For BarCamp Canberra #1, we’ve used CafePress to print our t-shirts (we even have a store!). Sure, CafePress are US-based and we’re in Australia, but the opportunity to do a limited run, custom orders for early registrations and pricing pretty close to what we can get here is a compelling proposition.
The t-shirt order arrived today, and they look good. Except the dark shirts. The black and charcoal grey shirts look crap. The blue from the logo, despite being provided in a form that was supposed to be fine for dark colors just doesn’t work.
So, first thing I did was fire off an email to their customer service department. I figured that since it is the middle of the day in Australia, I probably won’t get a reply until tomorrow. Not so! Under two hours later, CafePress have got back to me. I can keep the shirts and they’ll process a refund on all the problem shirts. I’ve created a new version for those wanting dark shirts. You can see it above this paragraph.
While it’ll be unlikely that folks who wanted a black t-shirt will get theirs on the 19th April, they will get a shirt, all thanks to great customer service from CafePress.
Well done!
When printing on black the professional way to do it is to laydown (print) an all white version first.
Then you print the colours over this. It allows the the colours to become vibrant and standout. That said you still need some contrast in the base design.
I can’t comment if cafepress have done this.
Usually quality Tshirt printing on black costs more because of this double run process.