SCREEN PRINTING
Camera Ready Art:
Is high quality black and white artwork that is ready to be processed and used for printing. No colors please. If the design is multi-colored, a separate black on white image is required for each color (plates). As an alternative to numerous plates, we could use a black on white plate that is a complete outline of the design. We then would scan the plate into our system and add the respective colors where indicated by you.
Camera Ready Art is not:
• Any type of photocopy
• Anything Faxed
• Business cards, existing tshirts, or other printed items.
• Dirty artwork – smudges, pencil lines, smudges, marks, etc.
• Tone images – Black and white photos, Color photos.
Files Types:
We need images/designs in a Vector format (corel draw, Adobe Illustrator, etc) versus a “Bitmap” format (internet images, .gif, .jpg, .bmp, jpeg, etc). If you are using a “scanned image” it is a Bitmap. Images from websites and the Internet are not only Bitmaps but usually only 72 DPI (dots per inch) and very low resolution = low quality for printing. These look great on your computer monitor but are not useable for printing.
If you need our opinion on your artwork, or an estimate on how best to do the design for screen printing, then send us the Bitmap (.gif, .tiff, jpeg, jpg or .bmp)image via EMAIL and we can give you an idea how best we can print the design. Remember however that this is not useable art for printing.
The best file formats to use for screen printing are: .cdr (corel draw), .eps (encapsulated postscript) or .wmf (windows metafile).
Emailing your artwork / design:
Yes. Sending your artwork via email is common. We receive many emails with attached artwork each day. Please be sure and use the above information and file formats. You can reduce the size of the artwork to an acceptable level for emailing as we will enlarge or reduce to fit the smallest garment in any order. After re-doing your artwork into our graphics system, we will email to you for your approval.
We suggest that you first “test send” your email with artwork to yourself, before sending to us. Simply attach your graphics file to an email addressed to your own email address, then send. Usually, what you receive (see) is what we will see.
We will scale your design to fit the garment, so no need to send us a 100% scale.
Mailing your artwork:
Yes you can “snail mail”, or UPS your design to us on paper (hard copy – black ink on white paper only please), or on a disk. We are PC base so your disk should be a PC disk and your artwork should be in the desired file format as indicated above. We can accept art files on 3.5″ floppy disks or on CD. Artwork and getting it into a useable format is the basis of any order for a quality final product.
Screen Print General Info: (scroll down)
Screenprinting is the process of placing a wet ink on a substrate (item) – like t-shirts, sweats, aprons, towels, poster board, vinyl, glass, wood, etc. The wet ink is then cured; in the case of garments, through a conveyorized heat oven at about 320 degrees. In “spot color” screen printing each color requires it’s own screen.
Each final design (artwork) is sized according to the SMALLEST size garment in each order. Example: in an order of 20- youth mediums, 10 adult mediums and 3 adult XXLs, the final design is made to fit the youth mediums.
You can COMBINE our t-shirt syles, sweatshirt styles and polo shirt styles to reach any Quantity Price Break (ie: 36, 48, 72, 100, 150, 300) as long as each garment will get the SAME EXACT imprinting – ink colors, location on garment, etc. Garments cannot be combined with Aprons, Caps, or Tote Bags since these require different print tables, different screens and different printing pocesses.
Usually screen print image sizes are:
Youth sizes: “full size” back or front is about 8″ wide. Adult sizes:about 10-11″ wide. “Left-chest” or “right-chest” imprint sizes are usually 3-4″ wide. A sleeve imprint is usually 2-3″ wide. We can imprint a “center-chest” from 3 to 6″ wide. We can also imprint a “center-back” from 3″ to 6″. Height of design is sized accordingly since a t-shirt limit is it’s width – longer than it is wide.
If you have a specific size for your image imprint please advise – indicate on your design or via an email. Same for location of print. If nothing is indicated on our Order Form, or via email, we will process your order as being a “full-front” or “full-back” image. If you indicate neither front, nor back well will contact you.
Remember imprint locations are: “full-front”,”full-back”,”center-chest”,”center-back”, “left-chest”, “right-chest”, “left-sleeve”, “right-sleeve”- all as if you were WEARING the garment.
Dark Color Garments versus White or Light Color Garments:
Like painting a house that is dark brown (black, red, navy, forest, etc.) using white, or light color of paint, it may need two coats or an underbase. The same holds true for screenprinting any LIGHTER color of inks on a DARKER color of garment.
When printing on dark colors of garments a separate screen of white underbase is highly recommended. This underbase keeps the “top” (viewed) colors from “blending” with the dark background (garment dye) which produces a muted image color (known as bleeding). If white ink is not one of your design colors, then you need to ADD this white screen to the total colors in your design – can increase your costs. Also the graphics for printing on dark colors are more “bold” – without fine details since a heavy layer of light colored ink must be applied in order to cover the dark substrate and prevent bleeding.
Photographs (black and white, or colored) are not useable for textile printing. Photos are composed of fine dots which get lost in the screen mesh and in the course weave (woven, not smooth like paper, vinyl or you monitor) of the garments. For the same reason avoid shades, blends, and shadows in your artwork for screen printing on textiles. Anything composed of dots should be avoided.
The BEST artwork for printing on textiles is: – the bolder, the less complicated, the more eve-appeal (like reading a highway billboard – only a quick view to get the message).
Please email us with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your artwork, layouts, imprint sizes / locations, etc.
The fastest way to reach us is via email.
Money Saving Tips:
• Print fewer ink colors (each color requires a separate screen)
• Print on fewer locations (like front only instead of front and back)
• Use White or Ash Grey t-shirts (other colors cost more).
• Order in larger quantities (price breaks at 36, 48, 72, 150, 300, etc)
The only form of artwork we can accept as “camera ready”(that will not incurr artwork fees) are vector grahic images saved as either CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, or EPS with all text converted to curves, with layers maintained. We are PC based, so MAC only files are not acceptable. All other file types will be subject to an art charge.
We can accept Tiff, JPEG, BMP, GIF, and most other graphic file types, but these WILL NOT be considered camera ready and will require our art department to rework them in order to make them useable for screen printing. All raster artwork (ie. jpg, .bmp, .gif, ect) should be sent in actual size. If you wish to make the image to be printed at 12 inches across, the image you send should be 12 inches across. We can not correct for low resolution or poor scanning.
we cannot accept artwork done using word processor programs like Word, or presentation programs like Powerpoint, or layout programs such as Quark.
