The Screen Printing World

Ever wonder how all those cool designs get placed on your awesome T-shirts? Welcome to the wonderful world of screen printing. There are many other ways to get your designs onto t-shirts and other apparel but screen printing usually gives the best quality and lasts a lot longer. The actual process that goes into making all those T-shirts you see in stores with your favorite designs is quite amazing.

First, a graphic artist designs the art that will be placed onto the shirt using only vector based graphics and Pantone colors. These vector graphics and Pantone colors ensure that you are always getting the best quality print with the correct colors in every shirt. Then after the design is finalized and approved, a transparency of the design is printed out with each color on a different transparency. These transparencies are needed to be able to transfer the design onto light sensitive screens. Once the design is transferred onto the screen, the screen is then placed into a textile printing press. And when ink is applied onto the screen, the screen only allows ink to pass through where the design was transferred over passing through and onto the T-shirt. Then the T-shirt is placed into a special oven that’s also set at a special temperature to cure the ink so that it’ll remain permanent on the T-shirt and voila you have yourself your very own custom designed T-shirt.

The entire process is a bit complex but it’s very interesting and beautiful at the same time. I remember the first time I watched T-shirts being made using these amazing screen printing machines. It was almost just as beautiful as watching the sunset over the ocean on some remote island in paradise. Well, to a graphic artist that’s what that feels like. I definitely enjoy sharing the artwork I worked so hard on to get done. I also think that if someone is planning on wearing the art you design, you definitely have to treat every design you make with great care.

So if you’re someone planning to launch your very own line of custom designed T-shirts or other apparel make sure you know the process and your graphic artist. That way you will know what steps you need to take to get started on your project and to also be able to better assist your graphic artist with the vision of what the final design will be.