Quick Stats About Printed T Shirts

With screen printing t-shirts, you may either design your own t-shirts or use one of the standard designs provided by those firms that focus on t-shirt printing. However if you want to design your own t-shirt, you'll find certain facets of screen printing you should understand, given that they effect on the type of design you can use.

To begin with, a brief description of what is involved with screen printing:

Screen Printing T-Shirts: the Process

The Screen - At one time this process was known 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 prior to the screens can be made, an explanation of the technique will be necessary so you may understand the limitations in your design. First, a mesh will be required with holes large enough to permit the ink to be squeezed through it. An average mesh will be 110 (110 threads/inch), with lower for thicker inks and block images, and better for thinner inks and many 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 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 into the box as well as a tool known as a 'squeegee' is pulled across, forcing the ink over the mesh. The ink is then dried, leaving the image on the t-shirt.

While 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 will run together. For more colours, the process must be repeated. Only delineated areas of individual colour can be printed, so it's not possible to merge one shade into another when screen printing t-shirts.

It should be apparent that a whole new screen is required for each different colour unless the pattern is precisely the 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 that will be online printed t shirts in a run, then the cheaper it gets for each individual garment.

Other printing methods, for example digital printing, can print multiple colours with virtually no increase 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 can be very opaque, and can cover any deep colour beneath it. Digital printing struggles to print light shades on top of dark, for example 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 much more stable and are thicker so give greater coverage. You need offer no specific washing instructions.

Screen is incredibly 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