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• Our Products
• Printing Process
  • Printing Processes
  • Digital T-Shirt Printing
  • Silk Screen T-Shirt Printing
  • Additional Charges
  • Submitting Artwork

Printing Process

Silk Screen T-Shirt Printing

Process Printing

Traditional process printing is done in the four primary colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, commonly referred to as CMYK) and requires a color separation (typically costing about $250) and the use of four screens, one for each color. The inks are transparent and the screening of the four colors in many hundreds of thousands of tiny dots renders the full spectrum on the shirt complete with any variations in shading that may occur. Four color process printing on t-shirts is not an exact science. To begin with, an image cannot be reproduced with the amount of detail that one gets when printing on paper. For example, a magazine or brochure printed on coated stock is typically printed at 175 lines per inch, a newspaper at 85-100, while a t-shirt is usually reproduced at 65 due to the coarser nature of fabric when compared with paper and the limitations of the screen process. We have had great success over the 14 years we have been doing process work when reproducing original artwork from paints, pastels, guache, or colored pens. Reproduction of photography is tricker and, while our customers have been satisfied, they approached their projects knowing that the final results would be less than photographic.

Simulated process printing uses colors from the Pantone Matching System and can contain as many colors as the press allows. (We have a six color press and can therefore print 6 colors on white shirts or 4 colors and a white underbase on colored shirts.) For the most part, simulated process has replaced traditional process for most t-shirt applications. Among the reasons: simulated process colors are more opaque and vibrant, with less fibrillation. (Fibrillation is when the fibers of the shirt rise above the print surface, giving the impression of a washed out image.) There is a greater range of colors available colors. Oftentimes, when there is a great range of blues, for example, we will use two, one lighter, one darker, and get a more accurate reproduction than we would if we simply used cyan to cover the range. Occasionally a purple or green will be added to get a more accurate reproduction than we might get if the colors were simply created by a blend of cyan, magenta and yellow. Process on dark shirts has taken on a new life with the advent of simulated process as the opaque colors allow for a vibrant print on top of the white underbase. The reproduction of black and white photography using black, a couple of grays and a white underbase is something we have just done for the first time and the results were nothing short of breathtaking.

For shorter runs, not justifying the expense of a separation and screens (often adding up to as much as $400), digital reproduction has, in recent years, improved by leaps and bounds and can now even be done successfully on colored shirts. Please see the page for digital printing We understand that all of the above is technical and complex and will be happy to discuss your process color job with you and whatever length necessary.

Artwork is supplied to the printer in any number of forms. Hard forms range from original artwork to slides. We can also accept digital forms such as Photoshop files or TIFFS. We can accept them on disk or by email, although we are really happy when an emailed file is stuffed before uploading.

Spot Color

Spot color printing uses distinct ink colors. Our presses allow us to use from one to six colors on a design. The image above is a six color using black ,green, brown, red, purple and gray, with some additional half-tone shading in the black. We are capable of producing shirts using any Pantone color you may choose. There is a charge for ink mixing, however, and we do offer about 40 different colors without further charge. The ink colors are solid on the surface of the shirt, without color variations, although shading is often achieved throught the use of screen half-tones. Artwork, again, comes to us in many forms. Hard copy requires a separate piece of artwork for each color, typically on paper or artboard. If you need us to, we can separate the colors for you. Digital copy is best provided in an Illustrator file although EPS is an acceptable alternative. Acceptable by either disk or email, we do again request that, if possible, you stuff your file before emailing it to us. If you are sending an Illustrator file, all fonts should be converted to outlines.

We have a full-service Art Department and will be happy to create artwork for your project or to consult with you on artwork which you already have or plan to create yourself. Please call or email with any questions you may have. We will respond cheerfully knowing that we may have to hold your hand through the process.