T-shirt design ideas turned into print-ready graphics
Whether it is shirts for a family reunion, a band or a print-on-demand shop, the design has to look good on fabric, not just on screen. This prompt has your todo.is agent create three graphics, remove the background, add any slogan as exact text, and export a large transparent PNG your printer can use, plus a mock-up on the shirt colour you chose.
The prompt
- Create 3 t-shirt designs for [PURPOSE]. Theme or slogan: [THEME OR SLOGAN]. Style: [ART STYLE]. Shirt colour: [SHIRT COLOUR]. Print method: [PRINT METHOD]. Use at most [NUMBER OF COLOURS] ink colours and make sure the design contrasts with the shirt. Generate the artwork with AI, remove the background, and add any words as real text with exact spelling. Export each as a transparent PNG at 4500 x 5400 px (300 DPI, about 15 x 18 in). Also make a flat mock-up of each on a t-shirt in that colour. Avoid trademarks, logos and characters I don't own.
What to change
- [PURPOSE]: E.g. "the Patel family reunion 2026", "my Etsy shop for runners", "our five-a-side football team".
- [THEME OR SLOGAN]: E.g. "Run now, pizza later", "Patel Family Reunion · Lake Tahoe 2026", or "a retro mountain sunset, no words".
- [ART STYLE]: E.g. "vintage distressed badge", "minimal line art", "bold cartoon", "retro 70s stripes".
- [SHIRT COLOUR]: E.g. "heather grey", "black", "navy", "white".
- [PRINT METHOD]: "print-on-demand (DTG)", "screen printing", "heat transfer vinyl", or "not sure".
- [NUMBER OF COLOURS]: E.g. "3" for screen printing, or "unlimited" for DTG.
Example result
- T-shirt designs for a running shop
- Slogan: "Run now, pizza later" · heather grey shirts · print-on-demand (DTG) · up to 3 colours
- Design 1: Retro badge
- A circular badge with a running shoe crossed with a pizza slice, "RUN NOW" curving along the top and "PIZZA LATER" along the bottom. Colours: tomato red, mustard yellow, charcoal. Slightly distressed texture for a vintage look.
- Design 2: Minimal line art
- A single continuous line drawing of a runner whose trailing foot turns into a pizza slice. Small lower-case text underneath. One colour (charcoal), clean and modern.
- Design 3: Bold stacked type
- "RUN NOW" in tall condensed letters, "pizza later" in a casual script below, with a tiny pizza icon dotting the i. Red and charcoal.
- Print notes
- • Each file is a transparent PNG, 4500 x 5400 px at 300 DPI, which fits common print-on-demand templates
- • No semi-transparent pixels at the edges, so no faint halo on fabric
- • Charcoal instead of pure black, which looks softer on grey and prints evenly
- • For screen printing, design 2 needs one screen and design 1 needs three, which keeps costs down
- Placement
- • Adult front print: about 11 to 12 in wide, 3 in below the collar
- • Left chest version of design 2 also delivered at 4 in wide
- Files delivered
- • run_now_pizza_later_design1.png, design2.png, design3.png
- • design2_left_chest.png
- • mockups_heather_grey.jpg: all three on a flat shirt
- Before you sell
- • Search the slogan in a trademark database and on marketplaces
- • Order one sample shirt to check colours on fabric
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in the purpose, slogan, style, shirt colour and print method.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is or send it to your agent; attach a sketch if you have one.
- Download the transparent PNGs and the mock-ups.
- Upload your favourite to your print-on-demand shop or send it to your local printer, and ask your agent for variations in other colours.
Tips for a better result
- Design for the shirt colour. Dark designs vanish on black shirts; ask for a light version for dark fabrics.
- Fewer colours look better and cost less for screen printing. One to three colours is a sweet spot.
- Avoid thin hairlines and tiny text. Under about 1 mm, details fill in or crack on fabric.
- For shops, ask your agent to write the product title, description and tags for each design too.
t-shirt design: FAQ
- What file do I need for t-shirt printing? Most printers and print-on-demand services want a transparent PNG at 300 DPI, often around 4500 x 5400 px for a full front print. Screen printers may also ask for a vector file.
- Can I sell AI-designed t-shirts? Often yes, but check the image model's terms and your marketplace's rules, and never use trademarks, sports logos or characters you don't own.
- How big should the design be on the shirt? For an adult front print, 10 to 12 inches wide is typical. A left-chest logo is about 3.5 to 4 inches wide.
- Do I get a vector file? You get high-resolution PNG files. If your screen printer needs vector art, they can usually trace a clean, simple design, so ask for a flat style with few colours.
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