Brentwood Screenprint
The best way of printing onto clothing is screen printing. Screen printing is ideal for large designs and is our technique of choice for t-shirt printing.
The process:
Screens are made by putting a chemical emulsion on a mesh, then exposing it to light. The light solidifies the chemicals giving us the design.
The T shirt is placed on a plate and the screen is then brought down and placed on top of the shirt. A squeegee is then pulled over that screen's ink colour which pushes the ink onto the shirt fabric.
When screen printing, one colour at a time is applied and therefore the cost will increase with each additional colour applied. Likewise a separate screen is required for each colour, and hence, screen charges may be uneconomical if only a small quantity of clothing is required.
Screen printed garments wash well, and should not be confused with heat transfer printing which does not look as good or last so well. Many T shirt printing shops use this cheaper method rather than screen printing.
PROS - affordable, great for large designs
CONS - not economical for small orders requiring more than one colour design
Screen print setup is charged at £20 per screen (ex VAT). One screen is required for each different design, and different screens are required for each colour printed, and each different location of printing. For example, a one colour front and back print requires two screens if the design on the front is different to the design on the back.
