We can do full production runs of your custom designs in up to 6 colors. We offer a wide range of shirt color choices (based on availability). We exclusively use water-based inks. These inks are more challenging to work with but give a much nicer end product, on top of being far more environmentally friendly. If you're local to Berkeley, drop by and we can show you shirt samples and more.
Art work requirements
It's easiest if you have fully prepared vector art for Adobe Illustrator. But we can work from almost any form. Just give us a sample of what you have and we can let you know if it will work for screen printing or how much extra work would be required to get it into a screen ready state. We're very flexible on this point.
Printing methods
There are 3 basic types of tshirt printing methods. Two are screen printing methods, where an image is burned onto a light sensitive emulsion on a silk screen. The screen is placed onto a carousel-style printer and ink is squeegeed through the open area onto the shirt. One screen printing method is to use inks that rest on top of the garment surface. These can be plastic based (plastisols) or water-based (high solids). The other method is to use water-based inks that absorb into the fibers of the shirt. After the first wash the surface texture of the dried ink is removed leaving only the dyed shirt.
The third method is called "direct to garment" or DTG. These are essentially inkjet printers for shirts. If you google "tshirt printing" this is primarily what you find. The method is very good for short runs and complex color images. The down side is the quality of the print. They look clean and sharp when you first get them but after a few washes the image will start to crack and peel off.
Printing with plastisols will give a good durable image but it is a plastics product.
Our focus is using high quality water-based inks. We believe the quality of the end product is far superior. The image will last as long as the shirt since the fibers of the shirt of being dyed. And the resulting print will have the same feel as the shirt itself.
For comparison, here are close-ups of a DTG print (top) and a water-based print (bottom). Both prints have been washed once.
The third method is called "direct to garment" or DTG. These are essentially inkjet printers for shirts. If you google "tshirt printing" this is primarily what you find. The method is very good for short runs and complex color images. The down side is the quality of the print. They look clean and sharp when you first get them but after a few washes the image will start to crack and peel off.
Printing with plastisols will give a good durable image but it is a plastics product.
Our focus is using high quality water-based inks. We believe the quality of the end product is far superior. The image will last as long as the shirt since the fibers of the shirt of being dyed. And the resulting print will have the same feel as the shirt itself.
For comparison, here are close-ups of a DTG print (top) and a water-based print (bottom). Both prints have been washed once.
Once you submit your request we will get back to you quickly, usually within a couple of hours. For additional information about the process please click on the sizing+FAQ page.
Design work examples
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