General Info
Design Studio
Decoration
What is Screen Printing and How Does it Work?
Screen printing is probably what you think of when you think about t-shirt printing. It's the traditional t-shirt printing method in which each color in a design is separated out and burned to individual fine-mesh screens. Ink is then transferred to the shirt through the screen. Teams, organizations, and businesses usually opt for screen printing because it's extremely cost-effective for printing large custom apparel orders.
The first thing we do is separate out the colors in your logo or design using graphic software. A mesh stencil (screen) is then created for each color in the design (keep that in mind when ordering screen prints because each color adds to the cost). To create the stencil, we begin by coating the fine mesh screen with an emulsion. Once dried, we "burn" the artwork into the screen by exposing it to a bright light. We now have a screen for each color in the design which are then used as stencils for printing onto the product.
Why choose screen printing?
Screen printing is the perfect print method for large orders, unique products, prints requiring vibrant or specialty inks, or color matching specific Pantone values. Screen printing has fewer limitations as to what products and materials can be printed on. The fast run times can make it a very economical option for Bulk orders. However, the labor intensive setup can make it expensive for small runs.
Choose Screen Printing for Specific Color Matching and Bulk/Group Orders with a minimum of two colours to save on the cost.
Screen Printing FAQs
What is the turnaround time for screenprinting?
Typical turnaround time is 7-15 business days + shipping time. Turnaround time is only an estimate, and it starts when your order is paid for AND we have all information to complete your job.
What is your largest print size?
The largest print size is 380mm wide by 500mm high
What if I have youth sizes and adult sizes in my order?
We can print on t-shirts ranging from toddler sizes all the way up to adult 5XL. But, you wouldn't want the same design size printed on all tees! Because of the screen printing processes, any time you want a different screen size, it requires a separate job all together. So, if you had 50 toddler sizes, 50 youth sizes, and 50 adult sizes, they would each be priced as 50qty jobs. (Not a 150qty job). The expection would be if you were printing youth and adult t shirts and the design on the smallest tee also fits ok on the largest t-shirts we can run these tees as one single job.
Can I provide my own shirts?
Yes, but we will need to know all the details before we can agree to print them, to make sure they are of a quality and type that we can use. We prefer to provide the shirts and hoodies, and with the amount of blank items that we buy annually, we get just about the best pricing possible, so it’s better economically for us to provide the blanks.
How long do screenprinted shirts last?
The durability with screenprinting is very good and will often outlast the life of the shirt itself. This is due to the amount of ink that is applied and how it is cured onto the shirt.
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