Screen printing is a popular method to customize apparel. It is a highly cost-effective and super convenient way of printing and provides you with a lot of design options. Even though it's an easy method and not a lot can go wrong, it is still important to get to know information regarding the process and picking the right shirts so that your items are error-free
The process of screen printing:
Screen printing is a customization technique where we use a mesh to transfer the dye or ink onto the fabric. The areas you don't want to print are made impermeable for the ink through a blocking stencil. The printer moves a squeegee or a blade across the screen to fill up the mesh apertures with dye or ink. The reverse strokes help the screen to touch the fabric at contact lines. The ink wets the substrate and gets pulled out of the apertures. It happens when the screen bounces back after the stroke. It is more expensive and difficult to print multicolored designs because the printer screens one color at a time. You will have to use multiple screens to print multi-colored designs.
The popular shirt materials
The material defines a garment in terms of feel, durability, and printability. Following are the basic fabrics that are common in apparel manufacturing. The current article sheds light on their suitability for screen printing:
Basic cotton
Simple cotton is a popular fabric for screen printing. People order the cotton shirts in bulk because they are cheaper, durable, and very easy to be screen printed. Therefore, cotton is standard material in the printing industry.
Ring-spun cotton
Ring-spun cotton is more expensive than basic cotton due to its higher quality and softer feel. The material is popular among the customers who prefer trendier and luxurious textures in their clothes. When it comes to screen printing, ring-spun is equally suitable as cotton for this type of customization.
Synthetics blends
Blends such as polyester and other synthetic fabrics are popular in sportswear for their lightweight and moisture-wicking qualities. However, it is challenging to screenprint on polyesters and other synthetic blends as they are unsuitable for printers. This is because these fabrics do not absorb the plastisol ink easily. Moreover, dye migration also becomes a challenge. All in all, synthetic garments pose various challenges that make them an impractical choice for discharge and water-based inks.Cotton blends
Cotton blends provide us with a lot of variety in fabrics with different qualities. When cotton blends with polyester, the lightweight and moisture-wicking benefits of synthetic materials combine with the durability and breathability of cotton to give us the ultimate advantage of both worlds. They are softer than basic cotton shirts with a more natural texture than synthetic shirts. However, they are also not suitable for screen printing and pose similar challenges as fully synthetic shirts.
Eco-friendly material
Various fabrics come under the umbrella of eco-friendly materials. Recycled polyester, rayon, and bamboo are common examples of such fabrics. These fabrics are becoming more and more popular among environmentally aware customers. These apparels have a different feel. Each one of them takes differently to screen printing according to the base of their material.
Top brands to pick up the right shirts
Customers are increasingly asking for softer and breathable fabrics. Another growing trend is the preference for performance fabrics or eco-friendly fabrics. Shop from the right brands to end up with the best shirts for screen printing. Here are the top 3 brands of blank shirts best for screen printing.
The Bella+Canvas
The Bella+Canvas 3413 is very good for screen-printing, though it is not made from 100% cotton. The shirt is a tri-blend of polyester, rayon, and combed ringspun in 50%, 25%, and 25%, respectively. The combination makes it extraordinarily soft. The high single count of 40 gives you a smooth surface which makes it good for screen printing.
The Anvil
The Anvil shirts, especially Anvil 980, are soft t-shirts. With a slightly fitted look and shorter sleeves, the t-shirt looks sleek to wear. The ringspun is woven tightly to provide a perfect blank canvas for screen printing. The lightweight of 4.5 oz and 30 single counts make it soft and durable.
Port and Company
The Port and Company shirts are known for their durability. The brand produces customized shirts in every style and color. PC61PT is one of the ranges that are 100% cotton. It looks fantastic with custom designs. The 100% cotton surface makes it perfect for screen printing.
The provided brief overview of screen printing, materials, and brands will surely give you a kickstart. You want to start your screen printing business, buy custom shirts for business promotion, or outfit your employees with custom branded work shirts, the brands like Port and Company, Anvil, and Bella=Canvas will provide the right material for your business.
