CUSTOM DESIGN

 Submitting Your Design

Isla Transfers takes custom orders! If you would like to have underglaze transfers made from your own design please send a jpeg or vector (.ai, .eps) file of minimum 300 dpi resolution sized up to 16.5" x 10.5" to Islacustomdesign@gmail.com. Images must be submitted in black and white format (no grey areas). We recommend that you print a copy of your design first to assess it for scale. We will review your design, and contact you with a price quote based on the amount of colored area (ink used) in each print. Custom prints will be priced starting at $7.00.

Set-Up

The screen setup fee for custom work is $35 per design / screen. This fee covers the materials and equipment required to prepare a silkscreen with your image. Choose your ink color(s) from the choices below and tell us how many prints you want in each color. There is a minimum order of 6 prints per color.

Not sure how to use photo editing software to prepare your images for custom work? We always provide a quick consultation on images prior to going into production. If design work or editing must be done for us to prepare your image, we contract that work out to designers. This is a separate fee from the general set-up and our designers will contact you regarding pricing per job.  

Sample Order

For example, a custom order of 6 prints in black and 6 prints in red, of a design quoted at $7, would be priced accordingly:

$35 - Setup fee

$42 - 6 black prints quoted @ $7 each

$42 - 6 red prints quoted @ $7 each

––––––––––––

$119 total

Orders of 18 sheets or more will receive a 10% discount on the cost of the prints. If you would like to keep an open account, we can save the screen with your design for up to 4 months between orders. This would allow you to bypass the setup fee when ordering that design in the future. Prints after the first run will be priced as originally quoted, with a minimum order of 6 prints per color.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Are tissue transfers available for custom design?
Not at this time, just newsprint transfers. If you’re not familiar with the newsprint transfer process, we welcome you to visit our how-to section to get a feel for the process.

Do you create custom design work with multiple colors in one image?
As of right now Isla Transfers does not offer a multiple color image option for custom design work. We are looking forward to moving in that direction. However, if interested, understand that there is a set-up fee per screen and one screen is used for every color. In addition to set-up fees there is also additional production costs and a minimum of 6 sheets per color is still required. In brief, a two-color image with a minimum of six sheets would start at $112 to begin. After that it’s still a minimum of six sheets per any color and prices do vary on how much ink is required per design.

What is the turnaround time for a custom design to be printed?
First, communication is everything. The sooner you respond to any of our questions or concerns regarding your project the quicker the turn around time. However, generally speaking, it takes approximately two weeks to three weeks for us to complete a custom order and get it shipped. It all really depends on the size of the job. We will do our best to communicate an expected date of completion.
Please direct any questions to islacustomdesign@gmail.com

I only need one sheet to sample, not six. Can I get just one sheet before I commit?
YES, but we’ll still charge for the full six sheets. So might as well get all six sheets, right? By the time we get all set up for your image to go into a screen and print it, doing just one isn’t feasible for us. We lose time and material. So we require six sheets per color from custom designs to make it worth your while and ours.

Can I get newsprint transfers screen-printed in other colors not displayed in the color chart above?
Absolutely! First thing to know is that there will be a longer turnaround time. We prepare the underglaze inks in house and will purchase the underglaze on your behalf. We use AMACO underglazes — feel free to visit their website and check out their selection of LUGS and VELVETS. A down payment to purchase underglazes is required prior to printing, but the underglaze ink is YOURS for us to print other patterns with.

There is a $5 fee for underglaze ink processing, but the cost of underglaze is taken out of your print order. Prices vary on cost of underglaze. Contact islacustomdesign@gmail.com to inquire about this service.

Approximately 25-32 prints can be created per pint of underglaze. This all depends on how much underglaze ink is required for each image. Might be more or less.

Lastly, some underglazes mold and discolor after opening especially if distilled water or our ink medium is added. We are not responsible for molding or discoloration and encourage that your pint of underglaze ink be used within the month.

Can I just pay you to make underglaze ink for me?
That’s not a service we provide for our clients and customers right now, but Jason Bige Burnett explains how to make ink in his book titled Graphic Clay.

Can you burn a screen and send it to me?
That’s not a service we provide for our clients and customers right now. Please check out Anthem Screen Printing Supply for that service.

If I paid the set-up fee why do I not own the screen?
Your image is renting our silk-screen. The set-up fee doesn’t cover the cost of equipment, just wear and tear. We do our best to keep costs low for you without having to purchase all the materials and equipment.

How long does my custom image stay in the screen?
6 months after it’s last order. If you haven’t ordered a particular design of yours within a 6 month window we reclaim it, and another set-up fee may be required to reestablish the image again. We do our best to contact our clients when a 6 month window is coming to a completion, but we can not always guarantee that contact.

Do other people have access to using my custom design image?
NO! That is your product and image to use. We will not use your submission to sell on our site or to anyone else.

Can you print copyrighted imagery?
We assume any and all imagery you send us to print is uniquely your own. If an image is found to be copyrighted that will be the responsibility of our client to handle. We do not profit from the “intellectual property” of a design submitted to us by our clients and customers. Our service is what we are paid for.

Learn about Copyright

Where can I look for copyright imagery or graphics?
Begin with a simple google search with something like “copyright free black and white patterns”
BUT remember we don’t offer a free design service to create your images. The client is responsible for submitting designs that are ready. See “submitting Your Design” at the top of this page for more details.

READY TO GET YOUR CUSTOM DESIGN STARTED?

Please attach any images you are interested in as this will allow us to provide initial thoughts and suggestions to get the process started! Our current turnaround time for custom orders is 3 weeks once the design is finalized.

Custom prints are a great way to incorporate Isla Transfers into your ceramic work
while using your own unique style!