screen printing methods

In a recent blog post, we covered seven screen printing tips to improve the quality of your products. Today, we’re expanding upon that by exploring seven screen printing mistakes to help you avoid saying, “I will never make that mistake again.”

Blurry prints. Smudged or rough ink. Improper registration. Images that wear away when washed. As a screen printer, these are some of the common problems you work to avoid. Every misprint costs money, and problem prints that make it into your customers’ hands can damage your business’s reputation.

To survive in the t-shirt screen printing industry — let alone be successful — your business must maintain healthy relationships with its customers as well as its competitors. You could be the most experienced screen printer this side of the sun but nobody will know it without a strong presence and reputation in the field. There are many ways to build and improve your screen printing business. Here are a few suggestions that are sure to increase your visibility in the t-shirt screen printing community and attract new customers…

If you’re shopping for an automatic screen printing machine, you’re probably seeing lots of different configurations to choose from. Not only do you have to figure out how many colors and what size area you want to print, you’ve also got to pick what type of power will drive your press. There are so many options, it can be overwhelming! Let’s break it down as simply as possible.

With so much attention on applying ink to shirts, it’s easy to forget that pre-press is just as important! If your screen hasn’t been properly prepared before it goes on the press, even perfect printing technique won’t deliver a quality print. There are so many variables that factor into exposing your screens it can be difficult to get a good result, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the process.

Do you have a favorite t-shirt? You know, the soft cotton one with the soft handed, distressed print on the front? Everyone has one, and there’s a pretty good chance it was printed using water based ink. Customers love the soft feel and clean, smooth look of water based prints.

As a screen printer, every order you get is different. The design possibilities in screen printing are virtually limitless; some customers might not have a good idea of what they want their garment to look like, others can be very particular. A customer may request a specific printing process, fabric, ink type or color. You can meet most of these demands relatively easily. However, reproducing a specific color is often easier said than done.

So you’ve decided you want to get into the garment printing industry but you’re not sure how to get started. No worries, everyone was a beginner at some point! Let’s put first things first, like deciding which style of customization you want to pursue. When it comes to printing textiles, two of the most common options are screen printing and direct to garment (DTG) printing.