SCREENPRINTING

WHAT IS SCREEN PRINTING?

What is screen printing? ..Our bread & butter! Screen printing is one of the oldest forms of printing for garments & posters. It is a technique used where ink is pushed through a mesh stencil to print a colour/image. Each colour requires it's own screen. The screens are then lined up (registered) to one another.

Depending on print size, location, quantities, or ink type we will decide whether to print using our automated press.. or do it the good old fashion way; by hand! Either way, we always make sure our prints meet a high standard.

Screen printing is still the most effective way of printing t-shirts. Digital has still not taken over just yet!

how much does it cost?

Minimum print runs start at 20 pieces. Prices will depend on which garment we are printing on. We have put together a selection of options in Special Offers, so this should help you get a rough idea of our costs. We have a massive selection of garments available to us, check out our full collection. If you can't find what you're looking for, email us and it's very possible we can find something for you or already have a contact/account with the brand you're after. We also manufacturer our own clothing so could have other possibilities.

Prices drop the more you order. To take advantage of our best prices we recommend ordering over 50 for smaller runs.

ink types

We're always exploring new inks and styles of printing. There are many options for print finishes, if you're looking for something specific (high gloss shine, smooth, washed out, etc,) - Just ask!

plastisol

The most common "standard" ink for garment printing. The majority of printers will use plastisol. Especially on harder wearing garments such as sweatshirts and hoodies.

It's great for it's vibrant colours, colour accuracy and washability. We've seen t-shirts printed by us in the early 90's still going strong... so it's certainly reliable.

We would also use plastisol for hard to print/weird shape garments; by printing a plastisol transfer and heat applying to the chosen garment.. Mainly trucker hats.

discharge

Want a super soft "no print" feel on your t-shirt? Discharge is what you're looking for. Discharge works like bleach. When curing/drying, the ink produces a chemical reaction with the cotton, evaporating the colour from the t-shirt and replacing it with the chosen ink colour. After 1 wash you won't even be able to feel the print.

Ideally used on dark garments with at least 80% cotton content. The more cotton the better the result. The colour accuracy & vibrancy is a little harder to achieve than with plastisol, and overtime the colour will not be as opaque as it originally looked.

DISCHARGE/PLASTISOL MIX

One of our favourite ways to print. We put a discharge underbase under a plastisol print. Blending the inks together can leave the plastisol feeling smoother and also gives a great contrast between highlights & backgrounds.

Using a mix of inks gives us more control over the colour matching and all round visibility/accuracy of your print.

As this uses a discharge underbase, this method of printing is really ideal for garments containing at least 80% cotton.

waterbased

Becoming more and more popular for the "super soft" prints. Waterbased inks work in the same way as discharge, without the chemical reaction.

Waterbased inks are very opaque, making them ideal for lighter colour garments. Though the inks are evolving all the time and there are now "super cover" waterbased options for darker colour fabrics.

specialist inks

Looking for something else? There are so many ink options it's insane.. Here's a few more possibilities from our extensive range. Still not found what you're looking for? Contact us.