Frequently Asked Questions
What are the artwork requirements?
Artwork supplied by you is a very important part of getting your shirt printed just the way you want it. There are many types of digital files we can work with, but the files that will provide the best quality for printing are vector files created using Adobe Illustrator (.ai, .eps), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf).
There are other types of image files we can work with, like Adobe Photoshop (.psd), or high-resolution bitmap images (.bmp). With these types of files, we recommend at least 300dpi. Other files, i.e. JPEG Images (.jpeg), or TIFF Images (.tif), require additional work by our designers to prepare the graphics for production.
What is your turnaround time?
Our turnaround time for screen printed orders is 2 weeks + shipping time. This is an estimate, and starts when the order is finalized (all designs must be approved and apparel and sizing chosen). If you have a specific deadline, please advise us as soon as possible. If it is needed with a short turnaround time, rush order fees may apply.
How do I keep my price down?
The unit price per item goes down as quantities go up, so increase your order to save money. The apparel you choose to print your image on will affect your overall price. There is a wide range available from economical to premium, so be sure to choose something within your budget. Try to keep the number of print locations low. Instead of printing something on the front AND back of the shirt, just choose one location. The number of colors being printed on your shirt greatly affects the price, for example if you’re printing a 6 color image, but can achieve similar results with just 3 or 4 colors, that will help decrease your final costs.
Printing do’s and dont’s
We want to make sure we produce custom printed items that satisfy all our customers needs! Over our years of experience, we’ve learned there are specifics and limitations to printing that we have to work with or around; sharing our do’s and don’ts with you will help you consider how to get the product you’re completely satisfied with.
Vibrancy with white underbase
When printing colors on dark garments, we suggest to print a base ink layer is a primer in order for the colors to pop. Some inks are not opaque and vibrant enough to print directly onto, for example, and black tee, so the underbase serves as a ‘primer’ for the inks to achieve the correct brightness. One example is wanting to print a golden yellow design onto a navy blue tee.
Though this is only a one color print, we generally print a white underbase for the yellow to appropriately “pop”. In the end, this job would be a two color print: base white and golden yellow. Please account for the additional color and screen setup charges.
Often, customers prefer to print without a white underbase to achieve a ‘vintage’ or ‘washed-out’ look, or just to save money. Coupling this style onto fabrics like heathers, tri-blends and make a killer print!
When printing white as a single color on a dark garment, we suggest printing two layers of white ink so the white becomes more vibrant on dark or bright colored garments.
Dye migration on polyester fabrics
Dye migration is a process that most commonly occurs between standard screen printing inks and synthetic fibers (polyester, rayon, etc). When sending printed apparel through the dryer at +300 degrees to cure the ink, the dyes in the fabric sublimates, or turns gaseous. In gaseous form, the dyes seep into the ink layer, tinting the color of the ink. This occurs most often in colors like red, navy, maroon, greens, and other dark colors. We take every precaution to avoid dye migration, but please be aware that discoloration may still occur.