In Alomations, one design comes back in two versions: a light version for dark garments and a dark version for light garments. Tone rules then decide, garment colour by garment colour, which version each colour gets, and you can override any of those choices.
This is for sellers who offer a shirt in more than a couple of colours. A black line drawing disappears on a black shirt and white lettering vanishes on a white one, so a single file either limits the colours you can sell or puts hard-to-read shirts in front of buyers. Two versions plus a rule per colour let one listing cover both ends of the colour chart. Our earlier piece on light and dark versions of a design covers when you need both. This one shows how Alomations handles it.
Why one file is not enough
Print methods solve part of the problem. DTF transfers carry a white ink layer, which lets them work on any fabric colour (Printify), and DTG on dark garments needs "a pretreatment coat and a white ink underbase" (Printify). That white layer keeps colours bright on a dark shirt.
It does not change the colours in your design, though. Dark ink is still dark ink, and on a black or navy shirt it has almost no contrast left. The fix has to happen in the artwork. Our catalog apparel is printed with DTF, and the article on printing on dark garments explains what the white underbase does on press.
What the light and dark versions are
Both versions come from the same design, so the composition, the wording and the placement stay identical. What changes is how the design behaves against the fabric:
The light version is for dark garments. Its lettering turns white, even where the lettering touches the drawing, so a headline that overlaps an illustration does not end up half light and half dark.
The dark version is for light garments, and it keeps painted art and line drawings readable.
Each version comes back print-ready, like every design in Alomations: 12 inches at 300 DPI, which is 3,600 pixels on the long side, as a transparent PNG with an SVG alongside. Our article on print-ready files explains why that format matters to a production partner.
How tone rules decide which colour gets which
A tone rule belongs to a garment colour. When a run uses a template with several colours, the tone rules decide for each colour whether it gets the light or the dark version. That happens automatically, so a shirt offered in white, sand, heather grey, red, navy and black does not need six separate decisions from you on every run.
The obvious cases are settled for you: a white or pale garment normally gets the dark version, a black or deep garment the light one. The judgement calls sit in the middle of the chart, where heathers, greys, bright reds and garment-dyed shades can go either way depending on the design. The table below is how we would think about each group when you review the result.
| Garment colour group | Version that usually reads best | What to check before you accept it |
|---|---|---|
| White, natural, pale pastels | Dark version | Thin lines and small text stay crisp |
| Black, navy, forest, deep maroon | Light version | Lettering that touches the drawing turned white with it |
| Mid greys and heathers | Depends on the design | Thin dark lines can sink into a speckled fabric |
| Bright mid colours such as red or royal blue | Depends on the design | Whether white or dark lettering has more contrast |
| Garment-dyed shades | Depends on the shade | How white ink sits on garment-dyed cotton |
On that last row, the Comfort Colors spec sheet notes that "Special consideration must also be taken when printing white ink on garment-dyed cotton" (Comfort Colors 1717 spec sheet). Our guide to heather, garment-dyed and solid colours goes deeper on the middle rows.
Overriding a tone rule
The rules are a default, not a lock. You can override which version any colour gets, and there are good reasons to do it:
A design built around a strong colour may read better in its dark version on a mid-tone shirt that the rule sent to the light side.
A tone-on-tone look, where the print is meant to sit quietly on the fabric, calls for the version with less contrast.
On a heather or a bright colour where both versions read well, you may want the one that matches the rest of your shop.
A colour you have seen printed can look different from its swatch on screen, and your own sample is the better guide.
Override only where you have a reason. The rules exist so that most colours never need your attention.
Checking every colour before the run
Smart mockups let you preview every colour and every side before the run starts, with real fabric folds, shading and light. That is the moment to look at the middle of the colour chart: if a heather looks weak in the version it was given, override the rule for that colour before you start the run. Our guide to shirt mockups in every colour from one design shows how those colour shots come together in a listing.
Two Etsy limits shape what buyers actually see. A listing can hold up to 20 photos (Etsy's listing guide), and smart mockups count toward that number. Etsy also says: "If you have more than 20 options, you can only add photos for 20 of these options" (Etsy Help). So not every colour gets its own photo in the listing, which is one more reason to check the version for every colour in preview, not only the ones you show.
If you sell the same colour set across many products, save it once as a variation profile and reuse it in every template. The colour list you checked then stays the same from one template to the next.
From listing to order
When an order comes in, it arrives resolved: the Etsy order pulls in with the design and the variant matched, and the colour the buyer picked is part of that variant. From the orders screen you can send it to a production partner, with item cost and shipping shown separately before you pay, or print and ship it yourself.
That is the whole loop: one design in, two versions out, a rule per colour, an override where you disagree, and orders that arrive with the design and colour already matched. The features page shows where this sits in a full listing run.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to make the light and dark versions myself?
No. Both come from one design in Alomations, with the same layout and wording. You only step in if you want to change which colour gets which version.
What happens with heather grey and other middle colours?
The tone rules choose a version for them like any other colour. These are the colours most worth a look in the mockup preview, and you can override the choice if the other version reads better.
Can I keep a design off dark shirts entirely?
Yes. Your template decides which colours a listing offers. If a design only works one way, leave the colours it does not suit out of that template or variation profile.
Are both versions print-ready?
Yes. Like every design in Alomations, they come back at 12 inches and 300 DPI as a transparent PNG with an SVG alongside.
You can try tone rules and the rest of the listing run on the free plan, with no card needed.
