8 Things You Need to Know About Screen Printing
When starting the process of purchasing custom t-shirts you’re immediately met with questions concerning the technique you would like to use for the customization of your product. But before you go searching Google for “screen printing near me” and end up on the phone with someone at the front desk who really doesn’t know what they’re talking about- let us help! For experts like us, this is easy peasy, but for the common individual- who even knows what screen printing is?
The process of screen printing requires just two elements, ink and a screen- which is basically just a mesh stencil. Only one screen is used for each color to be printed, so each shirt could require up to six stencils to complete the process . Printers start out by lining up (or registering) the screen on a test sheet to ensure that all of the colors are correctly aligned. When everything seems to be set, the ink is then pushed through the screens a single color at a time onto the apparel, and then sent through a large dryer to ensure the curing of the ink.
Screen Printing is what we in the t-shirt business like to call an art form. The extreme attention to detail that goes into the process of screen printing is absolutely crucial- and because we at Crooked Monkey know the process like the back of our hand, we know exactly how to deliver the type of quality screen printed products that you and your company deserve.
Although our team is always available and ready to help out in any way that we can, we thought we’d make things a bit easier for you. We at Crooked Monkey have put together a list of eight bits of must know information about screen printing so that you can ensure you are choosing the perfect customization technique for your custom company apparel. Check it out!
1. Screen Printing Goes Beyond T-Shirts
One of the most common misconceptions about screen printing is that the technique is used strictly for t-shirts- this couldn’t be more false! Here at Crooked Monkey we can screen print a number of items including but not limited to jackets, flags, signs, back packs, lanyards and tote bags!
2. You Aren’t Confined to Cotton
People tend to think that when it comes to screen printing, your confined to cotton apparel. Think again! There are tons of great fabrics that work just as great with screen printing- including polyester, silk, viscose, and more!
3. Sample Prints
People often ask why we can’t offer them a sample print of their shirt or why we can’t just order a single screen printed item. As much as we would love to offer you everything you could dream of and more, there is always reasoning behind our madness- Once a screen printing press is set up and ready, it really doesn’t matter how many shirts are being printed.When you increase the quantity of shirts, it allows for our printers to ditch some of the overhead cost and save you some money. This is exactly why we encourage our customers to order larger quantities of shirts and why we cannot offer a single sample screen printed item.
4. Variance in Placement
Because apparel is manually placed on the press, art placement may see a slight variance from one garment to the next. It is important to keep this in mind as you are designing your shirts as well as when you receive the completed product. Don’t worry- the standard variance is often not noticeable, but it is something we like to make sure our customers are aware of and understand when it comes to screen printing.
5. Geometric Designs Differ Upon Print
Although a geometric shapes such as a circle or a square may look absolutely perfect on your digital mock up, they tend to look a bit differently upon print. When a garment is stretched over the frame for screen printing, the thread separate slightly- which can lead to a geometric shape that doesn’t look completely symmetrical. And- because our bodies aren’t as flat as the screen in which your digital mock up was delivered, the slight difference is inevitable.
6. Certain Materials and Inks Just Don't Mix
We told you screen printing was an art form, and art forms are never plain and simple. Unfortunately, there are certain inks that do not mesh well with certain materials. For example, Discharge inks work best on shirts that are 100% cotton and light water based ink on darker garments will often lead to a faded look of your screen print. We know that’s a lot to remember, and there’s plenty more to know. That’s why our experienced customer service team will always be available to advise you on the best way to achieve the desired look for your custom apparel.
7. Same Custom Design but Different Shirts?
Although you can’t change your design from one small batch of prints to the next, you are more than welcome to change the garment. This means that you are able to use different styles of shirts but in similar colors on the same screen printing setup- which makes for the perfect opportunity to print the same custom design on both a men’s and women’s style of garment!
8. No-Feel Print
In most cases, you don’t want to feel the ink as you run your hand across the front of your new custom apparel. The best way to achieve this is through the use of water based inks in the screen printing process. Unfortunately, the only way to truly achieve that no feel print is after washing your garments!
