Custom screen printing is by far the most popular decoration choice for custom t-shirts and apparel. When you choose custom screen printed tees, you will get a fantastic, durable, vibrant print that is cost-effective and long-lasting. The prices of custom screen printing on t-shirts are quantity based so the more you buy, the cheaper they will be! Get your logo applied to a shirt forever with screen prints. Multiple ink colors can be used, and the inks can be blended together to achieve many colors while keeping it a cheap (we are talking high quality at a low price!) custom tee shirt! PMS color matching is also available if you have specific colors in mind for your personalized printed logo T-shirts and apparel.

Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Screen Printing

Have you ever wondered how screen printing companies take your custom logo and turn it into a custom-printed t-shirt? Although screen printing is still done traditionally, the process has advanced into more sophisticated art. Here a peek inside our custom silk screening process.

But really... what IS screenprinting? For us, screenprinting is undoubtedly an art form (note: the hipster undertone there is unintentional, we swear). The attention to detail that goes into the screenprinting process is crucial - and because we understand the importance of that, we know how to deliver superior quality products. There are a lot of moving parts to the screenprinting process that must fit perfectly together in order to achieve the best end result - take it from us, we know a thing or two!

Screenprinting is...

Not an exact science

Best for vibrant designs

Done in bulk

Manually handled

Ink + screen (mesh stencil) = screen printing! Luckily, the screen printing process itself has very few limits on what surfaces can be used to print on. Staying on trend is easy-peasy with this process, considering all of the awesome ink types available that can manipulate the “look” of the final print. Get Me Bedazzled understands the relationships between the various inks, shirt materials, and shirt colors - with this knowledge, we’re able to help achieve the look you’re going for.

One screen (mesh stencil) is used for each color to be printed - screens must be lined up (or registered) and printed on test sheets to ensure that all of the colors line up correctly. Inks are then pushed through the screens one color at a time onto the apparel. Finally, each piece is run through a large dryer to cure the inks.

Many people think screen printing is limited to shirts only - this couldn’t be more false! Here’s the lowdown on what can be screen printed - tote bags/purses, jackets, mousepads, flags, banners, signs, bandanas, and more.

You can get the results you want by manipulating the screen-printing process - we strive to guide our customers through the entire order process in an effort to ensure your expectations are met!

Need a faded print on a specific shirt? We’ve got you covered. Need to color match the inks to a very specific color you have in mind? Super easy.

Think you’re limited to a plain old cotton shirt for screen printing? Think again! There are a ton of great synthetic fabrics out there that work great with screen-printing - polyester, silk, viscose, and more

 NEED SHIRTS OR JERSEYS, BUT NOT A STORE? 

• We print shirts for just about anyone. We have over a decade of experience printing on just about every type of shirt.

 DON'T HAVE ART?

• What good is a custom t-shirt if no one cares to wear it? That's why t-shirt design is so critical and Get Me Bedazzled's design team is award-winning. Our graphic designers have the talent to deliver the best creations for your organization’s t-shirts and logo apparel.

 YEAH, BUT I PROBABLY HAVE TO ORDER 50+ TEES, RIGHT?

• NOPE! Whether you need 1 shirt or 1000 shirts, we offer our customers a variety of print methods and services. And we can recommend which method works best and is most cost-effective based on your print needs. If you can dream it, we can print it.

 HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET MY ORDER?

• If it's just a shirt or two, then you should have your order in just a few days. And even if you have a large order, in most cases, we can get your order ready in 7-10 business days.

Custom Screen Printing Process

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1. Creating Your Online Artwork Proof
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First, the screen printing process starts with the artwork at Get Me Bedazzled, we can work with a  design or logo if you have one, or you can have our artists create a custom design just for your order. You will get an online proof to review and approve so you can be sure everything is 100% perfect before your shirts are produced. Once you have approved your online proof, our production artists get everything set up to start production on the shirts. The production artists will separate the design into layers of colors, which will each get their own screen for printing. The colors are separated directly onto the mesh, and skips the older process of film positives. This allows for a much cleaner print, and less waste for the landfills.

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2. Prepare & Create the Screens

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We take your color-separated design and create one screen per color plus an additional screen for the “under the base”, which will ensure your colors stay bright on dark garments. Think of a screen much like your screen at home on your windows. You can push small particles through it. To block areas that we don’t want ink to be applied to the t-shirt, we apply a special thing to the screen called emulsion. This blocks anything from being able to come through, including ink. We then use a special machine called a DTS (direct-to-screen) printing that takes your design and prints it directly on the screen. Once that is done, we expose the photo-sensitive emulsion to light. This exposure process allows your design to be “burned” into the screen. We rinse out the screen and viola – your screen is ready! We do this same process for each one of the colors in your design. Get Me Bedazzled processes and recycles roughly 150 screens per day during your t-shirt screen printing process

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3. Setup the Screen Printing Press

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During the next step in the screen printing process, each individual screen is located into the screen printing press. Then, the screen printer loads each screen with the appropriate ink colors. Once this is done, the screen printer does a test print to get a better idea of what equipment or screen adjustments need to be made to ensure the best possible screen print. The printer will make adjustments to ensure the screens are properly registered to each other – or that they properly align between colors. The printer will also adjust things like print order, squeegee angle, squeegee pressure, and print speed. Once all of these adjustments are made and we’ve done test prints to ensure they are perfect, printing can begin. Then, the screen printer will begin to load the t-shirts onto the plat. They must be sure that each shirt is positioned properly and is straight so the print is in the correct spot on each shirt. Once the shirts are loaded, printing can begin.

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4. Print & Dry the Screen Prints

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Depending on the needs of an individual order, we dry the under-base ink prior to printing your colors over top. This is known as “flashing”. This ensures that once the ink is applied over top, it does not smudge and smear and distort your print. Once the entire shirt is printed, we run them through a 12-20 foot dryer at the correct temperature for you particular garments and ink used. The dryer looks much like a pizza oven, but it is definitely not. Drying is a vital point in the process. The purpose of drying the ink is to cure it, which ensures it sticks to your shirt. Under curing the ink can cause it to wash and flake off, but over curing it can cause sublimation, meaning the garment blends too much with the ink and changes the ink color. Get Me Bedazzled tests each dryer 4 times a day to ensure proper drying temps at all times.

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5. Quality Control Process & Shipping

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After going through the dryer, the shirts are reviewed by our quality control department. A quality control technician has the very important job of reviewing each and every shirt to make sure the print looks perfect and also matches the proof that was approved. They will review the garments to check for manufacturer flaws as well, such as small stains or holes. Once the items have passed the quality control inspection, they proceed to our shipping department which packages them up to be shipped out. Oh, and did we mention this whole screen printing process is complete within 4-7 business days after you approve your proof? It's true! So you'll have your fantastic custom printed apparel FAST!

 SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST FOR A QUOTE 

Need shirts for your family reunion or perhaps your business? What good is a custom t-shirt if no one cares to wear it? That's why t-shirt design is so critical. Our graphic designers have the talent to deliver the best creations for your organization’s t-shirts and logo apparel.

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