Money Saving Tips
1. Print fewer colors. Each color requires additional set-up time and materials. If you have a large order...go crazy...additional colors are relatively cheap at higher quantities.
2. Print in fewer locations on your item to avoid added cost from printing complexity. A shirt with two colors on the front will be cheaper than one color on the front and a one on the back...and we can be more creative with a two color design.
3.
Order light colored T-shirts as manufacturers charge more for dark colors. You
can also avoid flashing charges
4. Order in larger quantities. Our costs decrease and the savings are passed on to our customers. Our Quantity price breaks are at 12, 36, 72, 144, and up. We will do smaller quantities under special circumstances but it's not easy being cost effective at those levels.
5. If you are designing your shirt, try incorporating the shirt color into your design. By leaving holes in the design for the shirt to show through you can create the illusion of an extra color without the added cost.
General Tips
1. In order to get a larger imprint on your shirt, your design should be wider than it is tall. A tall design will be limited in width and may look too small.
2. Printing light colors on dark requires flashing. This is when we lay the ink, dry it, and lay down another coat. This helps prevent the dye in the shirt from mixing with the ink. For example: A white imprint on a red shirt could turn pink without proper flashing.
Screen
Printing Alternatives
High quality Heat Transfers are a common alternative to the screen printing process.
Transfers allows full color printing on the t-shirt of your choice. This
process however is not a direct print. It uses a process that
"transfers" a photo onto the substrate using a commercial heat press.
There are a few advantages to this process. One, it is much cheaper than screen printing because the set-up charges are eliminated. Two, It allows the printer to use full color photography to transfer your design to the shirt. And finally, in most instances, there are no minimum orders.
Screen Printing vs. Embroidery
The first major difference between the two processes is price. Embroidery is definitely the more expensive alternative. The setup costs and digitizing fees are considerably more than screen printing.
If embroidery is your choice make sure to choose a garment thick enough to support the stitching of the embroidery process. Screen printing is more adequately suited for lighter garments.