Strategy February 13, 2017
How to Create a Faux-Stitched Print
Creating a faux-stitched screen print is simple with the right software tools.
1. Lay out your design.
Using vector design software, like Adobe Illustrator, put together your desired imprint, as you would for a standard print job.
2. Create your “knit” pattern.
We created a simple “V” with the shapes tool. You can get creative here. Try using “X” or “U” patterns to create different faux-stitching effects.
3. Duplicate the knit.
Fill the stitch pattern over the entire art board. It’s a good idea to make the pattern a distinct color, so it’ll stand out from your artwork and won’t cause visual confusion. In this design, we used bright green, since it’s a color that doesn’t appear in the artwork.
4. Remove the excess.
First, lock your artwork layers below the stitch pattern. Then, start deleting the faux-stitch elements that don’t overlap your artwork.
Tip: If the faux-stitch shapes overlap an area of the original artwork that has two or more colors, fill the shapes with the most prominent color.
Watch This!
Once you have your faux-stitched design created, you may want to print it on a sweatshirt. In this video, Ryan Moor, CEO of Ryonet Corp. (asi/528500), explains how to print on sweatshirts using both water-based and plastisol inks.
Rick Provence III, owner of OhioScreen.com, and his team created this faux-stitched design.