CUSTOM Screen printING
Screen Printing Overview
Custom screen printing is a very common and popular form of apparel decoration for custom shirts. An image is burned into a screen, and ink is pushed through the screen onto the garment with a squeegee. One screen is burned for each color in the design. The fewer colors in the design, and the larger the order is, the more sense screen printing makes over direct-to-garment printing. A+ Images is unique in the fact that we mainly offer one-color screen printing. Two-color screen printing is available in select circumstances. For most multiple colored designs, we use DTG.
Equipment:
We also have a unique system featuring disposable screens instead of the traditional reusable screens. This makes for a “green” system since we don’t flush the ink and chemicals used to wash the screens down the drain. We utilize an all electric Anatol Volt as our press, and the QS200 as our screen maker. Due to our unique setup, we cannot burn screens for other people. All inks used are from One-Stroke Inks, which are made in the USA and CPSC certified.
Video of our Anatol Volt in operation
Artwork:
We require vector art for screen printing. Since we only offer one color screen printing, files should be made using only black (CMYK value 60/60/0/100 or 100/100/100/100)
-File types: Corel Draw (.cdr), Adobe Illustrator (.ai), .svg, .eps, and in some cases, .pdf files. Please DO NOT use Photoshop and save it as an EPS file…it is not the same as a vector art .eps file made with vector art software.
If you don’t have professional graphic design software, you can use our online designer, or have us create something for you. We can also convert rastor images to vector art for a fee.
Print Locations:
We mainly screen print on the front and/or back of a garment, up to 13″ wide x 15″ tall. Short sleeves can be printed as well. Long sleeves can be printed if the sleeve fits onto our sleeve pallet. This varies by size and style. We do not print on non-flat areas of a garment (over or above pockets, seams, zippers), hoods, other specialty locations.
Printable Fabrics:
Using the colors listed below, we screen print on 100% cotton and 50/50 cotton/polyester t-shirt blends. White, black, red, and Vegas gold inks are available for 100% polyester garments as well. Fleece and tri-blend jobs are treated on a case-by-case basis. We do not screen print vinyl, nylon, or any other types of garments, but t-shirt vinyl could be a viable alternative. Additional costs for ordering specialty inks in colors we do not already stock will apply.
Anatol Volt Screen Printing Press
Our QS2536 thermal screen maker
Ink Colors:
We currently stock Black, Green, Forest Green, Light Gold, Navy, Orange, Purple, Red, Royal, White, Fluorescent Green, Metallic Silver, and Metallic Gold.
Curing:
Curing the ink is very important. Proper curing must occur to achieve washability and a long-lasting print. Many decorators rush this step and while the design looks done, will not make it through the wash. A good way to know if a print is cured is to stretch it. If the ink stays in place, the print is cured. If it cracks, the ink has not bonded to the shirt. This will fall off in the wash prematurely and you will not be pleased. Stop by our office and we can show you this in person.
Garment Care:
Once you have your garment, proper care is necessary to achieve a normal garment and print life. For all garments, we recommend cold-water washing inside out and hang drying. You may tumble dry on fluff (no heat). Never iron over the decoration. Following these steps will help you achieve the maximum amount of life for your garment. Remember, no garment or print is designed to last forever!
Black ink on white cotton shirts
Watercolor black ink on 50/50 cotton/poly shirts
White ink on black polyester
White ink on cotton t-shirt
Metallic Silver ink on black cotton
Two-color screen print design on cotton/poly shirts
We have samples of all this and more in our office. Please schedule an appointment and check them out, get your questions answered, and see if screen printing is right for your apparel project!
If you are looking for custom screen printing in the Indianapolis Metropolitan area (Alexandria, Anderson, Arcadia, Avon, Bargersville, Beech Grove, Broadripple, Brooklyn, Brownsburg, Camby, Carmel, Chesterfield, Cicero, Clayton, Clermont, Cloverdale, Cumberland, Danville, Edgewood, Edinburgh, Elwood, Fishers, Fortville, Franklin, Frankton, Greencastle, Greenfield, Greenwood, Indianapolis, Ingalls, Lapel, Lawrence, Lebanon, Martinsville, McCordsville, Meridian Hills, Monrovia, Mooresville, Morristown, Nashville, New Palestine, New Whiteland, Noblesville, Pendleton, Pittsboro, Plainfield, Princes Lakes, Shelbyville, Sheridan, Southport, Speedway, St. Paul, Thorntown, Trafalgar, Warren Park, Westfield, Whiteland, Whitestown, and Zionsville), A+ Images can help.
Not located in one of these cities? We also service Bloomington, Fort Wayne, Terre Haute, Evansville, Northwest Indiana, along with the entire country! Contract screen printing services are available.
For questions about the custom screen printing process, please contact Doug via email, or call 317-405-8955.