Typically screen printing is best suited to artwork with spot colours, however photographs or full colour prints with gradients can be printed with a higher number of screens. A different screen is required for each colour in the artwork, so, the fewer colours, the less the print will cost. When screen printing onto coloured & dark garments an underbase layer is required to ensure the print is bright and vibrant.
The screen setup costs are spread across the number of garments ordered, so screen printing is best for bulk orders as the more garments you order, the cheaper cost per unit becomes. TOBI GARMENT offers screen printing on a wide range of garment types including t shirts, hoodies, sweaters, pants, headwear and more.
HOW IT WORKS
Screen printing is a pretty laborious process with quite a few steps before the finished garment can be produced. Firstly, the artwork has to be separated out into colours. Each colour will be printed using a different screen. The screens are prepared using light sensitive emulsion and are then exposed to UV light to create a stencil for ink to be pushed through.
The different screens then have to be aligned on the print carousel in order for the colours to line up correctly. Once the screens are lined up we then add the hand-mixed inks (not paint!) and we’re ready for production. The screen printer loads the t-shirts onto the platen, which will then move under the screen, the squeegee transfers the ink through the stencil and onto the surface of the garment. We then unload the garment an pout it through a conveyor drier to cure the inks.