What You See Is What You Get

Though you might not have thought about it before, graphic design has a long and illustrious history. From the cave art of ancient times, to the letterpress of the industrial revolution, to the homescreen of the smartphone in your pocket graphics have been a ubiquitous part of human civilization for eons. Nowadays, graphics are everywhere, and in fact make up the fabric of contemporary culture. The Coca-Cola logo, for instance, is recognizable across continents, cultures and even language barriers, and is ostensibly the most recognized graphic symbol created in modern times. It's easy to forget it, but have you ever stopped to consider that someone had to make that graphic, and all of the other symbols that surround us; a graphic designer?

Technological advances and the invention of "new" media like web pages and electronic interfaces have made the graphic design industry one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Colleges and universities throughout the nation have established comprehensive graphic design programs, and expanded existing ones, helping not only to grow the graphic design industry, but also to re-invent the art form for the digital age.

Unlike the clunky and expensive machines of times past, today the tools of the graphic designer are often digital in nature, and easily accessible to professionals and amateur artisans alike. Perhaps this is another contributing factor why the industry booming with a seemingly endless supply of talent, producing increasingly more innovative and memorable designs than ever before. And after all, in our modern economy, businesses can use all the positive attention they can get.

But as far as the digital arts have come, the area of graphic design for printed media remains a very specialized skill practiced by professional artisans studied in a craft much older than the invention of the television. In fact the term graphic design, in professional and academic circles, is still understood to mean design for print, and rightly so. Anyone who has ever tried to print a webpage on their home printer is likely familiar with "the jaggies" - rough, or 'pixelated' lines along the edges of graphics. The reason for this is so simple that unless you've studied digital graphics, you probably never considered it before: images made for the screen are not the same as images made for print.

That is why Graphic Perspective is the best choice for your custom printed apparel and promotional products. With nearly 20 years of experience in graphic design we can take your idea and create a design that you will love; or we can create original art for silkscreened, direct-to-garment printed or embroidered apparel, using state-of-the-art technology and the talent and expertise that you have come to expect from a professional graphic designer. At Graphic Perspective, what you see is what you get.

Your Small Project, Printed Locally

Graphic Perspective's Direct To Garment (DTG) printing uses a process of applying specialty inks to textiles and garments directly using specially designed inkjet printer technology.

DTG printing is a relatively new technology to small businesses and local vendors. Until 2007 'design-your-own' fullfillment centers on the web, like Cafe Press and Zazzle, dominated the market. Since then, DTG printing has become a viable solution for fullfilling small-quantity orders previously not possible for smaller businesses, allowing them to offer the same service for less cost.

Direct To Garment printing is best suited for quantities of up to 200 custom printed shirts with a rich color palette (more than 12 colors). Because inkjet printing is a non-contact process (unlike screen printing), graphics can be printed in a wide spectrum of color, producing a printed design that is precise.

So next time you have a small-quantity project, contact us at Graphic Perspective; it's a great way not only to save time and money, but also to support small businesses, your community and the local economy.

Graphic Perspective is part of Perspectives Corporation a multi-faceted, dynamic agency that provides support to people with disabilities and assists in the personal development of those with special needs.

Memorial Fund for Denise Bowman and Richard Palazzo

These beautiful Autism Butterfly T-Shirts printed by Graphic Perspective are now available for purchase to raise money to build a memorial for two dedicated, long-term Groden Network employees who passed away earlier this year; Denise Bowman and Richard Palazzo.

Denise Bowman served in a multitude of roles during her 25 years with the Groden Network, and was truly considered an ideal staff member; and Richard Palazzo, a Special Education Teacher at the Groden Center for over 20 years, will be best remembered as a kind and caring individual who was loved by the students he taught and their families, as well as by his colleagues.

The Groden Network provides school and residential services to children, teens, and adults with a range of learning and behavioral disabilities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The butterfly design is printed on a black Gildan ultra cotton T-Shirt. The shirts are $17.00 each, and are available in Small, Medium, Large, or Extra Large.

For more details, please see this order form. Orders can be made by messaging Marlena Davis or PixByMarlena on Facebook or by emailing PixByMarlena@hotmail.com.

Choosing an Environmentally Friendly Alternative

Thanks to the ubiquitous blue and green plastic bins, we all know that recycling our bottles, cans and paper products helps to keep our environment healthy by cutting down on waste; but did you know that textile waste - our used clothing - occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space?

If you've ever donated your clothes to a charity like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, you might wonder what happens to the clothes you drop into one of those clothing recycling bins.

Well, some of them - about 45% - are reused and repurposed, while nearly 50% are actually recycled! In fact, 3.8 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste is recycled each year.

Textile recycling is the method of reusing or reprocessing fabrics such as second-hand clothing or clothing scraps left over from the manufacturing process. To do this, a few enterprising companies first collect the used clothing, and then sort and separate them by quality and color. While damaged or soiled fabrics are sorted out to make industrial wiping cloths and other items, any articles of clothing that are not otherwise in a suitable condition to sell in a second-hand shop are shredded to break them down into a fine, linty material called "shoddy."

The shoddy is re-spun back into yarn, and the yarn is then used to make new clothing using traditional sewing and manufacturing methods. The resulting recycled fiber garments typically have little or no dye or chemicals used in their production. The do not require land use or intensive irrigation, therefore no fertilizers or pesticides are needed. Furthermore, for every pound of fiber recycled, the equivalent of a half gallon of gasoline is conserved; and less demand for petroleum products contributes to saving energy!

And these are just a few ways in which apparel made from recycled fabrics helps to positively impact the environment!

Graphic Perspective proudly supports this ecologically-conscious effort by providing apparel made from recycled fabrics.

So next time you, your organization or your company are seeking custom printed apparel or accessories for a function or special event, consider choosing an environmentally friendly alternative - and consider Graphic Perspective; where doing what's right looks good on you!

For more information on recycled fabrics, please visit the Council for Textile Recycling.

For more information about Graphic Perspective, please visit www.graphicperspectiveri.com.

Stop and Think About the Ink!

In the digital age, it's easy to forget about ink - yes, ink! But it's everywhere, all around you; from the membership cards in your wallet, to the milk carton in your refrigerator, and on the front of your coffee mug. It's in the pictures on your walls, the upholstery on your furniture, and the carpet on your floor. You're even covered in it from head to toe - from the hat on your head to the shoes on your feet!

But did you ever stop to think that there are different kinds of ink? You'd be excused if you haven't! Sure, you know the ink in your printer and the ink in your pen aren't identical, but you use them both for more or less the same thing.

But what about the ink in your clothes; in the emblem on your baseball cap, or on the back of your favorite shirt? What kind of ink is that?

Well, in textile printing, there are two main types of ink that are most commonly used; water-based ink, and plastisol ink. Both types are very popular; however water-based inks have some distinctive advantages over other kinds.

Plastisol ink is a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based system - in other words, plastic. In graphic screen printing, it's referred to as a 100% solid ink system. Most plastisol inks are solvent based, meaning that they use one or more chemicals to keep the color part of the ink suspended during printing operations, which is then solidified - or cured - at a very high temperature. Because of its complex properties, highly toxic and hazardous materials are produced in the manufacture of these inks.

Water-based ink, on the other hand, is practically all-natural; it consists of little more than dyes or pigments dissolved in water, and is cured by simply allowing the water to evaporate at room temperature.

Graphic Perspective proudly uses water-based inks whenever possible to produce high-quality, environmentally-friendly screen printed apparel and accessories. Not only is our use of water-based inks cleaner and safer, but it also makes our garments softer and more comfortable to wear. Is the emblem on the back of your favorite shirt soft to the touch? Does it move with you, iron well, and breathe easily? Then you might be wearing water-based ink!

So next time you order apparel - whether for your company picnic, team event or a special occasion - stop and think about the ink! And remember that at Graphic Perspective, our environmentally friendly-textiles and a water-based ink screen-printed designs produce a finished garment that feels great and will minimally impact our planet.

A Thank You From Team Brennan Bulldogs

This week we received a nice Thank You card from Brennan Bulldogs who raised $3,665 for Autism Services & Resources Connecticut (ASRC) by walking as a team in their cool team shirts which, we are proud to say, were created by Graphic Perspective!

The ASRC Walk for Autism 2013 was held on Sunday, May 5, at Choate Rosmary Hall High School in Wallingford, Connecticut.

The ASRC is a non-profit organization that serves individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), their family members, and the professionals who work with them. Their mission is to provide, through their many programs, the most recent information and research to help parents and professionals understand the barriers and challenges people with ASD face on a daily basis.

Our congratulations go out to Team Brennan Bulldogs for their fantastic support of a great cause; and thank you for making us a proud supporter of your team.

Go Brennan Bulldogs!

What to Change The Earth? Change Your Shirt!

We at Graphic Perspective are proud to use environmentally friendly textiles made from hemp when creating custom-made apparel and accessories for your business or organization in the Rhode Island community.

Hemp in particular is one of the most promising crops for the future of our planet; it's one of the faster growing crops for textiles and requires few pesticides  - and no herbicides. It needs approximately half as much territory as cotton per ton of finished textile, and needs about 50 percent less water.  In fact, when you add processing into the equation, cotton uses more than four times as much water as hemp!

But that's not all: Did you know that hemp clothing is more comfortable than cotton? It's stronger, and more durable than cotton, and has insulative qualities that allow clothing wearers to stay cool in summer and warm in the winter. It's 4 times more absorbent than cotton, is flame retardant, and it also provides UV protection!

And as if that wasn't enough, consider this: from hemp we can get food, clothes, fuel, books, cleaning products, and even building supplies!

Hemp clothing is endowed with both softness and strength, as well as a host of ecologically friendly qualities, making hemp textiles ideal for green consumers looking for organic options that feels great and make a difference for the planet. When compared to other fibers like cotton, hemp is the far superior choice.

So for your next fundraiser, company picnic, or gathering, consider placing your order for environmentally friendly and superiorly comfortable uniforms, t-shirts, hats, accessories and more from Graphic Perspective  - where doing what's right looks good on you!