Screen Printing
T-Shirt Screen Printing is the process of decorating a material with a stenciled design by forcing ink through a mesh screen, transferring the design from the screen onto the material.
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Traditionally, the design stencils were hand-cut or painted, but to day the screens are coated with a photo emulsion which creates a negative image from the design transparency when exposed to UV light. The term "silk screening" comes from the silk mesh that was originally used on the screens, but today's screens use a polyester mesh on a wooden or aluminum frame. Each color is printed one-at-a-time from a separate screen, either by a person holding a squeegee in the case of a manual printing press, or by a machine which pulls the squeegee in the case of an automatic printing press.
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Pricing is based on the number of colors in your design.
Screen printing on dark colored items is more expensive because it requires a white under-base in most cases. The prices of custom screen printing in t-shirts is quantity based. The more you buy, the lower the price goes.
Picking PMS Colors
PMS Color Matching is available upon request with an additional fee. However, there is an issue with Pantone matching; not every color looks the same on every monitor. A certain red on your screen mat appear to be different red on ours. There is no universal color calibration for our computers. It is always best to try to supply your own Pantone colors if possible.
Print Size
Tank Tops
Most tank tops are low cut at both the neckline and the sleeves. Sizing may need to be different than regular t-shirts and require an additional setup.
V-Necks
The neckline of the v-neck may cut into the design. please take this into account when you are designing your shirt. When we print v-neck items we are printing the imprint based on the v on the shirt, typically 2.5" below the v-neck. If you order a deep v tee this will place your print lower on the garment.
Girls/Ladies Tees
When ordering men's and ladies shirts, please keep in mind that the print size can look different based on the size of the shirt - when sizing your art, our sizing is based on the smallest item in your order, unless you specify differently.
Youth Garments and Adult Garments
We size to fit the smallest garment. You can do two different sized arts for adult and youth, keep in mind that increases the Set Up/Screen Fees and Quantity Pricing is only based on the number of items getting that print at the same size for that order. Please request youth and adult sizing at the same time of your quote.
Click Below to Learn More about the Do's and Don'ts of Screen Printing.
Additional Printing Information
Our turnaround time is completed, on average, within 10 - 14 business days.
Are you in a rush to get your order completed before our average completion time? Well, you're in luck, we do offer rush services depending on our current production. Please inquire about a rush fee before you approve your quote so the production schedule can be verified.
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Minimums - Screen Printing has a minimum, starting at 12 pieces with the same art. Prices change based on quantity being ordered at that same time. Screen Fees are based on the number of colors and locations and are charged on every order placed/set-up.
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Process Printing
Process Printing is best used for artwork with high amounts of detail or color. While the print will still be vibrant and highly detailed, you will lose some elements of detail from what you see on the computer to the design itself.
If you are printing a complex design such as a photograph, or complex artwork with lots of shading and want to retain the best amount of detail, process printing is the best way to go. We also recommend using lighter colored shirts for this type of printing.
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What are Underages (aka Spoilage)?
Due to the nature of the screen printing process it is very common for a shirt or two to be missing from your order. Shirts can get damaged during the printing process or we might get shorted by the vendor. In order to keep prices down, we cannot order extra shirts. Please keep this in mind when ordering (it is never a bad idea to order extras).
We always do our best to get you what you ordered. Whatever you don't receive will be refunded or credited to you.
If your Screen Printing question was not answered on this page, refer to the FAQ page for additional information of our process.