Method 01. Volume

Screen Printing.In-house in Las Vegas, NV

The gold standard for runs over 72. Exact colors with PMS match. Plastisol and specialty inks on tees, hoodies, totes, and pretty much anything. Built for repeatability, your hundredth shirt looks identical to your first.

72
recommended minimum
8
max spot colors
7–10
day standard
repeatability
How it works

Ink, screen, repeat.

Each color in your design gets its own mesh screen. Ink is pushed through the open areas onto the garment, then heat-cured to permanently bond. Slow setup, fast production, which is why it pays off above 72 pieces.

01

Art prep

We separate your artwork into individual color layers and convert each to a high-contrast film positive.

02

Burn screens

One mesh screen per color. The film blocks UV light from a coated emulsion, leaving open areas where ink will pass through.

03

Press & print

Garments load onto an automatic press. Each station hits one color in sequence, building the finished image layer by layer.

04

Cure & pack

The print runs through a conveyor dryer at 320°F to permanently bond the ink. We inspect, fold, and ship.

Is screen printing right for your project?

Where it shines.

Screen printing is unbeatable for two things: vivid colors at scale, and consistency across hundreds or thousands of pieces. It's overkill for one-offs and small details. Here's how to tell.

Great for

Bulk runs of bold artwork

  • No screen charges: burning is on us. Most shops bill $25–50 per color; we don't.
  • 72+ pieces: per-piece cost drops fast as quantity goes up
  • Cotton-rich fabrics: tees, hoodies, sweatshirts, totes, aprons
  • Polyester fabrics: blockers and specialty inks create vibrance on performance fabrics
  • 1–6 spot colors: flat solid colors with crisp edges, exact PMS match
  • Simulated color & CMYK: full-color and photo-real effects without the per-color setup
  • Specialty inks: metallic, glow, puff, high-density for tactile finishes
Consider alternatives if…

Your run is small or you need single-piece individualization

  • Under 72 pieces → try DTF Transfers (no minimum) or Heat Transfers: no per-color screen setup
  • All-over print on polySublimation bonds dye edge-to-edge with zero hand
  • Names & numbers per pieceHeat Transfers are the right tool for individualization
  • Heavy embroidered lookEmbroidery for premium feel on hats, polos, jackets
Specifications

The details.

Quick-scan specs so you can size up a project before requesting a quote. Anything not on this list is fair game to ask about. We have shop tricks for most edge cases.

Setup fees
None. Screen burning & reclaim are on us Most shops bill $25–50 per screen (one screen per ink color). We don't, your quoted price is what you pay.
Recommended minimum
72 pieces per design Each ink color and each print location counts as part of the same design. There's no per-color minimum on top.
Maximum colors
Up to 8 colors per print location Most jobs land in the 1–6 color range. Beyond that we use simulated color or CMYK process for full-color and photo-real effects without the per-color setup.
Print locations
Front, back, left/right chest, sleeves, hood, neck label Up to 5 locations per garment. Each location is a separate print run, extra locations add a small per-piece charge.
Maximum print size
14″ × 17″ (oversize available) Standard frame fits most chest/back designs. Oversize prints up to 16″ × 20″ on request.
Fabrics
Cotton, 50/50 blends, tri-blend, ringspun cotton, performance polyester Polyester runs use blocker base layers and poly-friendly inks to keep dye migration in check and colors vibrant.
Ink options
Plastisol, simulated color, CMYK process, PMS spot match, metallic, glow, puff, high-density Plastisol is the workhorse: vivid, durable, exact PMS match. Simulated color & CMYK process unlock photo-real artwork without burning a screen per color.
Standard turnaround
7–10 business days from art approval Rush available, typically 3 business days for an upcharge.
Art file requirements
Vector preferred (AI, EPS, PDF) at 100% size Raster art OK at 300 DPI minimum. We'll clean up edges and prep separations as part of the standard service.
Common questions

FAQ.

The questions we hear most from new screen-printing customers. Don't see yours? Drop it in the project notes when you start a quote and we'll get back to you within a business day.

Why is 72 the recommended minimum?

Each ink color in your design needs its own mesh screen, burned, dialed in, and registered on the press. That setup work is the same whether we print 12 shirts or 12,000. At 72 pieces the per-piece price starts paying for the setup; below that, DTF or heat transfers (which skip the screen step entirely) are almost always cheaper for you.

We can run jobs smaller than 72. There's just a setup minimum that makes per-piece pricing climb fast. Ask us to compare and we'll show you both ways.

How does the price drop with quantity?

The setup cost is a one-time line item. Run pricing scales by the inverse of quantity, a 72-piece run might be $7–10 per shirt printed; the same design at 144 drops to $5–7; at 500+ you're often under $4.

Color count matters too. A 1-color print is typically $1.50–2 cheaper per piece than a 4-color print at the same quantity.

What art files do you need?

Vector files are ideal. AI, EPS, PDF, or SVG at 100% print size. They scale cleanly and let us pull color separations directly from the file.

Raster art (PNG, JPG, PSD) works fine if it's at least 300 DPI at the actual print size. Phone screenshots and JPGs pulled from a Google search usually aren't sharp enough. We'll let you know during art review.

Don't have art? We have an in-house design team. Mention it on the quote and we'll bundle in design hours.

Plastisol, simulated color, CMYK: what's the difference?

Plastisol is the standard workhorse: vivid colors, sharp edges, durable through hundreds of washes, and matches PMS spot colors exactly. Best for bold logos, athletic graphics, and dark colors on light shirts.

Simulated color process uses 6–10 carefully chosen spot inks to reproduce a full-color image with photo-real depth. Better contrast than CMYK on dark garments, and crisp on cotton or poly.

CMYK process is true four-color printing (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) for full-color artwork on light garments. Cleanest path to gradient and photographic effects when the substrate is white or light.

For tactile finishes (raised, metallic, glow-in-the-dark) we layer specialty inks on top of any of the above.

Can you print on performance poly / dri-fit fabrics?

Yes, and we make a point of doing it well. Polyester contains dyes that can migrate into ink over time, especially on red, navy, and black garments. We counter that with a poly-friendly blocker base layer and inks formulated to lock in dyes, your print stays vibrant and the colors don't shift months later.

If you want to A/B test before a full run, we'll print a sample of your specific garment and ink combo. Most poly customers settle on screen printing once they see the color pop and the long-term durability.

How long does an order take?

Standard turnaround is 7–10 business days from final art approval. That window covers art prep, screen burning, press time, curing, and QC.

Rush turnaround is typically 3 business days for an upcharge, let us know when you start the quote and we'll confirm capacity. Same-day rush isn't something we do for screen printing (the screens have to dry between coating & burning), but DTF transfers can often turn around in about 2 days if you're truly stuck.

Do you keep my screens for reorders?

Only for about 3 days after a job ships. We don't charge for screens, burning is included in your quote, so we have to reclaim the mesh quickly to keep it free for the next jobs in the queue.

The good news: we keep your digital separations on file forever. Re-burning a screen from those takes minutes, not hours, so reorders weeks or years later are just as fast as a brand-new job: and still free of setup fees.

Can I print on items I supply, or do I have to buy through you?

We strongly prefer printing on garments we've sourced, our pricing includes the blanks and we can guarantee fabric compatibility, dye-lot consistency, and replacement if something gets damaged in production.

That said, we do print on customer-supplied garments for an additional handling/risk fee, with a damage waiver. Talk to us first; certain fabrics (silk, leather, vintage cotton) we'll politely decline.

Ready to put ink on shirts?

Pick your blank in the catalog, then build the job, live pricing for colors, placements, and rush dates as you click. Nothing is charged until you approve the mockup.

Start a screen-printing quote
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