Revolutionize Your Sewing with In-House Custom Fabric Printing by Melco Fabrics

Embarking on a journey into custom fabric printing is an exciting adventure filled with creativity and personal expression. Whether you're an aspiring artist or someone looking to bring a unique touch to your projects, designing your own artwork is a rewarding experience. This section of our blog post will guide you through the basics of creating your designs, from user-friendly tools to expert lessons and even a shortcut for those who prefer ready-made designs.

What is a seamless design?

Imagine you have a beautiful drawing, like a pattern of stars and moons. Now, think about putting that drawing on a big, long piece of paper that goes all around your room. You want the stars and moons to keep going without any breaks or gaps, so it looks like one big, never-ending picture. That's what a seamless art design is!

It's like when you have a tile floor, and all the tiles fit together perfectly without any space in between them. In a seamless design, the edges of the picture can be put next to each other over and over again, and it will always look like one continuous design.

Now, when we print your artwork on fabric at Melco Fabrics, we do something special. We take your drawing of stars and moons, which is like one "tile," and we duplicate it many times across the width and length of the fabric. This means we make lots of copies of your single drawing and place them next to each other so that they fit perfectly without any gaps or awkward spaces. It's like making a giant quilt out of your drawing, but instead of sewing pieces together, we print them so they all connect smoothly. This way, your beautiful stars and moons will cover the whole fabric in a never-ending pattern, and it will look amazing no matter how you use it!

Not all designs are seamless

Of course, not all designs need to be seamless like the stars and moons pattern. Sometimes you might have a special picture, like a welcome sign for a wedding, a seating chart for a big event, or a wonderful drawing your child made. These types of designs are unique and don't need to repeat over and over to look good. At Melco Fabrics, we can print these special designs too!

If you have a single picture or design like this, we have a couple of ways to print it on the fabric. First, we can take that one design and duplicate it, which means we make several copies of it and place them side by side across the width of your fabric. It's like having a row of your beautiful welcome sign or child's drawing all in a line.

Alternatively, if your picture is really clear and has a high quality (we call this high resolution, like 300DPI or above), we can make it bigger to fit across the width of the fabric while keeping its shape and details looking just right. This means if you have a lovely big picture, we can stretch it out so it fills up the fabric without losing any of the special details you love. It's a bit like blowing up a balloon; the picture gets bigger but still looks just as nice.

So, whether you have a repeating pattern or a one-of-a-kind design, we at Melco Fabrics are here to help make your fabric dreams come true. We're all about printing what you love in the best way possible!

What is DPI and why does it matter?

DPI stands for "Dots Per Inch." Imagine you're drawing a picture with lots of tiny dots. If you use more dots to make the picture, it will look clearer and more detailed, just like when you use a sharp pencil instead of a blurry one. DPI is like counting how many of those tiny dots are in one inch of your picture. The more dots, the clearer your picture will be!

Does DPI matter?

Well, when we want to print your picture onto fabric, we want it to look really good, just like your original drawing. If your picture has a lot of dots per inch (a high DPI), it means we can make it bigger without it getting blurry or fuzzy. It will look just as nice and clear on the fabric as it does on paper.

How can you make sure your photo or artwork has a good DPI?

If you're scanning a drawing or photo to send to us, you can check the settings on your scanner. You should choose a setting that says 300 DPI or higher. This will make sure that when we get your picture, it has lots of tiny dots and can look really clear and pretty when we print it onto fabric.

So, remember, just like using a sharp pencil to make a clear drawing, making sure your picture has a high DPI will help it look its best when we turn it into a beautiful fabric design!

Colour Profiles - RGB and CMYK - What does it mean?

RGB: RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue. It's like when you have a set of paints and mix different amounts of red, green, and blue to make all the colors of the rainbow. RGB is used for pictures on screens, like on your computer or TV. When you look at a colorful picture on a screen, it's made with lights mixing red, green, and blue.

CMYK: CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (which is black). It's like having another set of paints, but this time the colors are cyan (a kind of bright blue), magenta (a pinkish-purple), yellow, and black. CMYK is used for printing pictures on paper or fabric. When we print your drawing to make it a real thing you can touch, we mix these four colors to make all the other colors in your picture.

So, RGB is for screens and uses light to make colors, while CMYK is for printing and uses special inks to make colors. That's why when we print your picture, we sometimes talk about changing it from RGB to CMYK to make sure the colors look just right on the fabric!

Can we print both?

While we use CMYK for printing, we can still print pictures that are in RGB.

However, because we print with CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key or black), which is made for printing with inks, the colors might look a little different when we change your RGB file into a CMYK print. It's like if you mixed a set of watercolors slightly differently each time – the picture is still beautiful, but the colors might not be exactly the same.

So, when you send us an RGB file, we'll do our best to make sure the colors look great when printed, but just keep in mind they may vary a bit from what you see on your screen. It's all part of making sure your artwork looks its best when it turns into real fabric!

Discovering Your Inner Artist with Procreate:

Procreate – A Digital Canvas: Begin your design journey with Procreate, a powerful and intuitive software available for iPad. Perfect for beginners and professional artists alike, Procreate offers a user-friendly interface that makes designing seamless patterns a breeze.

Why Procreate? Learn about the features that make Procreate a favorite among designers, such as its vast array of brushes, easy-to-use layers, and the ability to create intricate designs with just a few taps and swipes.

Expanding Your Skills with Skillshare:

Skillshare – A Learning Community: If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of digital art, Skillshare is an invaluable resource. With thousands of classes covering a wide range of topics, you can find in-depth lessons specifically focused on creating artwork for fabric printing. Just type into the platform "Procreate for beginners". Keep in mind this is a paid service with a small monthly fee. 

Why Skillshare? Understand the benefits of learning through Skillshare, from expert-led tutorials to community support and feedback. Discover how these lessons can elevate your designs from simple drawings to professional-quality artwork.

Free Lessons on YouTube

If you go on YouTube and search for "how to create seamless designs in Procreate," you'll find lots of videos where friendly people will teach you step by step. They'll show you all the tricks and tools you need to use in Procreate to make a design that repeats perfectly. You can pause the videos and follow along at your own pace, and it's totally free!

These tutorials are great because you can watch them over and over again, whenever you want to learn something new or need a little reminder.

Taking the Shortcut with Etsy:

Etsy – A Treasure Trove of Designs: Not everyone wants to start from scratch, and that's perfectly fine! Etsy is a fantastic platform where you can find a myriad of ready-made designs that are perfect for custom fabric printing.

Why Etsy? Explore the advantages of choosing a design from Etsy, such as the wide variety of styles, the ability to support independent artists, and the convenience of having a print-ready file just a few clicks away.

Seamless Support from Melco Fabrics:

Our Team, Your Dream: Custom fabric printing can seem daunting at first, but with Melco Fabrics, you're never alone. Our experienced team is just a phone call away, ready to assist you with any questions or guidance you may need.

Why Choose Us? Learn about the personalized support Melco Fabrics offers. From discussing your initial design ideas to troubleshooting any issues, we're here to ensure your custom printing journey is as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

At Melco Fabrics, we take immense pride in the fact that all our printing is done in-house, right here in Australia. Nothing is outsourced offshore. This means every inch of fabric that passes through your hands is a product of local craftsmanship and quality assurance. When you choose us for your custom fabric printing needs, you're choosing a team committed to excellence and to supporting the Australian textile industry.

Designing your artwork for custom fabric printing is a journey of creativity and self-expression. Whether you choose to create your design from scratch, learn through online courses, or select a ready-made masterpiece, Melco Fabrics is here to bring your visions to life. So, let your imagination run wild, and remember, we're just a call away, eager to hear about your custom printing plans and help you bring them to life.

Unmatched Quality and Service:

By keeping all our printing services in-house, we maintain complete control over the quality and outcome of your fabric. Our experienced team uses only the best materials and the latest technology to ensure that every print is sharp, vibrant, and exactly as you envisioned. This commitment to quality means you can trust that your sewing projects will stand out for all the right reasons.

Diverse Printing Services for Every Creative Need:

Our in-house capabilities are as diverse as your imagination. From wedding welcome signs that greet your guests with style to expansive maps that turn board game nights into epic adventures, Melco Fabrics can handle it all. Our flexibility and expertise mean we can cater to a wide range of projects, no matter how unique or intricate.

Transform your sewing projects with custom fabric printing that's entirely in-house and distinctly Australian. At Melco Fabrics, we're not just a service provider; we're your creative partner, dedicated to helping you bring your unique visions to life. Experience the difference of local craftsmanship combined with global quality standards.

Begin Your Creative Journey Today:

Connect with our experienced team at Print your own custom fabrics - Custom Fabric Printing Australia – Melco Fabrics and start turning your creative dreams into stunning realities. With Melco Fabrics, your sewing projects are just the beginning!