Screen Printing

Everything You Need To Know Screen Printing T-Shirts

A blue drawstring hoodie with custom embroidery on it. The embroidered patch is a circle with the word

Durability

Screen printing is the most durable of all printing methods, because of the thick layers of ink absorbed into the garment.

The nature of screen printing also makes printed garments less sun-light sensitive, making it perfect for the real outdoor’s person.

Though these prints can tolerate wear and tear well, it’s important to follow proper screen print care to ensure your shirt lasts a long time!

Texture

In terms of texture, screen printing has a bit of grit, and feels grainy to the touch. 

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What Is Screen Printing?

Like the name, screen printing starts with screens. We cut your design into a mesh, and with your shirt underneath, spread ink on top. The ink flows through the pre-cut stencil, and into your design.

The number of colours in your design determines how many screens we use. 

A design with one colour will use one screen, and a design with five will need five screens, and so on. 

The more colours you have in a design, the more expensive it will be to screen print. This is why screen printing is best for designs with 1- 6 colours.

Screen Printing rocks at:

  • School uniforms
  • Grad hoodies
  • Summer programs & non-profit shirts

What You’ll Need To Screen Print:

We highly recommend that you send us your design as a Vector file. This is so your design will stay crisp and sharp even when printed.

Alternatively, a PNG with a high DPI (300 dpi) is also fine, but we can not guarantee the same quality.

In Summary: The Pros & Cons Of Screen Printing

What You’ll Love About Screen Printing:  

  • Very durable. Screen printing often outlives the garment it’s printed on.
  • Excellent for simple designs. Simple designs such as those made out of solid colours and shapes will benefit greatly from screen printing. Schools, teams and non-profit organizations love screen printing because of quality, and affordability from ordering in bulk.
  • Vibrant colours. Plastisol, the ink we use to print with, remains thick and opaque even after the printing process.

Things To Keep In Mind:

  • Price increases per colour in design. The more colours your design has, the more screens are required to make your print. (Which makes it more expensive) If you’re thinking of screen printing your shirts, be sure that your design has, ideally, less than 6 colours. 1-3 colours are the most cost effective option.  
  • Expensive for small quantities. Screen printing can be quite expensive for small orders. (Less than 12 shirts) If you want to print just a few shirts, vinyl might be a better option for you.
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How To Care For Screen Printed Clothes

Washing Instructions

  • Flip inside out, wash in cold water.

    This prevents your print from fading. Wash with similar colours.

    Use a mild detergent. Do not use detergents that contain bleach!

Drying Instructions

  • Flip inside out, dry at low tumble setting.

    If possible, take out the garment before it’s completely dry and hang it (out of sunlight) as repeated washes and excessive heat may fade the print. 

  • Hang dry, out of direct sunlight.

    Air/Hang drying  is one of the best ways maintain a screen printed garment!

Ironing Instructions

  • Flip inside out, iron at a low heat setting.

    Ironing directly onto the print will cause it to melt, and warp your design. We also recommend to iron your garment with another cloth on top of it, just to be safe. 

General Care

  • Do not dry clean.

    Chemicals used in dry cleaning may harm and damage your print. 

  • Do not bleach.

    If you must, use a cloth and spot clean your garment.

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Thank you for your inquiry. We will get back to you within the day!

 

telephone

(647) 553-3464

address

349 Columbia Street
New Westminster, British Columbia
V3L5H7