The two main methods of creating a custom t-shirt are digital and screen printing. In contrast to digital printing, which relies on computers and printers to produce custom t-shirts, screen printing is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process.
Why should you choose screen-printed t-shirts?
The benefits of screen printing are numerous. Because of the nature of the process, it usually works best with one or two colors. In contrast to digital printing, screen printing uses a much thicker ink that lays on top of the shirt and is much softer to the touch than digital printing.
In addition to being more affordable, screen printing is also a good option for ordering large quantities of t-shirts. The only drawback is that the order may take a few extra days to complete. In this tutorial, we’ll explain how screen-printed shirts are created so you can appreciate that awesome custom tee you just ordered!
How does screen printing work?
Screen printing is another name for silk screening, which is a manual method of creating a custom t-shirt. The t-shirt is covered with a silk screen. The design is then created by dragging brightly colored ink across the t-shirt.
The result is best when done by a professional t-shirt company like PRUF dtg printing service. It requires a fair amount of skill to perform. With years of experience and knowledge, as well as specialized equipment, we are able to produce a large batch of amazing custom t-shirts.
We’re going to show you how to screen print a custom shirt right now!
The screen
Our artisans will begin working on your design once you have submitted your design and are satisfied with the mockup. For silk-screened t-shirts, we use the screen as our primary tool. We use an extremely high-quality screen door with much smaller holes than those found on screen doors on houses.
Emulsion protects the screen from ink by covering it with a layer of wooden frame and emulsion. The screen is then prepared so a reverse negative of your design appears on it. Despite it being yellow, the design won’t be affected by the color.
In order to prepare everything for printing, we do a few internal things after the screen is created and your design has been transferred to it. Thus, the process is much slower than printing a t-shirt digitally. Handwork is the only option.
Color Mixing Process
Your t-shirts start to take shape here. Using special inks, we mix them until we achieve the colors you want. We use only high-quality inks that are intended to last for a very long time. In addition, they’re quite thick, which makes the design “pop” visually in terms of color and thickness. The silk-screening process begins after we finish mixing and matching colors in our color laboratory.
Pressing
In order to create your order, we use a large metal tool called a press. This circle-shaped object weighs several hundred pounds. We place wooden silk-screens on 12 “arms” that have flat areas. Basically, the process is like a one-man assembly line, where the next blank t-shirt is silk-screened after one shirt is completed.
The Drying Process
Our process involves placing the shirt and the wet ink on a conveyor-type device that runs it under a heat source after we have applied the ink. Immediately after the ink is applied to the shirt, it is dried and permanently set into the fabric. In the final stage of production, our eagle-eyed inspector stands. The person in charge of this checks every shirt to ensure that it matches the mock-up that we sent you previously.
Order Your Custom Silk-Screened T-Shirts
The best materials for silk screening are team names, t-shirts with text, and logos of companies. A really high-quality feel and look is achieved by the raised ink.
