For Fabric Prints: How do I get the smoothest gradient?

Our equipment prints out the smoothest gradients when the gradients are created in Photoshop, and not in Illustrator. Why? Illustrator is a vector based program and does not raster the gradient the same way that Photoshop does. Illustrator will create "steps" in the gradient that look like lines in the final print.

For the smoothest gradients, use Photoshop to create the gradients and then either import the gradient to Illustrator or simply design the entire artwork within Photoshop.

Below are some samples of a Photoshop image vs the Illustrator image
AI Gradient
PS Gradient