What An Expert In Printed Shirts Has To Say
With screen printing t-shirts, you can either design your own t-shirts or use among the standard designs offered by those firms that specialize in t-shirt printing. However if you want to design your own t-shirt, you can find certain aspects of screen printing you should understand, since they influence on the type of design you may use.
Foremost, a brief description of what is associated with screen printing:
Screen Printing T-Shirts: the Process
The Screen - At one time this process was described as silk screen printing, because 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.
However the artwork will be needed before the screens may be made, an explanation of the technique will be necessary so you can understand the limitations within your design. First of all, a mesh is essential with holes big enough to enable the ink to be squeezed through it. A normal mesh will be 110 (110 threads/inch), with lower for thicker inks and block images, and better for thinner inks and a lot more definition.
The mesh is coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, and also the artwork placed under it. Light is exposed up through the screen, and where the light hits the screen, the chemical solidifies and covers the mesh. The design area stops the light, so when the screen is washed, the place of the design is clear of emulsion, as the rest is solid. This is true whether screen printing t-shirts or some other item.
The Printing - The screen is mounted in a box, and the garment is placed under the box. Ink is poured into the box and also a tool described as a 'squeegee' is pulled across, forcing the ink click through the up coming website the mesh. The ink is then dried, leaving the image on the t-shirt.
While you can imagine, this process is suitable only for just one colour per printing because just one colour may be poured in the mesh box or they would run together. For more colours, the process must be repeated. Only delineated areas of individual colour may be printed, so it is not possible to merge one shade into another when screen printing t-shirts.
It should be apparent that a brand 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 is a fixed set-up cost and then yet another cost for each colour. The more t-shirts which are printed in a run, then the cheaper it gets for each individual garment.
Other printing methods, such as digital printing, can print multiple colours without the rise in price. So why use screen printing for t-shirts rather than just digital? There are various 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, can't print large areas as effectively as screen.
Screen printing t-shirts is quite opaque, and also can cover any deep colour beneath it. Digital printing struggles to print light shades together with dark, such as pale blue on bright yellow, without it looking green.
Screen printing is great for whites, as well as with DTG jet printers, white on dark often lasts no more than two or three washes. Screen inks are far more stable and are thicker so give greater coverage. You need offer no specific washing instructions.
Screen will be extremely cost effective if you have just one colour, and should 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
