Joseph_GIt's important to remember the kind of clip art that works on a computer or a sheet of paper might not be the best choice for a t-shirt or hoodie -- in fact, some things that look great on a print-out will look awful on a printed shirt (or any other custom-printed clothing).
First, if you're googling images, make sure you're selecting the right words for your search. After all, there are a lot of images that might appear in your search results that don't work for what you need -- and you'll waste time having to sift through them all.
Whether you get the exact kind of image you want or thousands of clip art that miss the mark will usually depend on your search terms, which is why it pays to be specific.
Stick with Black & White Clip Art for T-Shirts
When customizing shirts or anything else, some kinds of art files work better than others. The best choice is vector files because they allow you to change the size of an artwork without compromising the quality. The best choice is vector files because they allow you to resize artwork without losing quality. If you're unsure why this matters, our guide on vector vs bitmap: why it matters explains how file types affect print results.
If you already have a vector file, great -- we're good to go! However, if you're providing us with an image, we'll need to convert it to a vector format and it's a lot easier to convert a black & white (B&W) image. Otherwise, there's a chance some of the details could be lost.
Despite the clip art being B&W doesn't mean your design has to be B&W -- or even just one color. Once we have the artwork converted, we can change the colors to whatever you need. Whether you go with an amazing-looking, single-color graphic or a multi-color artwork, the choice is yours. (Just let us know what you want!)
Grab the Best-Quality Clip Art Image for Tees
When grabbing that B&W image, you want to make sure to get the BIGGEST version available. If you click on the image and a bigger version appears in the side-panel, that's what you want. If you can go directly to the site and get a larger image, that's even better. (And if you can just download a vector file from the site, that'd be the best option.) Simple, bold artwork like black and white clip art not only converts more cleanly for printing, but also keeps production efficient. This makes it a great fit for budget custom t-shirts, where clean designs help deliver strong results at a lower cost
Once you've found the biggest version, you can either right-click to save the or take a screenshot. Once you’ve selected your artwork, you can upload it directly into our design studio to test sizing, placement, and color options before placing your order.
=NOTE: Be careful with copyrighted art. Not everything you find can be used... however there's plenty of free clip art out there.=