Guide to Printing Your Own Abolish ICE Artwork
All the Protect Your Neighbors / Abolish ICE stuff I've made has sold out right away, which is why I've now made the artwork free to use and open source. I simply don't have the capacity to keep up with printing things. Plus there's folks who want things I don't really do, like patches, etc.
But a lot of people have said they don't really know where to start with printing their own items so here's a little guide to walk you through using this artwork to printing your own stuff. And you can modify or change the artwork; you don't have to credit me although I do love seeing the designs so tag me on social media if you want (I'm at AlternateHistories on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky). As I said in my previous blog, I only ask two things:
- I hope you’ll make an effort to contact an independently-owned printer. I know places like Theadless are easy, but you’ll get a better product that you can feel good about by working with a local screenprinter, artist, or printer. If you're not sure who to ask, I've included recommendations in this blog post.
- If you’re printing and selling the shirts, please consider donating some of the proceeds to a charity. It's up to you, but there's lots of great orgs doing immigration work as well as many other causes that can use the help.
Okay, let's talk about printing your own ABOLISH ICE monster artwork:
Step One: Download the Art
I'm releasing some updated artwork; it includes a version so you can print black ink on white (or any light color) shirt or poster. And I'm also including posters sized for 8x10, 8.5 x 11, etc. Click here to download the new artwork.
The art is separated into White on Black and Black on White images. You can see the differences below:
Black ink on white works great if you're printing something at home or want to make a really easy, simply screenprinted poster (more on that later). White ink on Black is better for when you send a job out to be printed.
You can also use different color combos; it doesn't have to be black & white! Do yellow on gold or pink on white or whatever you want; the key thing is that for a one color print like this you'll need one lighter color and one darker color to make sure the image stands out.
Step Two: Printing at Home
There's a set of folders in these images marked "Posters & Flyers." These would be great for home printing; whether you're making signs, flyers, or printing your own stickers or iron-ons. They're size in 8.5 x 11, 8 x 10, and 5 x7 inch sizes, but you can also print them larger.
Step Three: Professionally Printing Stickers
You can print your own stickers of course, but if you want to print in large quantities, you can go with a sticker printer. In this case you can submit the 4 x 4 inch sticker image (either black on white or white on black); I've given you black and white square stickers because they're the cheapest and fastest to print, but feel free to modify them yourself.
With most sticker manufacturers, you'll be submitting an order and giving them this 4x4 inch job to print from, and that should be fine. You'll get a proof back, approve it, and then they'll get printing.
Here are four companies I recommend for Stickers:
- Contagious Graphics: Based in Charlotte, NC this company does a lot of punk and music band printing, and they do great, durable, stickers on heavy vinyl. They're probably the cheapest for quickly printing black and white designs, although because of they want they save money on printing (combining orders), they can take a bit longer. But check this link out; 500 stickers for just $100.
- StickerGiant: I've been using Sticker Giant to print my stickers for the past year or so and have been very happy with the quality; you'll get a proof very quickly and they turn orders around very fast. There's a lot of option but I think a simple rectangle on matte or glossy would work best. The sticker is sized for 4 x 4 inches, but you can do custom rectangle sizes too. Click here to order.
- Commonwealth Press: If you're in the Pittsburgh area, you can get your stickers printed by a union house right here in town and pick them up from commonwealth press in Allentown! I'll talk more about them when I get to t-shirts, but here you go!
- Shaky Hands: A queer-owned print shop in Milwaukee, they printed my Pride t-shirts last year and also made some stickers for me! They're also union; click here to email them and get an order going.
Step Four: Printing T-Shirts
First of all, if you live in any decently-sized city in America, chances are that there are local artists in your area who screenprint and can make t-shirts or posters. Do a google, look for art markets and see who the vendors are; or message me to ask if I have a recommendation.
For shirts, sweatshirts, or anything like that you'll be using the Screenprinted artwork, and remember you're not limited to black and white colors. You'll email a printer and describe what you want (the color of the shirt/sweatshirt etc and the size quantities) and send them the artwork. They'll help you create a mockup that looks good on whatever clothing you decide to use. And you'll get a full quote ahead of time that will let you know what everything will cost (including shipping).
Here are some spots that do great custom t-shirt printing
- Commonwealth Press: CWP prints all of my tshirts and they do a great job and can turn shirts around FAST. They also ship anywhere. CWP can recommend options for shirts and get these printed; plus they already have the artwork for the job. Click here to contact them.
- Lightning Bug Gift Co: My friends Becki & Chris run a shop in Hollidaysburg, PA where they do custom shirts and have a minimum of only twelve piece— they're a great option for a small run of shirts. They'll do a great job walking you through the process and will get the shirts turned around quickly. Click here to reach out to Lightning Bug.
- Afternoon Printing: If you're looking to give your business to some folks in Minneapolis, check out Afternoon Printing. They have low minimums too and are women-owned. Click here to get a quote from Afternoon Printing
Step Five: Printing Posters
As I've mentioned, you can print some of these yourself or make copies at a local print shop. But if you want something bigger you can also get them screen-printed (again using the screen-printed artwork)
- Commonwealth Press and Lightning Bug both do screenprinted posters; CWP can also do vinyl banners
- Burlesque of North America: If you want to send some work to Minneapolis, Burlesque of North America specializes in custom screenprints on paper. Their work looks amazing and I'm sure they'd do a great job.
Step Six: Other Stuff
Here's a few other things people have asked for:
- Patches: My friend Mary gets her patches printed here so check them out!
- Buttons: Definitely hit up Busy Beaver for buttons of all sizes
If you have any questions or want a suggestion, please feel free to email me at matt [ at] alternatehistories [dot] com. We're all in this together.
