How to Scan Signatures for a Shirt

Designing shirts at home is a quick and a fun process.

Creating your own shirt with a signature printed on it can be very handy. If you can’t find the signature image that you want in a store or you don’t want to take the time to go elsewhere and have someone do it for you, you create your own custom made signature. These shirts also make great gifts and entertaining hobbies.

Things You'll Need

• Scanner
• Iron
• Fabric printer paper
• Ink jet printer
• Scissors
• Heat-resistant paper

Instructions

Scanning the Signature

1. Sign a piece of computer printing paper. Make sure the signature is the one you like before scanning it. Using plain white paper to sign on will give you a plain white background, making it easy for you to erase the background on Photoshop. You can use any color pen or marker to sign.

2. Scan the paper with the signature. Make sure to use a high resolution printer so you can have a clear resolution. After scanned, open the picture in Photoshop.

3. Click the Crop tool from the top of the Tools column and crop the signature until the signature is only seen. When you view the picture in Photoshop, there will be a layer with the original signature and a white background. Use the Magic Wand tool to select the white background, then press "Delete" to remove all white background. Also, increase the size of your image to how big you want it by clicking "Options" and then clicking "Image Size."

4. Save the image in your computer. Save the picture as a TIFF or JPEG image and save it in a folder. This will provide a high-quality image.

Placing the Signature on the Shirt

1. Insert the iron-on transfer paper into the printer. Make sure there is ink in the printer and the ink is dry so you will have a high-quality image the printer will print your signature.

2. Print the image and cut your signature out if you do not want a white background. Make sure you leave about a quarter-inch border around the picture.

3. Plug your iron in and make sure to have it on the highest setting without steam. Position the signature to where you want to place it on the shirt. Place the heat-resistant paper on top of the image of the shirt.

4. Iron the back of image. Make sure you hold down the iron for about 15 to 20 seconds. If the signature is spread out along the shirt, make sure the entire signature gets covered by the iron.

5. Remove the iron and rub the heat-resistant paper with a clean cloth for about 10 seconds. Then remove the heat-resistant paper carefully starting with the corners, making sure that you don’t rip the picture.

References

• Beginner Geek; Scan a Document or Picture in Windows 7; May 2010
• Productivity 501; How to Create a Scanned Digital Signature; Mark Shead; 2011
• Microsoft: Putting a Photo on a T-shirt