What is the turnaround time? We like to have a 2 week turnaround time for all orders, however orders are often completed much sooner. We like to have the 2 week time frame incase of an influx of orders, shipping delays, or other unforeseen circumstances. Exact order timeline is dependent on service type, size of order, and volume of orders the lab has at the time. Click HERE for more information on our order process.
Where do I pick up my order? Pick up orders in Get Gifted, the gift store in The Oaks building at LCCA. It's the second door on the right when you enter the building. Get Gifted is open from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Please contact the lab if you cannot pick up during those hours. Orders for other Hall County Schools can be sent through the courier after we are receive payment.
How and when do I pay? Payment is due in full at the time of order pickup. We accept cash, check payable to LCCA, and debit/credit cards, excluding American Express. Payment can be made over the phone if necessary.
What kinds of files/artwork do we need? It depends on the service! Embroidery: .DST or .PES Direct-to-GarmentPrinting: Ideally .AI/.SVG/.PDF/.EPS but .JPEG/.JPG/.PNG/.TIFF can work. Sublimation: Ideally .AI/.SVG/.PDF/.EPS but .JPEG/.JPG/.PNG/.TIFF can work. Vinyl: .AI/.SVG/.PDF/.EPS We could possibly convert another file type if it's high enough quality. Wide Format Printing: AI/.SVG/.PDF/.EPS or .JPEG/.JPG/.PNG/.TIFF
Please no Word Documents, Publisher Files, or Powerpoint Files. Those often show up differently on different computers because of different versions of those programs. You can export all of these to .PDF!
Who makes the designs? Either our customers can submit their designs or we can assist in creating them. Please look at our Project Gallery to get an idea of the types of designs we make. Due to the student interns' limited time in the lab each day, we often cannot fulfill extremely detailed or illustrative designs. Can I send in photos from Facebook/Instagram/Etc? Most pictures on social media or the internet will not provide a quality print. Standard web resolution is 72 and standard print resolution is 300. A picture that takes up your whole screen on facebook might only be 2 or 3 inches big when printed. We can resize pictures to be a little bigger. However, if we blow up a picture that has a low resolution, it will be poor quality and pixelated.
How do I know if my picture is big enough? You can tell how big a file/image will be by looking at the dimensions and resolution needed. On most computers, you can right click on a file and click “Get Info” or “Properties” to see dimensions. Once you find the dimensions, you divide them by the resolution you need to determine their size. We're more than happy to check that for you! Just email us the picture.
Can you make me a shirt with Mickey or UGA on it? NO! That would be a violation of copyright. We cannot use logos, designs, or photos that are owned by someone else unless they are made free for commercial use. We can take inspiration from others' designs, but not completely copy them. We could make a Disney inspired shirt, but cannot use the Disney logo or pictures of Mickey. We are not able to use most pictures on Google.
Can I get a design on a black shirt? We can NOT direct-to-garment print on dark material. There is no white ink, so nothing will show up. We can do heat transfer vinyl or a screen print transfer on dark apparel.
What's the difference between DTG, HTV, & Screen Printing? Direct-to-Garment printing dyes cotton fabric. There is no white ink, so it works best on light colored materials. There is no limit on amount of colors. HTV is a specialty vinyl polymer that can be custom cut into a design then heat pressed onto fabric. It's limited to 1 color. Screen Printing pushes ink onto the fabric through a stencil. We do NOT screen print in our lab. We can order screen print transfers from a third party and heat press them onto apparel.
DTG is best for cotton shirts that are not a dark color. It is the most cost effective. There is no minimum or maximum order. There is no limit on amount of colors.
HTV is best for cotton or polyester shirts that are a dark color. There is a maximum of 20 shirts for HTV. There is a 1 color limit.
Screen Print transfers are best for cotton or polyester shirts that are a dark color. These are available in 1 color or 2 color options. There is a minimum order of 20 for 1 color and 75 for 2 colors.
Can you make me a logo? Logos and branding are not services we offer at this time. The lab's main focus is in production for promotional materials. We do not have the resources to devote as much time as we would need for logos and branding.