Designing for Light vs. Dark Apparel on Zazzle

In this video, Monica chats with Meighan about how white and black are used differently when printing on dark and light apparel.

Fabric Printing Methods Used on Zazzle

Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing: The most common printing method for Zazzle apparel. Works like an inkjet printer, directly transferring ink to the fabric.
Sublimation Printing: Mainly used for polyester products, such as leggings and all-over print tank tops. Transfers designs using heat and special sublimation paper.
Screen Printing: Available but less commonly used on Zazzle, primarily for higher-volume orders and limited numbers of print colors.

Light Apparel: No white base layer is printed. The garment color can show through the design—white areas in the artwork will be garment color (e.g., on a pink shirt, “white” will become pink).
Dark Apparel: A white base layer is printed under the entire design, so all colors—including white—appear vivid and opaque, regardless of the shirt's underlying color.
Pricing: Printing on dark apparel typically costs more because of the extra step of printing the white base layer.

A red design printed on a white shirt appears bright and clear.
The same design on a light blue shirt takes on a bluish tint where the design is transparent.
On dark apparel (like royal blue), white and other colors remain true and bright due to the underlying white ink.

White Ink Use: White will not print on white or light apparel—leaving transparency where the garment color shows through. On dark shirts, white prints as opaque.
Avoid “Hiding” with Backgrounds: Do not use white boxes to hide parts of a design on light apparel—these may print as unsightly black or opaque boxes on dark apparel.
Publishing and Sale Options: Products can be set to be available only on light or only on dark apparel styles, preserving design integrity.
Fabric and Style Selection: Different fabrics (cotton, blends, Heather, burnout) affect design appearance. Softer, thinner materials may result in lighter, less saturated prints.
Image Size: Make the design large enough for big shirt sizes (e.g., XL), so the artwork doesn’t appear too small when printed.
Lock Layers: If using the Zazzle design tool, lock layers in place to prevent accidental movement during customization.
Contrast and Filters: Adjust contrast and use design tool filters to optimize appearance on different shirt colors and materials.
Heather Colors: Designs on heather and marbled fabrics may show garment texture through the artwork.

Always check how designs look across both light and dark apparel backgrounds.
Use high-contrast colors to ensure legibility and vibrancy.
Consult material listings for each garment style to anticipate how colors may print.

Why do colors look faded on some shirts? Softer or blended fabrics can cause lighter, less vivid printing.
Will white show up on all shirts? Only on dark shirts. On light shirts, white parts of the design become transparent.
Can I restrict my design to only suitable shirt types? Yes, you can control which styles your design appears on for quality control.