A Case for Why Screen Printing is the Premium Print Solution

Screen printing has been around since the beginning of time.  It’s the tried and true, gold standard of apparel decorating.  It has evolved over the decades.  What used to be extremely labor-intensive processes, have now evolved into more automated steps, allowing screen print shops to optimize their production process.  This has translated to being able to print at scale, driving down costs to produce and also being able to service the needs of higher volume customers with tighter deadlines.

Although digital printing is absolutely having an impact in the screen-printing industry, there is still no way to compare the quality of a great screen-printed t shirt to a shirt that has been decorated with water based, digital inks.  Screen printing offers a hand feel that people have come to know, love and expect that digital inks just to stack up to.

How long will screen printing last?

There is also the longevity of a print and how it will stand up to repeated wash, wear, dry cycles and the way people beat up their clothes.  Washing and decorated shirt will eventually show signs of wear and tear, but screen-printed t shirts will far outlast water – based inks any day of the week.

Another major consideration that makes screen printed t shirts stand out is the ability to color match logo colors with accuracy.  When you have spent years building a brand, your brand colors are of upmost importance.  There can be no variance on the marketplace.  Screen printing color matching using the PMS (pantone matching system), allows us to match your colors with exact precision, thus supporting brand identify. Digital inks are CMYK process, where cyan, magenta, yellow and black are mixed together to make all of the other colors.  Think desk top printer ink cartridges… same thing.  You cannot tell your printer to match certain colors.  This is the limitation of digital printing.

Screen printing is also less sensitive to the actual t shirt material that we can print on.  Screen printing can handle cotton, polyester, poly blends perfectly well.  Whereas digital printing can only be done on 100% cotton garments.  This makes screen printing much more versatile.

There is definitely a place for digital, and we print many orders using this method and its application is really helpful.  We have customers that specifically ask for digital printing by name because they prefer a water-based print application, and we can do that in most cases.  However, when and where screen printing makes sense to produce an order, this is and always will be the best option, hands down.

If you have a project in mind and not sure what is the best process for you, give us a call.  Our screen-printing consultations are free, and you will learn a lot just in a short conversation.  More than likely, we will have a solution to your print project right under one roof.  Whether it is screen print, DTG, sublimation, embroidery, we got you covered.  Our screen print minimums are just 72 pcs for a one-color design and the production time is just about 5-7 working days.

We are happy to sit down with you and go over all of your options together.