T-shirt design is different from designing a graphic for a shirt of another material. The blank shirt and vast space to work with can give you more freedom to express your ideas. No wonder there are many t-shirt designers in the world. Now you have a chance to become one of them, with free t-shirt design software.
T-shirt design software that you can use to customize a t-shirt. Increase your sales, encourage repeat business, or just have fun designing shirts for the family. Here we compiled a list of 10 free t-shirt design software programs to help you make your own t-shirts, shirts, and more without having to pay a designer or even use professional software.
Some of these are great for giveaways or branding your products if you have a business. As we all know that t-shirt printing is the most popular form of clothing imprinting, so such free t-shirt design software will be pretty helpful if you’re looking for free design tools.
What is T-Shirt Design and Printing Software?
Create a custom image, logo, or graphic to be printed onto a t-shirt using T-shirt design and printing software. There are many online t-shirt design tools that you can use these days, including downloadable graphic design software. You can even download some design programs as apps.
The choice of software for t-shirt projects is vast, so how do you pick the right one? Here are some things to look for.
Can the program create vector graphics? Raster graphics are commonly used in paper and digital design. If you zoom in or enlarge a raster image, you will see pixelated or blurry results due to the pixel composition. Vector graphics, however, are based on mathematical formulas that automatically enlarge or shrink the details of the image as required.
The majority of t-shirt designs benefit from vector graphics. The ease of use is another feature to consider. Many professional designers use a hard-core graphic design program like Adobe Illustrator in the field, and maybe you need such a program for your work! Perhaps you instead need a simple web-based tool that allows you to modify preset templates.
The popularity of custom t-shirts has grown to the point where you can find dozens of websites offering easy-to-edit templates. You don’t have as much freedom with these programs as you would with a traditional design tool, but they are still quick, simple, and easy to use.
In addition to cost, there are other factors to consider when deciding. While there is free software for designing t-shirts, you may have to give up some of the features you desire to use it.
Last but not least, ensure that your design program is compatible with your printing method. Are you planning to use a heat press, screenprint, or direct-to-garment printing (DTG)? There are specific requirements for each type of printing.
Purchasing software that provides color separators and vector design tools is vital if you are going to screenprint. As a result, every individual color can be prepared for printing on a separate screen.
The most important thing is choosing a program you are comfortable using, whether you are creating t-shirts for yourself or selling them online. You should have fun creating your custom designs!
10 free T-shirt Design Software
T-shirts are probably the most popular clothing to get printed with custom designs, and there are numerous software tools available that make it easier than ever before. There are tools for both Macs and PCs that offer unique features, such as exporting directly to professional printers.
Some of these programs are better suited for more experienced designers, as they require a greater level of customization and a deeper understanding of designs and print preparation techniques. To help you make awesome t-shirt designs for free, here are the top 10 free t-shirt design software. We recommend that you try out as many options as possible to see which one feels the best.
1. InkScape
Do you lack the funds to purchase design tools? You will probably be looking for a free t-shirt design program that is powerful and flexible. Consider implementing this free software – Inkscape. With it, you can design vector-based artwork just like Adobe Illustrator for free. While this software doesn’t offer specific T-shirt tutorials or temples, you can use other users’ files and designs that are available to the community.
You can apply your expertise and make attractive t-shirts as soon as you use this software. This free t-shirt design software is compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows operating systems. With the help of a tracing function, you can convert a bitmap image into a vector image. It enables you to scale an image up or down in size as required for the design while exporting it in a screen-printing-compatible format. Besides vector formats, InkScape includes raster formats such as .jpg and .png.
2. Fatpaint
You can use this t-shirt design software for free. Software like this one doesn’t need to download or install, which is one of its main advantages. You only need to create your masterpieces by simply logging in and starting the process. All you need is Adobe Flash to be able to create your masterpieces. It is a free application, but it also has extra features such as over 900 typefaces, 3D templates, a vast collection of vector clipart, etc. Create amazing 3D graphics and images which will make your t-shirts pop with this t-shirt design software.
Alternatively, you can create your own artwork. It is very easy to alter your design with different tools and elements. A drawback of the free t-shirt design software is that ads can be seen in the software. These ads may annoy you. You can escape ads, however, by becoming a Pro subscriber.
3. Smart Shirt Designer
You can design T-Shirts with colorful patterns using Smart Shirt Designer, a free T-Shirt design program. This software primarily serves as a football jersey designer program that allows you to design both the front and back of a t-shirt.
You can create your own patterns on a T-shirt by selecting from a wide selection of brand logos, collar designs, and shirt designs included in the software. Brand logos such as Nike, Adidas, etc., are available. Alternatively, you can draw and design your own patterns using the software or choose from the list of available patterns. Also, if you wish to add a logo or image to the T-Shirt, it is possible to do so in the software. It allows you to customize the collar of the t-shirt and the bottom strip.
4. GIMP
A huge array of raster editing tools is available in GIMP, another free, open-source program. This includes photo editing and graphic design tools. T-shirt design software GIMP is free and open source. You can use it to create professional quality designs as an alternative to Photoshop. Using it is almost the same as using Inkscape and Illustrator, where you do not need to pay a huge fee to use it.
There are plenty of free templates and helpful video tutorials on YouTube for beginners, so they should be of particular interest to them. Also, you can take a fee-based course that is meant to assist you in creating the most stunning designs and exporting them to a printable format.
Thanks to its powerful features, you can use GIMP on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Using this software, you will be able to edit your texts and images in a wide range of ways. For example, you can design almost any type of T-shirt using it.
5. Custom Ink
Custom ink is specifically designed for t-shirts. It is completely free to use. It offers an easy-to-use interface, so it is one of the most accessible apps to use. With Custom Ink, you’ll be able to choose from thousands of images to create your designs. This collection of images is divided into categories, such as animals, nature, tech, people, occupations, music, and transportation. As a result, you’ll probably find an image that fits your design needs.
Alternatively, you can upload your own design by clicking a button, and you will be able to upload it in seconds. It is also possible to add your favorite number to your t-shirt easily and add a name. Custom Ink is ideal when you want to make t-shirts for your sports team or a group project that you’re involved in.
You can easily share your designs with your friends after you have finished creating them with this app. In addition, if you would like to order a t-shirt with your customized design on it, Custom Ink provides you with this option. You can create your own design, make the purchase, and have the tee delivered to your door within a few days.
6. Free TSHIRT Maker
With T-Shirt Maker, you can design T-Shirts by using various clip-arts available in the gallery or by uploading your own logos. Animals, Flowers, Buildings, Hearts, etc., are some of the images found in these clip-arts. Those images can use to customize your T-shirt. Also, you can incorporate text into T-Shirt designs if you wish. A text can also be customized in terms of colors and styles.
7. Get Paint​
This is another free photo and image editing program that you can download and use. Additionally, it has a relatively intuitive and innovative interface, so those using it for the first time will find it quite simple to figure out.
The app takes your design work to a new level by making it look more realistic than other t-shirt design apps out there. In other words, it deforms and applies your logo, text, etc., depending upon the surface of the t-shirt in exactly the same manner as the final product will appear.
Due to this software’s undo feature, you won’t have to worry about making mistakes while designing since you can always take them back.
It’s important to keep in mind that this app has a thriving online community. Therefore, you’ll have easy access to all kinds of help, support, tutorials, forums, etc.
8. Krita
As one of the best apps for designing shirts, we included Krita. It is a powerful alternative to commercial applications like Photoshop, whether used for images or painting.
There are many ways to adjust brush settings in this app, which is one of its great features. The toolbar controls can easily alter this to meet your particular design requirements. You can control many aspects of the image, including its size, color, blending mode, and opacity. In the same way, you can create shapes in Photoshop; you can also do that in Krita.
Alternatively, you can drag pre-made images directly onto the canvas, and this app will import them. If you want to enhance the beauty of your photos or layers, you can apply many different filters in this app.
This program was developed by designers with like-minded perspectives and has been designed with easy-to-follow tutorials to make it intuitive for everyone to use. Can you imagine having all these design editing functions and features available to you without paying a penny? This is the exact reason why Krita appears on our list of the best free software for you.
9. Tee Designer Master
Here’s another excellent software for a t-shirt design you can count on. Since it is an online-based application, there is no need to download it or install it. In just a few clicks, you’ll be able to run it in your browser. Software like this is perfect for anyone who wants to design apparel such as t-shirts or hoodies.
This software does not charge you for its services, but you can design both the front and back of your shirt with it. In the preview section, you can see both sides of your t-shirt together.
With the numerous editing tools provided by this software, you can customize your designs and artwork easily. You can change your t-shirt color with the paintbrush, and you can add texts, logos, images, and more to your design. More than 20 different types of images are available in its library, which you can use for your design projects. It is also possible to upload your own images.
10. Vexels T-Shirt Maker
You can use this tool to create extraordinary custom T-shirts for your friends and family, design merch for your brand, or even sell custom T-shirts online. Vexels has an easy-to-use tool for every need, even for beginners. Using Vexels, you can design your own T-shirts using thousands of templates and graphics.
However, Vexels is best known for its beginner-friendly online editor that allows you to find graphics, icons, and artwork easily. Additionally, you will be able to edit pre-made templates, add text, change colors, and even upload your own designs.
Final Words
Hopefully, this has provided you with a valuable overview of some of the best free t-shirt design software that is currently available online. Which program you choose will ultimately depend on what exactly you plan to do with it, but regardless of your choice, any one of these programs will be able to help you get the job done and create designs that you can print off for your customers or back for yourself.