I am trying to upload images to spreadshirt to have them printed on hats. The problem I have encountered is that the hats require all images that you upload to be vector based. So far I have found Inkscape to be a robust and useful application. I am trying to create an image that is nothing but text (the text that spreadshirt offers isn't to my liking). I am having a hard time determining if the text I write on the image through inkscape is getting vectored or not.

Is everything I do in Inkscape vectored (including the text)? Is there a way to see what parts of the image are vectored and which parts are not?

Thanks in advance,
squat

What format are you exporting as? if its pdf or svg then yes the text is vector.
You may be best off converting to path prior to export tho, it guarantees theres no issue with the
correct font not being on the system its loaded on.

Thanks for the reply. I can save in svg, but inkscape has been exporting to .png (spreadshirt only accepts .png, .jpg, .bmp, or .gif as formats). How does one 'convert to path' prior to export? I think I'm doing this but it would be nice to know for sure.

Thanks again,
squat

squat wrote:the hats require all images that you upload to be vector based.

spreadshirt only accepts .png, .jpg, .bmp, or .gif as formats

These two statement contradict themselves. None of those file formats are vectors - they're all bitmaps. That aside, if your exporting from Inkscape to PNG then you don't need to convert the text to paths. If you are providing a true vector format to the printers where fonts become a concern then refer to Object to Path in the Inkscape Guide. Note that once you convert an text to a path you can't edit the text anymore.

A bit late.. but maybe someone else is wondering. First of all a disclaimer: I work for spreadshirt.

We accept both vector and pixel based designs. Vector designs in the formats: eps, ai or cdr; Bitmap images are supported in the formats: png, .jpg, .bmp, or .gif.

To upload your vector graphics with text so that we can print it you must select the text (F1 + click on text). Then select "Path" from the top menu, then "Object to Path" (or press Shirt+Ctrl+C). As Simarilius pointed out, this ensures there is no problems with the font not being in our system (and our plotters cuts out paths anyways). You should note that some fonts have very thin details, and not all fonts will be printable with our requirements. Read more about that in our FAQ.

If you want to print with the Digital Direct printing method you should export the image "File" -> "Export as bitmap". You should export the image with the highest resolution that we support, which is 3000x3000px. You can do this by putting in 3000 in either height or width so that the image is 3000 pixels in the largest direction.

Hope that answered your questions.

Thanks for taking the time to share these details with us, Frode--better late than never