Screen-printing is a print process where a logo/design is transferred to the substrate by way of a screen. We transfer the inks through the screen to the garment print a single colour. The process involves exact pressures, specialised inks, and heat curing to result in a long lasting finished product. We can normally print up to four colours. With a multi colour screen print we need to separate the colours of the image and print each colour as a separate print run. |
What are colour separations? |
A colour separation is an image that defines where one specific colour will be printed. Colours can be mixed by overlapping areas of different colour separations, so that one ink is applied on top of the other. We can print on apparel, bags, caps to name a few. |
Why are darker coloured garments more expensive? |
The dyes used to make the dark colours are more costly to the T-shirt manufacturer. Also the Printer must print a second coat to guarantee an opaque finish to the print. A light coloured T-shirt will have little or no dye. |
With screen print each and every colour has to be printed individually and in sequence. A different printing screen has to be made for each colour and each colour has to be registered on top of the one below until all colours are printed. This is a rather expensive undertaking if only a few decorations are required but is more efficient for large printings of the same decoration. Of course, FULL COLOUR decorations are hardly possible with the screen-printing process even today. |
A colour separated digital image is first produced for each colour through the use of computer graphic software such as CorelDraw or PhotoShop. This can include a corporate logo, image in a black and white vector file. A vector file is a true graphics file and not a scanned photo or a bitmap such as jpeg, gif or bmp files. Artwork must be supplied to us as a CorelDraw file, Illustrator file or an eps file in SHARP black and white. We can design your vector logo file for you at a small cost of $55.00 including gst. |
