Lana_CWhen Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary sent us their shirt design, the artwork wasn’t print-ready. It wasn’t a photo we could retouch or a vector we could clean up — just a flattened image that didn’t have enough detail for a sharp print.
Normally, a design like this would need to be completely redrawn from scratch. But we decided to try something new.
Our art team used AI to assist in rebuilding the artwork. The only instruction we gave was simple:
“Can you help me make this design cleaner?”
Within seconds, the AI produced a refreshed version — one that stayed true to the original illustration but with cleaner lines, richer tones, and sharper details. From there, our human artists stepped in to fine-tune it for screen printing, ensuring that every contour, shadow, and color transition would look perfect on fabric.
The result? A print that honored the customer’s original artwork while achieving a clarity that wasn’t possible with the original file.
Why This Matters
For many of our customers — schools, nonprofits, small businesses, and community groups — artwork often exists only as an old logo file, a social media image, or even a scanned printout. When it’s time to reorder or reprint, they may not have access to the original high-resolution art.
Our AI-assisted cleanup process gives those designs new life. It’s not about replacing artists — it’s about empowering our team with new tools to deliver better results, faster.
How the Process Works
- We review the file and determine whether the artwork can be printed as-is or needs cleanup.
- AI enhancement begins — our team uses in-house prompts and workflows to reimagine missing detail while preserving the style and intent of the design.
- Human refinement follows. Every AI-generated file is checked and adjusted by our artists to make sure it’s accurate, color-correct, and print-ready.
- Proof approval. We send a digital proof for customer review before going to print — the same process as any custom order.
The Outcome
In this case, the difference between the original and AI-enhanced prints was night and day. The improved artwork produced cleaner outlines, brighter colors, and smoother gradients — all while staying faithful to the customer’s original concept.
You can see the full comparison below, from original art to final print.
Looking Ahead
This is just one example of how Bolt Printing combines technology, manufacturing, and service to help our customers get the best possible results.
Whether it’s using AI to improve artwork, optimizing turnaround time, or guiding customers through proof approval, we’re always refining our process to make ordering custom apparel easier and more reliable.
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