The New Angle On Printed Shirts Just Released

With screen printing t-shirts, you can either design your own t-shirts or use among the standard designs provided by those firms that focus on t-shirt printing. However if you want to design your own t-shirt, you will discover certain aspects of screen printing you should understand, while they influence on the kind of design you can use.

First of all, a brief description of what is associated with screen printing:

Screen Printing T-Shirts: the Process

The Screen - At one time this process was known as silk screen printing, since the screens used were made from silk. It was a popular printing technique in China, hence the silk, but modern polymer fibres now enable us to use synthetic screens which are considerably less expensive.

Although the artwork will be needed before the screens can be made, an explanation of the technique will be necessary so you may understand the limitations within your design. First of all, a mesh is required with holes big enough to enable the ink to be squeezed through it. A typical mesh will be 110 (110 threads/inch), with lower for thicker inks and block images, and higher for thinner inks and even more definition.

The mesh is coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, and the artwork placed under it. Light is exposed up over the screen, and where the light hits the screen, the chemical solidifies and covers the mesh. The design area stops the light, so in the event the screen is washed, the place of the design is clear of emulsion, as the rest is solid. This really is true whether screen printing t-shirts or any other item.

The Printing - The screen is mounted in a box, and also the garment is placed under the box. Ink is poured in to the box and also a tool known as a 'squeegee' is pulled across, forcing the ink throughout the mesh. The ink is then dried, leaving the image on the t-shirt.

As you would ever guess, this process is suitable only for an individual colour per printing because only one colour can be poured within the mesh box or they might run together. For more colours, the process must be repeated. Only delineated areas of individual colour can be quality printed t shirts, so it really is not possible to merge one shade into another when screen printing t-shirts.

It should be apparent that a new screen is needed for each different colour unless the pattern is exactly the exact same. This adds to the price, and screen printing t-shirts is expensive for individual garments. There's a fixed set-up cost and then an additional cost for each colour. The more t-shirts that can be printed in a run, then the cheaper it gets for each individual garment.

Other printing methods, for example digital printing, can print multiple colours without any rise in price. So why use screen printing for t-shirts rather than just digital? There are a number of reasons:

Advantages of Screen T-Shirt Printing

Screen printing is advantageous if you design your own t-shirt with large areas of block colour. Digital printing, as well as other methods, cannot print large areas as effectively as screen.

Screen printing t-shirts is extremely opaque, as well as can cover any deep colour beneath it. Digital printing struggles to print light shades in addition to dark, for example pale blue on bright yellow, without it looking green.

Screen printing is great for whites, and also with DTG jet printers, white on dark often lasts no more than two or three washes. Screen inks are much more stable and are thicker so give greater coverage. You may need offer no specific washing instructions.

Screen is very cost effective if you have only one colour, and if you have longer runs screen beats most other methods for economy and price.

The colours are brighter and stand out more when screen printing t-shirts