Imagization! What you need to know about Customizing with...

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This page contains additional information about Customizing Imagize Your World Mouse Pads, Coasters, Apparel, Throw Pillow Shams and Pillowcases (please read the General Information section in addition to your item type).

General Information (all Custom items):

• I always encourage customers to discuss the design with me prior to actually purchasing something, to ensure that the desired outcome is obtainable and the correct item is purchased.
• How to submit your graphic files:
  • If your graphics are available publicly on the web, you can specify the URL(s) through an eBay message ("Ask Seller a Question" / "Contact User").
  • Files can also be sent through regular email as attachments. (To keep eBay happy, I cannot publish my email address in my item descriptions; so if you would like to send me photos/graphics to discuss, please request my email address through an eBay message.) When sending your graphics through email, please make sure to include your eBay User Name in the subject line, and follow-up with a short eBay message to let me know you sent the email. (This is so I can let you know if it did not arrive.)
  • If you have a photo, drawing, etc. (8.5 x 11 inches or smaller) that you have no way of turning into a digital file, I can scan it for you at no charge; however I do not recommend this unless you are a local customer and can hand deliver the item to be scanned. Other customers will have to trust the USPS to deliver the item safely, and in a timely fashion. Request the mailing address to use.
• The more specific you are early on, the quicker and smoother the process will be. The graphic manipulation that is necessary to create your test design(s), and the additional work necessary to create the sample graphic(s) for you to view those designs, takes a significant amount of time. The more I know about what you expect from the final design, the less time I will need to spend creating a variety of options that don't interest you. I understand that some customers will not really have a set expectation in mind, and I will need to generate a few ideas, and that's fine. But when you do have a specific idea, it is important to let me know so I can concentrate my efforts better, so you don't need to wait unnecessarily. The sooner I match what you want, the sooner your final design is approved, and the sooner you can receive your item.

Mouse Pads & Coasters:

Designing custom Mouse Pads & Coasters is a little different than pillows and apparel, because the "blank canvas" you have to work with is a specific size (actual dimensions are noted in each item's description). This means that the final design size/shape cannot be altered, and the entire Mouse Pad/Coaster must be filled by the design, even if that means part of the final design is leaving a section "blank." Photos will be cropped to fit, and can usually be either bled to the edges or roughly centered with space left all the way around them (with the rectangle mouse pads/square coasters, they may be bled to only select edges in some cases). Select Samples:

Mouse Pads and Coasters are both available in different shapes, so the first thing you need to decide is which is more important to you: the item shape? or the final design? This is especially important for photos, as what will fit on the final product is very different depending on the exact item chosen.

If the item shape is more important to you, let me know that right away. Tell me which item you want, and that you would like the design made to fit that shape/aspect ratio.

If the final design is more important to you, let me know that right away. Tell me what you want the design to look like, how you expect the photo to be cropped, etc., and that you would like your design concept matched with whichever item it will fit better (but also let me know whether it's for a mouse pad or a coaster, or both, so I know which options I'm looking at).

If you plan to create your own design and submit it completed, please note the following:

• The bigger/higher resolution the design is, the better. You do NOT need to shrink the desing down to match the exact size of the item. You only need to make sure you are using the correct aspect ratio so it can be fitted to the item.
• Please remember that we are dying fabric... not coating the pad with a transfer. This means that only the actual fibers of the fabric can receive color, so small text, fine details and other thin lines may be lost in between the fibers of the fabric, so make sure that you use fonts that are thick enough/letters that are large enough to survive the texture of the fabric.
• Designs for mouse pads and coasters need to have the printable design extend approximately 1/8 of an inch beyond the edges, so if you crop a photo that is to be bled to the edges, leave a little extra around the edges that it would be ok to have cut off the final product. Additionally, make sure to leave a good margin for any text you are including; text placed too close the edge may be partially cut off the final product.
• Colors you use will almost certainly not translate from your screen/system to the item. I recommend using either black or white for background colors, as most other colors will look slightly to very different from what you expect (and color difference will NOT be considered a defect). I may have to tweak settings in order to obtain appropriate skin tones, etc., which may also affect other colors in the design.
• Rectangle Mouse Pads have rounded corners, so remember that the corners of your design will be cut off of the final product. Keep this in mind when cropping and/or adding text.
• Square Coasters have slightly rounded corners, so the very corner of your design will be cut off of the final product.
• Final Designs should be submitted as a .jpg. Select other file types may be acceptable, but I do NOT recommend .bmp or .gif as these yeild very poor quality prints, and radically altered colors.
• I highly recommend submitting the original graphics, and then explaining what you want. (The more aspects I am able to tweak, the better I can optomize the final print quality.)

Apparel & Throw Pillow Shams:

...Coming Soon!

Pillowcases:

...Coming Soon!

More Information on the Printing Processes

Imagize Your World uses three main printing processes: Dye Sublimation, ChromaBlast and Screen Printing. (Below the basic info, I have provided a "Quick Reference Chart" so you can see the fabric types/colors and the designs types/colors that can be used for each type of printing at a glance; however, please make sure to read the other information provided!) All three of these processes create permenantly decorated fabric items that can be machine-washed normally with like-colors. (Avoid Bleach.)

Dye Sublimation is a full color solution for printing designs on polyester fabric (t-shirts, mouse pads, pillowcases etc.), as well as a number of different types of "hard surface" products that are manufactured specifically for the process (jewelry pendants, mugs, purses and more). Since Dye Sublimation's use with fabric is limited by the material content and color -- it must be polyester, and it must be white (or at least a light color) -- Imagize Your World has engineered an "appliqué" technique that allows this type of printing to be used with a much larger variety of apparel.

Dye Sublimation is a method of dying polyester fibers that results in permanent photo-realistic designs that will NOT bleed, peel, crack, fade or wear-off. Unlike ink jet/heat transfers, decals, films, and coatings, with Dye Sublimation the "feel" of the fabric is the same before and after the printing process, and "white spaces" are left unaltered. (This makes it perfect for printing pillowcases!) When used with non-fabric (special factory-prepared) items, this process infuses the surface coating with the dye, in much the same way as it does the polyester. This also yields permanent photo-realistic designs.

Dye Sublimation/Appliqué is a multi-stage process, created (and used exclusively) by ImagizeYourWorld. First, Dye Sublimation is used to print the design on white polyester (soft t-shirt material). Then, the dyed fabric is backed with a heavy polyester duck for stability (and to keep the shirt color from showing through the picture); the combined fabrics are then sewn onto the shirt. (This process is NOT recommended for designs that are "just text" due to the look of the final results; however, such orders will be honored.)

Since Dye Sublimation colors the actual fibers of the fabric, the look of the final product depends largely on the fabric itself; thin fabrics will result in lighter printing; heavily textured fabrics (like canvas) will show the texture through the printing; and so on. Fine details (such as small text and thin lines) may be "lost" in between the fibers of the fabric. The size and location of these "gaps" in the printed design vary from item and to item, and depend solely on the fabric itself.

Dye Sublmation will be used for: Mouse Pads, Coasters, White/Light Colored Polyester Fabric (and select Polyester Blends).

ChromaBlast

ChromaBlast is a full color solution for printing designs on cotton fabric (t-shirts, etc.). In most cases, in addition to being cotton, the fabric must be white; however, in some cases the fabric may be another light color. (For cotton fabrics that are too dark, please see the Dye Sublimation/Appliqué solution above.)

ChromaBlast is a proprietary method of chemically bonding color to cotton fibers that results in the most permanent designs the industry has to offer for cotton; it was created by the same company that developed Dye Sublimation (for Polyester). ChromaBlast designs will NOT bleed, peel or crack like ink jet/heat transfers, decals, films, and coatings. ChromaBlast gives a slight soft "feel" to the printed area of the fabric, but the design stretches/moves freely, as it is actually part of the fabric. (Please note: unlike with Dye Sublimation where white/blank spaces are left completely unaltered, with ChromaBlast the "empty spaces" of the designs are technically "colored clear" so they usually have the same slight soft feel to them as the colored areas; however, this usually disappears as the garment is repeatedly worn and washed.)

Since ChromaBlast colors the actual fibers of the fabric, the look of the final product depends largely on the fabric itself; thin fabrics will result in lighter printing; heavily textured fabrics (like canvas) will show the texture through the printing; and so on. Fine details (such as small text and thin lines) may be "lost" in between the fibers of the fabric. The size and location of these "gaps" in the printed design vary from item and to item, and depend solely on the fabric itself. (Some basic guidelines: Heavily ribbed garments -- such as 2x1 "beater" tanks -- are NOT recommended; combed ring-spun cotton garments under 5 oz. generally offer the highest quality prints; basic cotton tees between 5 and 6.5 oz. are generally exceptable, but do show the texture of the fabric up close, and have more significant "gaps" than the smoother ring-spun cotton.)

ChromaBlast will be used for: White/Light Colored Cotton Fabric

Screen Printing

Screen Printing (also called "Silk Screening") is a method of applying ink/paint to a surface (paper, fabric, wood, etc.), using a stencil known as a "screen." When used to print fabric (with the appropriate ink type), once the ink is dried/cured and heat-set, the design is permanent and washable. The textile ink that I use is water-based and non-toxic; it has shown superior wear-ability/wash-ability, and resistance to peeling/cracking/rub-off.

Screen Printing is currently used for printing on fabric (cotton, polyester and a variety of blends), and for the most part is offered as "Custom" only in terms of print colors and placement; due to the expensive and time-consuming nature of creating the screens, Imagize Your World does not generally offer "Custom Designs"; however, customers who are interested in small-scale mulitple item purchases of the exact same one-color design may benefit from this as a more cost-effective solution. (Clubs, groups, teams, etc. that are interested in this should contact me to discuss the details of their specific purchase. Every garment can be different, and the print color can be changed from item to item.) Large-Scale needs would be better off contacting an actual Screen Printer with bulk equipement and capabilities. (Imagize Your World is about individual customization, and handmade care and is not equipped to handle bulk manufacturing at this time. Sorry.)

Quick Reference Chart:

* PLEASE NOTE: The Dye Sublimation reference above pertains ONLY to direct Dye Sublimation printing. Dye Sublimation Designs CAN be applied to almost any fabric style/color using Imagize Your World's exclusive Dye Sublimation Appliqué process. (When using the appliqué process, the actual fabric that will be printed is white polyester.)

** When using Dye Sublimation, "white" parts of the design are not printed, and when using ChromaBlast, "white" parts are printed as clear; consequently, the color of the fabric used becomes the "white" of the design. Additionally, since the fabric is actually being dyed, any color that is printed will be added to the color of the fabric, rather than simply laying on top of it. (Think about what it looks like when you use your home printer to print a color photo on colored paper... the effect with the fabric is similar only even more dramatic in most cases.) When using full-color designs where the integrity of the color is important (such as with color photographs), it is best to use WHITE fabric. Simple designs (such as text or a black logo) and grey-tone designs (such as black & white photos) are generally more acceptable to use on pastels and other light color fabrics. On a technical level, the processes "work" with the light colored garments, but the aesthetics of the final product will be altered based on the actual color used. If you have quesitons about this, please ask before purchasing.

*** In addition to the information above related to the "white" v. "light color" usage, the actual polyester content of the fabric affects the final results for Dye Sublimation. Using less than 100% Polyester will alter the boldness of the final print (the color may appear slightly "washed out"). Through experimentation I have found that 50/50 cotton/polyester blends usually yeild acceptable results, but anything lower than that is NOT acceptable. The higher the polyester content, the better the results will be. The BEST results will always come from 100% Polyester, as that is what Dye Sublimation was designed for. If you have questions about something specific please ask before purchasing.

Check out my SAMPLES PAGE for finished product photos. (Select samples can also be seen in the "Showcase" on my eBay store's homepage!)

Please note that the and logos are superimposed on the photos and graphics, and will not actually appear across the designs on the items.

If you have questions please ask! (Please use eBay's Message System.)

Last Updated 10/18/2008