Screen Printing

What is Screen Printing?

Custom screen printing is one of the most popular and time-tested methods for decorating t-shirts and other apparel. Perfect for bold, vibrant designs, screen printing involves transferring ink through a mesh screen that has your design "burned" into it. Each color in your design requires its own screen, making this method best suited for simple artwork and high-volume orders.

At our shop, we can print designs with up to 6 or 7 colors, but keep in mind that additional colors increase production time and cost. If your artwork is highly detailed or contains many colors, we recommend considering DTF (Direct-to-Film) or DTG (Direct-to-Garment) printing instead.

custom screen printing

Screen Printing Artwork Requirements

To ensure the best print quality, we require vector artwork for all screen printing jobs. Use Pantone colors in your file if you can.

Accepted File Types:

  • Adobe Illustrator (.ai)
  • CorelDRAW (.cdr)
  • Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)
  • Encapsulated PostScript (.eps)
  • Vector-based PDF (.pdf)

Please avoid using Photoshop to save a file as .eps—that doesn’t create true vector artwork.

Need help? We offer artwork creation and raster-to-vector conversion services for a small fee.

Screen Printing Locations

We offer screen printing on flat areas of a garment only. Most common locations include:

  • Full front or full back (up to 16" wide x 18" tall)
  • Short sleeves
  • Long sleeves or pant legs (only if the garment fits our sleeve platen)

We do not print on:

  • Over seams or pockets
  • Hoods
  • Zippers
  • Specialty or non-flat areas

Fabrics We Screen Print On

We screen print on a variety of fabric types, including:

  • 100% cotton
  • 50/50 cotton/poly blends
  • Tri-blends
  • 100% polyester
  • Fleece
  • Nylon

Why Ink Curing Matters

Curing is a critical step in the screen printing process. Properly cured ink ensures your design will stay vibrant and durable after many washes. Unfortunately, some printers rush this step, which leads to cracking, fading, or peeling prints.

Pro tip: If the ink stretches without cracking, it’s properly cured. If it cracks, it wasn’t fully cured and may not last long in the wash.

Screen Printed Garment Care Tips

To keep your custom-printed apparel looking great:

  • Wash inside out in cold water
  • Hang dry or tumble dry on no heat/fluff
  • Never iron over screen-printed designs

With proper care, your screen printed apparel can look great for years. Just remember, no garment or print lasts forever—treat it well and it’ll go the distance.

Interested in Screen Printing?

Browse our catalogs to view most of the items we can provide for you, but keep in mind we have access to more products that are not.  You may supply your own garments as well.  Just make sure they are new and legally tagged. Click the button below to get a quote and we'll help you Keep Your Brand Bloomin'!