creative, T-shirt designing minds like yours.

So, before you whip out those textile inks and ready your screens for printing, why not check out some nifty new apps first? There are plenty of them out there that will definitely get your artistic beans brewing. We’ve listed five of our favourites that we think you’ll love as well:

1.Pixlr X or Pixlr E

These two awesome apps from the same stable, provide photo editing, animation and design tools. With Pixlr X you can edit photos in a desktop browser or your phone and with Pixlr E you can start an original design off an empty canvas or a photo, with or without using design templates. What’s great about these two apps is there is a free trial period before signing up. Check out Pixlr X and Pixlr E here

*Unique T-shirt designs for Sprout Daily printed by @printlords_screenprinting Brookvale*

Creative Cloud Express: Design
If you want a freer, no boundaries, no templates approach to designing T-shirts, Adobe’s Creative Cloud Express is your best bet. It is considered by many artists to be one of the best image apps available today. While it may not have as many tools as the complete Adobe Photoshop package, this app still packs a punch with plenty of creative options, including photo sharing through social networks. This app is available for both iOS and Android users. Check out Creative Cloud Express: Design here

Procreate
Procreate is one of the best drawing apps for those looking to download a creative outlet onto their iPad or iOS device. With 130 different brushes and a range of adjustment tools, it’s no wonder this Australian app has been used to create major Disney and Pixar works along with several front covers of The New Yorker. Procreate is designed with both beginner and prolific artists in mind, with an easy-to-use interface and enough features to actualise your most creative T-shirt design ideas.

GIMP
Looking to try something freely available for designing T-shirts? GIMP could be the tool for you! GIMP is a free, Open Source image editor. Whether you’re a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or a clothing designer, GIMP provides you with the tools you need to get your job done. This sophisticated photo editing software approaches the level of functionality of Adobe Photoshop, with features including:

High quality photo manipulation
Original artwork creation
Graphic design elements
Programming algorithms.

Take a look at GIMP here.

Google Arts & Culture
Still haven’t gotten your fix of artistic inspiration? Google Arts & Culture is another app you can look up to get your creative juices flowing. It features thousands of history’s greatest artworks from over 2000 cultural institutions across 80 countries. Find inspiration for your next design by embarking on virtual tours of the world’s most famous art galleries and heritage sites, from The Met in New York to Milan’s Galleria d’Arte Moderna. Bored with earth? You can even travel to the stars for design inspiration, with Google Arts & Culture’s archive of NASA images. If you’re stuck in a design bind, having this free app on your iPad or Android device will definitely help. Check out Google Arts & Culture here.

Once you’re all set to bring your unique T-shirt designs to life, don’t forget to use one of the PERMASET lines of water based inks. PERMASET textile printing ink is not only high quality and easy to apply, it’s also an eco-friendly ink, which means your shirts will not only look good but you’ll also feel good knowing that you’re helping to protect the environment whilst you’re screen printing.
Get started on your T-shirt designing and printing business the right way by finding the right tools to help and inspire you, and of course, the right kind of eco-friendly ink from Colormaker Industries.