Screen Printing Questions

Both Screen-Printing and Embroidery are great ways to decorate your garment, and they both have their advantages. While the option you choose is a matter of personal taste, some garments definitely lend themselves better to one form of decoration over the other. For each product in our Product Catalogue, we will give you the option to obtain a quote for both methods so you can compare pricing. If a garment is NOT recommended for Printing or Embroidery, that option will not be shown.

Screen-Printing

Durable: Long gone are the days when you had to worry about a printed image washing off, peeling, or fading. Our Screen Printing is done to last, and will withstand years of repeated washings and wearings.

Cost-Effective: In many cases, Screen Printing is more cost-effective than Embroidery.

Embroidery

Very Durable:  Embroidered images are sewn right on to the garment, so they’re there forever.

Garment Types:  More suitable for certain garment types such as Outerwear, Headwear, Polar Fleece, and Business Wear. Please see Embroidery Questions FAQ.

Screen printing and DTF (Direct-to-Film) heat transfers are different methods of decorating garments, and each has situations where it works well.

With screen printing, ink is pushed through a fine mesh screen directly onto the fabric. Each ink colour is generally printed separately. Screen printing is particularly well suited to larger quantities and designs with a limited number of colours, and produces a very durable result.

With DTF, the complete design is first printed onto a special transfer film and then applied to the garment using heat and pressure. DTF is particularly well suited to highly detailed or full-colour artwork and can be more practical for smaller quantities.

Screen printing generally has a softer, more natural feel because the ink becomes part of the printed surface of the fabric. A DTF transfer sits more on top of the fabric and can have a slightly smoother or shinier appearance.

Both methods can produce excellent results. The best choice depends on the artwork, number of colours, quantity, garment colour, image size, and level of detail required.

No.

Forget all of those images you have of "the old days" when screen-printed images would wash off or fade.

Our screen prints should last for as long as you own your garment. It will not peel, wash off, or fade.

There are "typical" places on a garment that get printed.

We provide some of these, and some sizing guidelines below.

Often, we are asked to print onto unusual locations. For each garment, we provide a chart showing some of the additional options for that particular garment.

We generally advise that you do NOT print over seams of garments.

Image size can be a matter of personal taste. It can also be a matter of "good" taste. We've printed a lot of t-shirts in our day, so we have a pretty good sense of what is appropriate for a given location and one of our friendly Customer Service Reps will be happy to make recommendations for your particular situation. Feel free, however, to tell us if you have very specific dimensions you need your design to be.

Before we print your garments, we typically send you a mock-up that indicates the exact size we plan to print your image. Please check this over carefully to ensure we’re on the same page as you.

For most screen-printed garments, our maximum standard print area is approximately 12" wide x 14" high.

The practical maximum can vary depending on the garment, garment size, print location, and artwork. For example, an image that fits comfortably on an adult XL may be too large for a youth or small adult shirt.

If you are planning an unusually large image, send us your artwork and let us know what products and sizes you are considering. We can advise you on an appropriate print size for the entire order.

We do not offer true all-over screen printing. Our standard screen-printing area is approximately 12" x 14", depending on the garment and print location.

Some products in our catalogue, however, are specifically designed for dye-sublimation printing, which can allow artwork to cover much or all of the garment or product.

Dye sublimation is limited to suitable 100% polyester products and is not an option for ordinary cotton T-shirts and similar garments.

If you are looking for an all-over printed product, please contact us with what you have in mind. We can let you know whether there is an appropriate sublimated product available.

Terms we use for typical print locations, along with typical dimensions are:

Upper Left Chest

• Also referred to as "Above the Heart" or "Above the Pocket".
• Generally no larger than about 3 1/2 inches tall x 3 1/2 inches wide.
• It can be much smaller, but going much larger tends to look a bit gaudy.

 Midchest

• This is generally a print that spans one's chest.
• Often, it is more of a horizontal image than a vertical image.
• Typically, these shouldn't be much wider than about 11 inches across
• Hold a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper up to your own chest, sideways, and you'll see that 11" is plenty.
• Technically, though, if you need it to be wider, we can go up to about 14" across -- just remember that this means that a lot of your design will end up under peoples' armpits!

Full Front

• Realistically, this is probably no bigger than about 11" x 11".
• Hold a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper up to your front, and you'll see that 11" is generally tall enough, and 11" wide is generally wide enough
• Technically, we can print as large as about 14" x 14", but much of the print may get lost under people's armpits, or get tucked into their pants.

Full Back

• Realistically, this is probably no bigger than about 11" x 11".
• Hold a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper up to your the back of someone, and you'll see that 11" is generally tall enough, and 11" wide is generally wide enough.
• Technically, we can print as large as about 14" x 14", but much of the print may get lost under people's armpits, or get tucked into their pants.

"Across The Shoulders"

• As the term implies, this is a print relatively high on the back.
• Width is typically no more than about 12" wide, but we can go up to about 14" if you request it.

 Nape of the Neck or "Tag"

• This is generally a small print just below the neckline on the back of the shirt.
• Typically, it's about 3 " x 3" or smaller.

Sleeve Print

• Sleeve prints are typically about 3" across, and no larger than about 4" across.

Under most circumstances, we will e-mail you a mock-up of your order, so that you can see that we intend to print the correct designs in the correct locations, in the correct colours, and at the correct size. As with any proof, please review these proofs carefully.

Technically speaking, this can be done, but it is generally not the best way for you to spend your money.

Because we most often provide e-mailed mock-ups of your designs, it is generally redundant to see the first physical print.

If you are local and can make arrangements to be here when we go to press, we'd be happy to show you the first one off the press.

If you absolutely need to see the first print, we can do this for you send it out to you, but please bear in mind that you will end up paying the set-up charges twice -- once for this run, and once for the eventual full production run. To see the effect of this on your price, use our Online Quoting System, using a quantity of 1.

Yes.

It's not unusual that different colours of garments might need different ink colour schemes in order to look good.

Sometimes this is as simple as changing the colour of the ink in the screen, for which there is a nominal charge (please enquire).

However, depending on the design, it may be more complicated -- we may have to actually redo the artwork / burn new screens in order to make your design work properly on the alternate colours of garments.

Once we see your artwork, we can advise you better. Please use our Artwork Upload option at the end of the Enquiry Form to send us your graphic for our comments.

Yes. We can reproduce photographs, gradients, and other complex full-colour artwork on garments. Depending on the artwork, garment, and quantity, we may recommend either 4 Colour Process screen printing or DTF (Direct-to-Film) heat transfers.

We have been producing high-quality 4 Colour Process screen printing for more than 30 years. Similar to the way a colour printer creates an image, layers of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks are printed to reproduce a wide range of colours.

4 Colour Process is generally our preferred option for larger quantities and larger images. It is extremely durable and usually provides a softer, more natural feel because the ink absorbs into the fabric. On white garments there is almost no feel to the print. Dark garments require a white ink base, which can make the print somewhat heavier. 4 Colour Process can produce excellent image reproduction, although there can sometimes be very slight colour variations and the image can have a slightly more “grainy” appearance than DTF.

DTF may be a better choice for smaller quantities or particularly complex, colour-intensive artwork. DTF can produce exceptionally sharp images and is particularly useful when the accuracy of specific colours, very fine detail, or intricate elements in the artwork are especially important. The transfer has a soft feel but sits more on top of the fabric, so it has more of a “shiny” appearance than screen printing.

DTF is durable, but generally not as durable as a properly screen-printed image.

Which method we recommend depends on the quantity, image size, garment colour, complexity of the artwork, importance of precise colour reproduction, and level of fine detail required. Send us your artwork and project details and we can recommend the most appropriate method.

Almost anything. We can mix inks to come up with almost any colour. We have a wide range of "standard" colours, which work for most print jobs. If you need us to match a very specific colour (see Pantone Matching System), let us know. Depending on the level of accuracy required, there may be a small surcharge for this.

Yes.

We have a very good selection of "basic" colours, for which there is no ink-matching charge.

If you have a specific Pantone Colour you need us to match, we will match it. Depending on the level of accuracy you require, there may be a Pantone Matching Charge. Please enquire when you place your order.

Yes.

Garments can be personalized in several ways, including:

Embroidered Names, Numbers, and/or Positions

Thermofilm (Vinyl) Names or Numbers

Screen-Printed Names or Numbers (less cost-effective)

One of our friendly Customer Service Reps will be happy to discuss your options and pricing with you.

The type of garment you choose (brand and/or style)

The colour of garment you choose.

The number of colours in your design.

The number of locations that you choose to print.

The "trickiness" of the locations on which you choose to print (ie, sleeves and hoods incur a surcharge.)

The number of garments you are having printed (because any Set-up Charges are distributed over the total number of garments sharing those Set-ups).

The quality of the artwork you supply to us in the first place. See Artwork FAQ’s.

One Word: "Primer". Imagine that you have a house that is painted black, but you want it to be painted white. If you painted your house white, you'd find that one coat of paint wouldn't do the trick.

Same concept: we need to put down a layer of "primer". More set-ups + more printing = a slightly higher price (but a MUCH better looking house shirt!)

(Also, dark coloured garments generally cost more than light coloured garments.)

In most cases, our minimum quantity is between 12 and 18 pieces, although the exact minimum varies by product.

You can choose the product you have in mind from our catalogue and use our online quoting system. If the quantity you enter is below the minimum for that particular product, the system will let you know the applicable minimum.

For promotional products, the smallest quantity shown for a particular product is generally the minimum quantity available.

If you need substantially fewer pieces than our minimum, we're probably not the best fit for that particular project. You may want to search for a company specializing in single-unit, small-quantity, or Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing.

Please Note that our On-Line Quotes INCLUDE Screen Printing Set-ups in the price quoted.

"Set Ups" refer to Screen Set-ups, which is actually two steps:

a) Screen Burning: burning your images onto screens and

b) Press Set-up: Physically placing and aligning those screens in a Printing Press.

Both of these steps are relatively time consuming and can often take more time than the actual time it takes to print your order!

NOTE: Set-ups are not to be confused with "Artwork", which is getting artwork ready for the Screen Burning Phase, and for which you usually don't charge.

Very good (and very Frequently Asked!) Questions.

We DO keep your ARTWORK on file indefinitely, but we do not keep the actual SCREENS (onto which your images are burnt) for more than a few days after we have run the job.

When a print job is complete, the screens are removed from the press, and are usually "stripped" (ie, the images are removed from the screens) within a day or two. So, when you call us up to run your job again, we have to burn your screens and set up the press all over again.

However, if you are relatively certain that you will be re-running your job in the very near future, we can save you some money.

We have some customers who rerun the same job every few weeks. In such instances, we WILL save your screens if you ask us to. And while we must take the screens out of the press in order to run other jobs, we will simply set the screens aside for a week or two until we hear from you. (That is, we will not strip the actual images from the screens).

In these instances, when you place your reorder, we must set up the press again, but we will only charge you half of our normal set-up charge for this. If we haven't heard from you within a week or so, we may have to strip the screens, in which case we'd be back to full set-up pricing.

Unfortunately, no.

Because each design has it's own set-ups (See Screen Set-ups), each design is treated (and priced) separately, and is treated as if each design came from a separate customer.

Having said that, if you have a particularly large order that consists of several different components, please call us to discuss pricing options.

We generally recommend purchasing the garments through us, but we can print onto customer-supplied garments in some circumstances.

For customer-supplied garments, our minimum is 24 pieces of the same design. Garments must be new, clean, and unworn.

Because we have no control over garments supplied by the customer, we cannot accept responsibility for damage or replacement if something goes wrong during production. Printing prices on customer-supplied garments are also higher than when we supply the garments ourselves.

If you are considering supplying your own garments, please contact us before purchasing or shipping them so we can confirm that they are suitable for the intended decoration.