That is the question… sometimes they can make all the difference in the world.  We are referring to whether you should distress t-shirt designs or leave them as they are.  The difference it can make can really go either way.  It can be the final touch on a t-shirt design that makes it look great or an additional step that should never be done.

So how do you determine whether you should use a distressed filter on your artwork?  We think it has everything to do with the intended audience and the content of the design.  If you’re going for the vintage look, or the design is supposed to look old-school, then they distressed filter is definitely the way to go.  If you are looking for your colors to pop off the shirt and want to design to be more contemporary, then a distressed look wouldn’t be appropriate.

Let us show you an example of what we’re talking about.  This first design could represent a number of things, but for these purposes let’s just say they were given out for a primary school graduation.  This is what it would look like:

That design would look great and really pop off some screen printed tee shirts.  But now let’s say that design is for a summer camp with high school students attending.  These kids would find it much cooler at their age to have the distressed, vintage look.  So here is the same design with a distressed overlay:

Ultimately, we will leave that decision up to you of whether or not to use the distressed filter.  We just want you to know it’s available when you need it!