Screen printing for bigger runs of branded apparel

Each colour in your design gets its own screen, and the ink is squeegeed through onto the fabric. Once the screens are made, running more garments is quick, which is why screen printing is the usual answer for staff uniforms, school and club shirts, event T-shirts, church groups, giveaway bags and workwear.

It is less suited to one-off shirts or photographic, many-colour artwork, because the screen preparation is the same effort whether you print ten garments or a few hundred. If your order is small or your design is full of gradients, have a look at DTF printing or DTG printing instead. Not sure? Tell us the quantity and we will point you to the better-value route.

Cotton and cotton-blend T-shirts, golfers, hoodies, sweatshirts and workwear are the usual candidates. Beyond garments, screen printing works well on tote bags, aprons and some caps and headwear, depending on the shape and seams of the item.

• Logos and slogans in one to a few flat colours print crisply and read well from a distance.
• Front, back, sleeve and chest-pocket positions can be combined on the same garment.
• Garment colour matters: dark garments usually need an underlay so light inks stay bright, which we account for in the quote.

We can supply the blank garments as part of your quote, or print on items you bring in. Ask us which is more practical for your job.

Vector artwork (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF or CDR) is ideal, because every colour can be separated into its own screen without guesswork. A high-resolution PNG or a logo exported at a large size can also work, but small, blurry logos pulled from a website usually need to be redrawn.

• Tell us the number of colours and, if you have them, the Pantone references for brand colours.
• Convert fonts to outlines or send the font files.
• Give the print size you want in centimetres, such as a left-chest logo or a full back print.

If you only have a rough sketch or a low-quality image, our design help can tidy it into print-ready artwork, quoted separately. Upload files through the quote form (up to 5 files, 25 MB each).

Screen printing has more steps than digital methods: screens are prepared, a test print is checked, then the run goes through printing and curing. Lead time depends on the number of colours, quantity, garment availability and how busy production is, so we confirm the timeline on your written quote rather than guess.

Fast turnaround is sometimes possible, subject to capacity, job size, approved artwork, payment and a confirmed deadline. The best way to help us is to send final artwork and your deadline up front, and to tell us whether you need sizes split across the order.

Collection is from our shop in Rivonia Central, Sandton; call or WhatsApp to confirm your order is ready before you come. Delivery can be arranged and is quoted per job.