Custom Screen Print and Embroidery

Here are some tips for ordering screen print or embroidery on t-shirts, polo shirts, accessories or custom apparel online. Follow these guidelines and you are sure to end up with a quality product that you will be happy with.

1) Find out how long your screen print company has been in business. You may not want to use a company who does not have a track record yet.

2) Ask about print sizes. Some companies have a limit to how big they will screen print your image. If you need a large image, you may want to ask for oversize or jumbo print dimensions.

3) Minimum orders can vary widely from company to company. Some have an order minimum of only six, whereas others may require that you order at least fifty t-shirts.

4) Check out the quality of the apparel that they offer. Do they have just a few generic colored t-shirts and baseball caps? Or do they offer a wide variety of styles, cotton blends, brands and products? Ordering a name brand that you trust can help you avoid getting a finished product that seems cheap or poorly made.

5) Ask about embroidery detail. How small of print can you get before it looks blurry or unreadable? This could be an important factor in determining the provider. What good is your logo if no one can tell what it says or means?

6) Ask about color options. This is especially important for logos. Many times, the color that you choose for your logo needs to be consistent. If your screen printer can’t match the color, then the product will be useless at branding your image.

7) When getting embroidery, ask about thread contents. Cotton threads, cotton covered polyester, and polyester threads are generally not suitable for embroidery. This is because they can pill or fray after washing. Good embroidery thread should always be rayon. Metallic threads are also suitable for embroidery work.

8) Ask about specialty inks or processes that you might need. A high heat press will create a shiny and heavy screen print. This is often used for high visibility prints, like on sports jerseys. If you may need this, make sure your supplier offers it. Also ask about glitter inks, metallic inks, foil printing or 3D embroidery if you need it.

9) Find out how long orders generally take. Good companies usually have a turnaround of about a week. Shipping costs should be considered and usually deals can be made when you order in bulk.

10) The last thing to consider is how easy it is to get your design to them. Can you simply e-mail a file? Or do you have to actually meet with a designer and have it laid out in a certain way? Good companies will have someone on staff who can take an e-mailed design and create a template for you.

With these tips, you are sure to end up with a screen printers t shirt or embroidery custom apparel company that you are very happy with.

Justin Hoehn is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t shirt. Companies purchase t shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

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Custom Art on Custom Apparel

Some companies may charge a fortune to review and prepare you custom art for print. But, if you look around, you can find screen printer companies that do not charge for having their art department make your design look fabulous.

You can expect a charge if your logo or art design needs a lot of work, but it should not be more than a couple of hundred dollars. Some companies will even let you see before and after designs that they have worked on. Determine for yourself if they seem like they are proud of the work that they do, or if they are trying to get work off the line as quickly as possible, even sacrificing quality to do so.

Remember that screen printing is an art. Even though the process is becoming more and more automated, you still need an artistic mind to look over your custom work and help you determine the best ideas for printing it. The best designs are printed after being diligently worked on and digitized by a competent art department. The screen printing industry generally hires the best designers for this job, so take advantage of their talent, input and ideas.

Custom art can also be applied by embroidery. Here, you are looking at many of the same issues. Make sure that your color scheme, design details and image size are exactly right to get the results that you are looking for. With embroidery, you will need to make sure that a rayon thread is used. Also, make sure that letters are not too small to read. Specify instructions like 3D embroidery, heavy visibility or fine line embroidery. Make sure that you and the artist are on the same page.

With both embroidery and screen printing, you should make sure that the clothing or accessories you are using are compatible with the options you have chosen. For example, slick fabrics may need to be heat pressed for screen printing to stick and not peel. This will have you end up with a much heavier, thicker appearance of the artwork. If that is not what you want, then you may want to look at other forms of apparel.

Embroidery is best when done on heavier fabrics. Thin fabrics can bunch up, or the heavy embroidery can pull down on the light fabric, making it look low quality, even if it is not. Select fabrics that are compatible with the results that you would like to see. Furthermore, select name brand custom clothing for a guaranteed high quality result.

Justin Hoehn is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t shirt. Companies purchase t shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

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Logo Printers T Shirt and Embroidery Custom Clothing

Custom clothing is an excellent idea for branding your image. Embroidery and screen print are the most popular choices for displaying your logo on polo shirts, hats and t shirts. Embroidered and screen printed shirts are used by schools, corporate entities, churches, sports teams and many other organizations. They have found that custom clothing can be used to make a name for themselves, promote their image, and make a statement about their team or organization.

Polo shirts with high quality embroidery can make people associate you and your organization with the quality and dignity that the embroidered polo portrays. Smooth pique polo shirts, name brand designs and intricately executed embroidery logos will help you to make the impression that you intend to.

Choosing from name brand custom clothing will help you to be confident in the garments that you choose. You may already have a designer in mind, depending on what organization you are promoting or which demographic you are targeting.

For example, a country club golf course would be well served to choose a high end golf brand polo shirt for their campaign. Ping, Callaway Golf, Tattoo Golf and Nike Golf would all be excellent brand choices. Not only would the quality of the shirt be top notch, but the club members would be interested in wearing these brands of shirts to play golf in. They would make great gifts, employee uniforms or inventory for your pro shop. These brands not only represent the quality of a high end golf organization, but target the demographic audience that the country club caters to as well. Associating your club name with all of these things can help you to establish yourself as a high quality outfit.

For custom clothing that needs to be less expensive or more festive, consider screen printed t shirts. These are extremely popular with schools, churches, charities and clubs. They are inexpensive enough to have specialty screen prints done for just about any occasion. Schools create individual class shirts, field trip shirts, field day shirts and graduating class shirts. If the quality is good, then the shirt can become a favorite keepsake of the students and parents.

A high quality screen printers t shirt can last for many years without peeling or fading. They are popular with sports teams, clubs, churches and many other organizations. They make great giveaways or fundraiser items as well. Choosing name brand t shirts and the right printer will help ensure that the t shirts you select hold up through many years of wear.

Justin Hoehn is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t shirt. Companies purchase t shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

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Screen Print School T Shirts

Schools need more t shirts printed than just about anyone else. These t shirts need to be extra durable, breathable and inexpensive for students and parents to buy. Screen printing is a great option for school event and spirit t shirts.

Schools use screen printed t shirts for individual classes, fund raisers, field day, field trips and much more. The school can usually keep a portion of their t shirt sales and make extra money. There are countless items that you can have your school logo, mascot or name printed on. Ribbons, cups and t shirts are great screen print items that your school can use to raise money and school spirit.

Screen print t shirts are of an exceptional quality that far surpasses that of an iron-on. A screen printers t shirt has the ink shot directly through all of the tiny spaces of the fabric, so it cannot peel. Since it is ink, it helps the fabric to remain soft, unlike plastic-feeling iron-on transfers. Keeping the t shirts breathable is important when you are clothing children for warmer weather.

One popular idea for schools is to have each class design their own custom class t shirt. You can use their drawings, school logo, teacher’s name and student’s names to create a unique keepsake for your students. T shirts that feature student’s names or drawings are big sellers and can help your school raise much needed funds very quickly. Parents generally appreciate fund raisers like this that does not require them to go out and sell overpriced items to their friends and family.

Schools use screen printed apparel to raise money at sporting events, too. School spirit wear is popular with students, parents and alumni. You can mark these items up just about as much as you need to make extra money because they sell so well. Some schools even produce a new spirit t shirt every week featuring the team they are playing. Catchy phrases about beating the opponent are popular with students and make great souvenirs or awards. Your sports teams and cheerleaders can sell these t shirts throughout their seasons to raise funds for your athletics department.

School t shirts print is very durable when you use the screen print process. You will not have to worry about peeling, fading, breathability or gathering with high quality screen printed custom clothing. Plus, the cost is low enough that you can use a screen printers t shirt for just about any occasion in your school.

Justin Hoehn is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t shirt. Companies purchase t shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

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Screen Printing: Plastic Feeling or Soft?

A screen printer’s t shirt printed with ink containing plastics can be hot and sticky if you do not know what to ask for when ordering. If you are looking for a softer, vintage-feeling screen printed shirt, you may want to ask for water based inks. If you need a heavy laid print, you may ask for ink containing plastics applied with a hot press.

Many screen printers use inks containing plastics because they are not as hard on the screen printing equipment, they are sometimes more durable, can be brighter, heavier and more visible. But, if you want your t shirt to look old and worn, you will most likely be happier with a water based ink product. Plastic inks laid with a hot press are not very breathable and create a lot of heat against your body. They do not stretch with fabrics and can crack if exposed to a lot of wear and tear.

Water based inks are well absorbed by almost every kind of fabric. Keep in mind that water based ink does not show up as well on darker fabrics. This is especially true on black and navy blue garments.

Water based ink screen prints are preferred on items that have more texture, such as golf towels, hats and pique polo shirts. They can be ironed without running the risk of melting. They can hold up through stretching, washing and ironing as well as the garment that they are printed on.

There are some circumstances where you may prefer inks containing plastics. Sports jerseys are one example. The complete coverage that you get with inks containing plastic is usually preferred for the extreme visibility that is needed on sports jerseys. Some companies prefer plastic inks on waterproof items, such as umbrellas, raincoats and ponchos.

There is still another reason that you may prefer screen printing inks containing plastics. Fading is of more concern with water based inks. If you want a shirt to look worn or vintage, then definitely go with water based ink. If you want a vibrant color or more durable print, you can still get soft, breathable results from inks containing plastics if a hot press is not used.

Hot press is used to give a heavy plastic feel, such as on a jersey. If a hot press is not used, the result is almost the same as with water based inks. Because most garments come out more durable, most screen print shops use inks containing plastics and no hot press.

The main thing to consider when you are ordering screen print t shirts, polos or other custom clothing is the quality of the print. Ask to see examples of a screen printer’s work before you order. Most screen printers will have samples of their work on their web site.

Find a printer that offers a wide variety of custom clothing and apparel. This way, if you later decide to expand distribution of your logo, you can order different screen print items knowing the quality that you are getting. Some screen printers offer custom clothing from major name brands, such as Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Adidas. Getting high quality products and high quality screen printing in one place can save you a lot of hassle and wasted money.

Justin Hoehn is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t shirt. Companies purchase t shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

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