How to remove background for print-on-demand uploads

 

After you've exported your design from Pages to PDF, and then to PNG at 301 pixels per inch, under View menu go down to Show Markup Toolbar, click on Alpha (the little magic wand, second from left) and drag over the background. 

The screenshot below shows what it looks like when Alpha is at work. Now, click Delete and the background will be wiped out. The next step is to go through the remaining bits of the background inside some letters, like R, O, and especially A. It's a bit of a fuss, but in the end you will get an entirely transparent image ready to upload to your chosen POD outfit. \

You can see — and purchase — mugs, t-shirts, bottles etc. with this design on my CafePress page. Here is the link. 

Feel free to contact me if you want to order a personalised design. 

Pages to PNG: How to make transparent files for design uploads

 

Pages - PDF - PNG

Here is a short script for those who dabble in graphic design in Pages, and print-on-demand (POD). 

1 Make your design in Pages.

2 Under File menu go to Export to (Exporter vers... in French) and chose PDF. 

3 Open the PDF file in Preview, the Mac does it by default. 

4 Again, under the File menu slide down to Export (Exporter...) and in the opening window click on the Format menu and chose PNG. Here, set Resolution to 301 pixels per inch, which is an industry standard for professional/commercial printing.

5 Save, open the PNG file and under the View menu open Tool Bar (or Markup Toolbar), in the tool bar click on Alpha, second from left at the top.

6 Drag the cursor over the background, and when the blinking cursive line appears, click delete. You will get a checkered grey background. This is a transparency. Now, check for the white spots inside some letters of your 'slogan' design, like A, D, P, O, B. These have to be 'whiped' out with Alpha too. Click and drag, then click Delete. Once you're done with these, save your file and it's ready for uploading to whatever POD site you use.

Once you get to grips with this, it takes less than five minutes from doing a text slogan in Pages to uploading a ready design for a mug or a tee-shirt. 

And here you can see one of my recent designs on CafePress, one of the top POD sites. I have used the Pages to PNG method described above. 

Good luck with this!