Which design program is best?

[gemma81]

Hi all,

Ok, so I have finally started on my Sublimation journey and have literally just purchased a Ricoh SG3110 and mug press! Woo hoo!

Which Design software is best/easiest to use for mug printing? Are there any out there specifically for this?

Thanks.

[Justin]

CorelDraw and Photoshop are firm favourites. Cheap/free versions of both are available as long as they support ICC profiles.

I have a program that helps layout mug templates, will check the name when in office tomorrow.

[gemma81]

Thank you Justin

[Justin]

If you can justify the cost the subscription services are very good. Monthly payments for the latest versions.

[loobyloo]

Among others I use adobe Illustrator - you can do so much more with it - its £20 a month from adobe but I have a version from when I used to teach on it. I created my own template for 6 mugs on A3 subi paper. The company I got the printer from gave me the profile which works on all my design programs including Photoshop and Studio for my cutter.

[Justin]

If you have a student in the family, event a youngster still at school, you can get a discount on Adobe which makes a big difference.

[pw66]

If you are thinking of learning a new package, it might be worth enroling for evening classes at a local college. They will usually sell the software on a student licence at a very low price.

[Justin]

Lynda.com well worth a visit as well, if you're the sort that can sit and learn online there are some excellent courses.

[gemma81]

Oh thank you. I am going to give photoshop a trial run but I do think a learning course may be the way forward.

[logobear]

full photoshop probably overkill.
You probably need 2 bits of software, one best for VECTOR, and the other for RASTER images.
Photoshop elements is good enough and lots cheaper than full photoshop.
Corel Draw is great for vector, and brilliant at controlling page layouts.
Corel graphics suite does come with a photo editor that is ok at a push, but better to have a specific program.
Paint.net is free and tollerable.
GIMP is free and very powerful, - can do all that photoshop can, but I find it a bit challenging to get my head round...