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DISTRESSED PRINTING

Distressed printing achieves the vintage look that is always in demand. It is relatively easy to master this technique if you follow these steps:
Step 1 Step 1

Find or create a distressed texture pattern. There are hundreds of copyright free images on the web. Alternatively, you can make your own distressed texture by taking a picture of a rough surface and turning it into a high contrast, black and white image.

Once you’ve chosen a texture you like, create an alpha channel of the image and subtract it from the separation channels of your artwork.

Step 2 Step 2

Ensure you base back your inks to make them more transparent.

Check with your preferred ink vendor for products like soft hand additives and extender bases. This will allow the color of the shirt to show through more, achieving a heavily worn and laundered look.

Step 3 Step 3

Play around with different textures and build a library of distressed ones, ranging from slightly worn to heavily distressed, like a favorite t-shirt.

Try adding more extenders to your ink to get an even more vintage look. It is important to experiment and record your results.

Have fun with this technique!