
What is a top graphic on a skateboard?
Your own skateboard graphics - a short guide
Are you an avid and creative skating enthusiast? What could be better than printing your skate graphics on your board? Showing artistic direction has become an integral part of skater culture. You’ll probably climb on your board for a while, so why not deepen the bond with a creative twist? Learning how to print your own skateboard graphics can be beneficial for you!
Now, if you want to reduce the cost of printing your own skateboard graphics; You can print them yourself. Of course, there are plenty of skateboard manufacturing companies that can do all this for you. Although it may cost you more. The good news is, designing and printing your own skateboard graphics has become much easier with the help of computer software.
Create your own design
If you are an artist yourself, we recommend using the standard software in the print industry, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. When designing your own skateboard graphics digitally, pay attention to how you convert the design to vector format. Vector graphics can be easily scaled to the dimensions of the board, without loss of quality.
Make a digital print
Now, you can print the graphic digitally. Your electric scteboard graphics on a film page, such as vinyl or veneer. This will allow your graphics to be transferred to your deck.
Most inkjet printers can already print on a film-like transparent surface. If you don’t get it, go to the local library and print your graphics. Now, you are ready for the next step in the creative process.
Deck coat
In this step, you are creating a canvas that captures your imagination! Get ready to paint your board as the basis of your design. Try blending your custom skateboard graphic into complementary colors.
Make sure the coating is on each part of the board according to your choice. Once you glue the graphics to the board, it will be difficult to draw on that surface.
Transfer to your design board
Now that you have coated your board with the color of your choice, now is the time to use heat transfer printing. Heat transfer is an industry-standard for custom skateboard printing.
Basically, the process of heat transfer involves a screen or digitally printed ink on a thin plastic layer. The plastic layers are then adjusted to the board. Then, the layers are processed through a heated silicone roller machine. The machine will then transfer to the ink, essentially creating a chemical link on the board. This method will transfer your own skateboard graphics almost seamlessly, virtually obscuring the quality of the design.
Finalize the design
Now that you have your own skateboard graphics on your board, there’s still something left to do. You’ll probably use your skateboard for a while, which makes your board coating increasingly tear. Simply put, you’ll want to protect your custom graphics from a variety of elements.
Use a clean coat spray to coat your skateboard. The spray will protect your graphics from scratches that can occur during a skateboarding session.
Whether you do it yourself or with the help of professionals, as a serious skateboarder, you will probably need to print your own skateboard graphics. Now that you know the process, nothing prevents you from transferring your creative vision to your skateboard!