Tshirt Screen Printing.

Tshirt screen printing is one of the most commonly used Tshirt printing methods used for larger volume Tshirt printing.

Screen printing works with the production of a print screen for each colour in the design. Ink past is poured into the screen and squeegeed in order to print the garment.

Pros of Tshirt Screen Printing

• Very cost effective, in larger volumes.
• Fast Tshirt printing speeds
• Multiple ink types available
• Print onto all fabrics and garment colors

Cost Effective

In larger quantities, it’s very difficult for anyone not printing via screen, to compete with a screen printers. 

Fast Tshirt Printing Speeds

One of the reasons that Tshirt screen printing is so cost effective in larger volumes, is that it’s such a fast process, particular when it comes to single colour designs.

Multiple Ink Types

There isn’t only one ink type available to screen printers. Screen printers can choose the most suitable ink to use based on the Tshirts they’re printing, and the results desired. This can allow the Tshirt screen printer to achieve the exact result desired by the client.

Print onto all colors and fabric types

Linked to the above point, as there are various types of screen printing ink available, it also means that you’re not restricted to a particular type of Tshirt fabric, or colour. 

Cons of Tshirt Screen Printing

• Wet process, messy.
• Larger space required
• Multi step process
• More expensive process in small volumes

Wet and Messy Process.

Digital Tshirt printing methods are very clean, and can be operated in office environments, whereas Tshirt screen printing is a more messy, industrial process. If you don’t like getting your hands dirty, screen printing probably isn’t the process for you.

Larger space required.

Tshirt screen printing requires various processes, which require equipment, all which require some space.

You’ll need an area for screen developing, a wash off bay with a high pressure water hose, a screen dryer, a space to store inks, and of course you’ll need space for your screen printing table or multi head carousel. 

But it’s fair to say that although you’ll need more space for screen printing than you would for digital Tshirt printing, the kind of space you will need should be more affordable, in most areas, in terms of $ per square feet for rental.

You wouldn’t really be looking for office space for screen printing, you would be looking for a commercial or light industrial unit, which tend to be less expensive to rent. 

Multi Step Process

Tshirt screen printing involves more steps than most of the digital Tshirt printing methods. 

First you need to create a plain screen, which usually means washing off a screen from a previous job. Then you need to develop this screen, to get it ready to print. The Tshirts are then printed, which is actually the fastest part of the whole process. Then the screen prints need to be cured on the Tshirts. 

More expensive process in small volumes

The majority of the labor with this printing method is with the setup, so the larger the volume, the more the setup cost is diluted. 

Lets estimate the setup cost of a two colour Tshirt screen printing job as being $80, for example, and your Tshirt screen printing price excluding garment, for a volume of up to 12 as being $5.25 each.

If the customer only wanted 6 Tshirts, this would make the total cost to the client $18.58 each ($13,33 of which is set up costs), plus the garment cost, which wouldn’t be a competitive price for Tshirt printing.

Look at the same job at a higher volume, though, and it’s a very different matter.

At 500 of, for example, the setup cost is diluted to only $0,16, and your print price at this volume is likely to be as as low as around $1.50, depending on the competition in your area, so the total print price to the customer is going to be more like $1.66 per Tshirt, plus the garment cost.

What kind of Tshirt printing businesses use Tshirt Screen Printing?

Bulk Tshirt printers are the main type of garment printer who would use Screen printing. 

If you’re starting your own brand, and your outsourcing your Tshirt printing, then it’s highly likely that you’d outsource to a screen printer, but it’s not very common that a new startup brand would decide to startup and print their own Tshirts in-house with  screen printing.

Screen printing wouldn’t be the best method to use for personalization/custom Tshirt printing, either, due to the high costs associated with producing just one or two Tshirts per print run.

This isn’t to say that screen printing is the only print method used by bulk Tshirt printers, but most trade bulk Tshirt printers will print via screen.