Communicating white ink on dark shirts image reversal issues

[Stinkhorn Press]

We get many many customers bringing in art designed to be the SHADOW part of art, because usually you draw dark on a light thing.
But they like white ink on dark shirts and it can be a real struggle to communicate clearly in a way they can grasp that you can't simply negatize a line drawing and expect it to WORK every time.

here's our first stab at making it simpler to comprehend with a picture. anyone found anything that works well?

[dsh]

I use eyes as an example.  Black ink and a white paper gives black pupils and white eyeballs.  To invert the picture ends up with white pupils and black eyeballs.  They get that real quickly.

[cclaud3]

I stopped trying to explain it. Put a slight offset path around the image, then you can invert it. No one has complained about the slight outline.

[mimosatexas]

I use clauds approach.  I just do a quick white stroke around the positive and toss it on a black background to show how it SHOULD be printed.

[Frog]

My best example is a line drawing of a skull or skeleton, and the "why the heck is my skull black" anecdotes.

My basic explanation is pretty much "the more realistic the black art, the less likely that it will look good in white without serious tweaking. I remind them of how creepy a film negative of a face can look.

In fact, just last Friday I was just asked to print a one color design in white that included an American flag. I couldn't help the fact that the stripes would be reversed, but I did invert the stars and their field. (and charged for the art time)


Long ago, was at a place that printed some black jackets for a group of men who, let's say' were "diversity challenged". They provided the art which was line drawings of them, but with the instructions to print it in white. Except that this could not have happened to a more deserving bunch of fellows, it now does remind me of the importance of mockup proofs!.

[Colin]

I am literally looking at one right now >.< ....

I always tell them it will look like a photo negative.... and like Frog said, we always point it out on the proof and wait for a signature!

[Shanarchy]

In quick, I warn the customer that it doesn't always work.

I show them a picture of a quick invert of the artwork so they know what it will look like. Some artwork looks good either way.

If not, I put a white outline around it as Claud mentioned.

[blue moon]

after seeing this, I realized how often we have to explain this and decided to create something. . . this should help.
Feel free to use this, but without posting it on your web page or the Internet.

pierre