Screen printing has been used for centuries and although there have been many improvements with the technology, the process still consists of forcing ink through a stencil covered fabric or wire mesh which has been mounted in a sturdy frame. The ink goes through only the open areas of the stencil and is deposited onto a printing surface positioned below the frame. Screen printing is very versatile and it is often the only printing process capable of handling certain applications.

Screen printing is the most common form of printing onto textiles. The vast majority of tee shirts sold in malls, department stores, and at events are screen printed, and a long run of screen printed items is exceptionally cost effective.

Since each color to be printed has to be on a separate screen, the artwork and setup for requirements for screen printing is quite complex and time consuming. The more colors and garment locations that you are having screen printed, the more expensive the process will be.

Due to the complexity of the setup involved, screen printing may not be cost effective for producing just a few items. We generally recommend producing at least 12 items for each color and for each location. A less complicated job, such as a one color item printed on just one side, may be resistively cost effective with just a dozen pieces, however, if you desire an item to be printed with six colors on two sides, our recommendation would be to purchase at least 144 items.

When printing onto dark surfaces, an "underbase" is usually required. This underbasing procedure is normally a white layer of ink printed below the visible layers and is typically completely covered by the other color(s). The underbase allows for the visible ink to be clearly apparent and not subdued or washed-out looking. Dark colored garments printed with an underbase will typically have a heavier "hand" (a thicker feel to the printed areas) than a light colored garment printed without an underbase. The underbasing procedure require additional art and setup time, and actually counts as a color (so printing onto dark colored items will be somewhat more expensive than printing onto light colored items). Please take this into consideration when requesting printing on dark colored garments.

The screen printing process is generally not well suited for photo-realistic prints. Since the "dots" of ink are much larger than in most other printing technologies, when viewed close-up, halftone images may appear to be somewhat "grainy", however from a viewing distance of a few feet, the individual halftone dots are not distinctly visible and do tend to create a natural blending of color.

Screen printing does not "wash out" like transfers or digital prints, and can last for hundreds of washings if washed in cold water and turned inside out (to protect the print from abrasion).

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