Does your screen printed t-shirt art proof look different on your phone than it does on your computer screen? Don’t worry, it’s most likely not something wrong with your eyes. It’s completely normal to experience this difference between the two. American Tees is here to help you understand why it happens. You may think that since both devices are digital screens that they should appear the exact same way. But, there are many factors that play a part in causing your art proof to look different on each device.
display differences
Your computer and your phone most likely have different display technologies, color profiles, and resolutions. This can lead to variations in how details and colors in your art proof are delivered. Computer monitors tend to reproduce more accurate colors than phone screens. Phone screens tend to be more saturated and have different color temperature settings. This means a computer is probably the more reliable choice to accurately view your art proof.
calibration
Calibrated computer monitors ensure color accuracy, so they are often used by professional designers when creating artwork. Unfortunately, phone screens and computer monitors aren’t guaranteed to be calibrated to the same standards. Variations in how art proof colors appear can be caused by devices not being calibrated.
operating systems
There are many different types of operating systems. Windows, iOS, Android, and Mac are some of the most popular operating systems used today, for example. Using different operating systems when viewing your art proofs can have different default color management settings and rendering engines. This can affect your image’s display. Furthermore, the app or software you choose to use to view your artwork can have different rendering engines and color management settings, too.
image format
The format and compressions setting of an art proof image can impact how it appears on different devices. Some formats can result in a lossy compression which may affect image quality. This can happen with a JPEG format.
screen size
Aspect ration and screen size between your computer and phone can affect the perception of a screen printed art proof image. Naturally, this can cause your image to look larger or smaller than it is. The noticeability of the art proof’s details may change depending on the screen size as well.
lighting conditions
The ambient lighting, or lack of it, in your environment can alter how you perceive details and colors in an art proof on a screen. Viewing your screen printed art proof image in various lighting conditions can make it look different.
How to improve consistency
There are several factors that can have an affect on the appearance of your art proof on different devices. However, there are ways to improve consistency across devices when viewing your artwork by following these steps:
- Calibrate Devices: There are hardware and software options available that will allow you to calibrate your phone screen and computer monitor to a standard color profile.
- Use Standard Color Profiles: Using standard color profiles to create your artwork proof helps to maintain consistency across different devices.
- Display Settings: Accurate color reproduction greatly depends on the configuration of your device’s display settings.
- Test in Different Browsers and Lighting Conditions: Evaluate your art proof by viewing it in different web browsers under different lighting conditions to see how it appears in various situations.
Art Proof department
By altering these factors you can improve consistency of your artwork’s appearance across your devices. However, it’s important to understand some variations may still exist due to differences in hardware and software. While achieving an exact match across devices is impossible, you’ll see more consistent results in your screen printed art proof image with a few simple tweaks.
Here’s a picture of the completed screen printed t-shirt for the design you saw above. This helps you see the difference between the artwork on a screen and the final product (to an extent since you’re viewing it on a screen). If you have any questions about creating a screen printed t-shirt art proof or the appearance of artwork created for you by American Tees, you can reach out to our team. Don’t hesitate to contact us by phone or email if we can help you!
