The classic for teams and events
Screen printing
Ink is pressed through a fine mesh screen onto the shirt, one screen for each color. Each screen takes time to make and set up, so the price per shirt drops fast as the order grows. It is the brightest, toughest print there is.
Is it right for your order?
Best for
- 24 pieces or more of the same design
- 1 to 6 solid colors
- Team, event and staff shirts
- The lowest price per shirt on big runs
Not for
Photos and color blends (DTF prints those), or one or two shirts: the screens cost the same for 1 shirt as for 100.
Not sure? The studio recommends the way we'd make your order and prices the others beside it, or compare them all.
See your design as screens
Screen printing lays down one ink color at a time, each through its own screen. Add your logo: we find its colors, draw the film for every screen (with a white base under the colors on a dark shirt), show the print on the shirt and price it. Everything happens on your device.
Inks and effects
Pick a finish for any spot in the studio. Some inks only make sense from a certain quantity, because they need their own setup.
Classic ink
- Looks
- Bright, solid color that sits on top of the fabric. Covers dark shirts well.
- Feels
- A smooth layer; big solid areas feel heavier.
- Best for
- Team, event and staff shirts on any color.
- Skip it for
- Huge solid blocks on a light summer tee: they feel stiff. Ask for soft-hand.
Included
Soft-hand ink
- Looks
- The classic look, a touch less bright on dark shirts.
- Feels
- Thinner and softer.
- Best for
- Retail-style tees and big front prints.
Included
Soft-feel ink (water-based)
- Looks
- A slightly faded, lived-in look.
- Feels
- Nothing: it soaks into the cotton.
- Best for
- Light-colored cotton tees for brands.
- Skip it for
- Dark shirts and polyester.
+$0.25 a piece for each color · From 48 pieces
Vintage soft print (discharge)
- Looks
- Bright color on dark cotton with a soft, vintage look. Colors can shift a little from shirt to shirt.
- Feels
- Like the shirt itself.
- Best for
- Dark 100% cotton tees for brands and bands.
- Skip it for
- Polyester and blends, and exact color matches.
+$0.35 a piece · From 48 pieces
Puff (raised) ink
- Looks
- A soft, rounded 3D print that rises in the dryer.
- Feels
- Spongy and raised.
- Best for
- Bold letters and simple shapes.
- Skip it for
- Fine lines and small text under 1/8 inch.
+$0.50 a piece for each color · From 24 pieces
High-density ink
- Looks
- Crisp, sharp-edged raised print.
- Feels
- Firm and thick.
- Best for
- Premium streetwear logos.
- Skip it for
- Big areas; small runs.
+$0.75 a piece for each color, +$15 a screen · From 48 pieces
Metallic
- Looks
- Satin gold or silver shimmer, not a mirror.
- Best for
- Awards shirts, anniversaries, bold logos.
+$0.35 a piece for each color
Shimmer
- Looks
- A fine sparkle through the color.
- Best for
- Dance, cheer and party shirts.
+$0.50 a piece for each color
Glitter
- Looks
- Big, bold sparkle.
- Feels
- A little rough.
- Best for
- Cheer, spirit and birthday shirts.
- Skip it for
- Fine detail.
+$0.75 a piece for each color, +$5 a screen
Foil
- Looks
- Mirror-shiny gold, silver or color, pressed onto the print.
- Best for
- Bold logos and big letters.
- Skip it for
- Hot washes: wash inside out, cold.
+$1.50 a piece, $25 setup once
Glow in the dark
- Looks
- Pale in daylight; glows after it charges in light.
- Best for
- Runs, Halloween, kids.
+$0.75 a piece for each color
Reflective
- Looks
- Shines back when headlights hit it.
- Best for
- Run clubs and night events.
- Skip it for
- Safety gear: it isn't safety-certified.
+$1 a piece for each color
Neon
- Looks
- Extra-bright fluorescent colors.
- Best for
- Events, runs and volunteer shirts.
+$0.25 a piece for each color
Suede feel
- Looks
- Soft, velvety raised print.
- Feels
- Like suede.
- Best for
- Vintage and retail designs.
+$0.50 a piece for each color
How it's made
- We separate your artEach color of your design becomes its own film. On a dark shirt, a white base goes down first so the colors stay bright; it counts as one more screen.
- We make the screensEach film is burned onto a mesh screen with light. One screen per color.
- We line them up on the pressThe screens are registered so every color lands exactly where it should. This setup is the same for 12 shirts or 500.
- We printInk is pulled through each screen with a squeegee, color by color, with a quick flash-dry between colors.
- We cure itThe shirts ride through a dryer at about 320°F, which bonds the ink for good.
How the price works
- The price per shirt comes from a table: how many ink colors the spot has, and how many shirts are in the order. More shirts, less each.
- Each screen is $25 once. On a dark shirt the white base is one more screen. From 144 pieces there's no screen charge, and a reorder of the same design pays $10 a screen.
- Under 12 pieces the press still has to be set up, so short runs add $25 once. One shirt can be screen printed, but it carries all of that alone.
- A dark shirt adds $0.20 a spot for the flash-dry between the base and the colors. Hoodies and sweatshirts add $1 a piece (thicker, slower to load).
- Exact Pantone color matching is $15 a color once. Polyester adds a dye-blocking base (+$0.20 a spot and one more screen) so the shirt's dye doesn't bleed into white ink.
- Never more for fewer: if a bigger order would cost less in total, you pay the smaller total.
| Pieces | Each | Bar | Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $76.00 | $76.00 | |
| 6 | $24.33 | $146.00 | |
| 12 | $13.88 | $166.60 | |
| 24 | $10.89 | $261.40 | |
| 48 | $8.77 | $421.00 | |
| 144 | $6.85 | $986.40 | |
| 288 | $6.25 | $1,800.00 |
| Pieces | 1 color | 2 colors | 3 colors | 4 colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $76.00 | $103.00 | $130.00 | $157.00 |
| 12 | $13.88 | $17.22 | $20.55 | $23.88 |
| 24 | $10.89 | $12.93 | $14.98 | $17.02 |
| 48 | $8.77 | $10.04 | $11.31 | $12.58 |
| 144 | $6.85 | $7.30 | $7.75 | $8.20 |
| 288 | $6.25 | $6.65 | $7.05 | $7.45 |
Sending your art
- Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) are best; a sharp PNG at full size works too.
- Solid colors only: each color is a screen. Tell us how many colors your design has; the studio counts them for you.
- Lines at least 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) and text at least 8 points hold up best.
- No art yet? Our designer can clean it up, redraw it, or design it from your idea.
Design help: clean up your file $25.00, redraw a logo $45.00, or design it from your idea from $75.00. Pick it in the studio.
Questions
Why does one shirt cost so much more than fifty?
Most of the work in screen printing happens before the first shirt: separating the art, making a screen for each color, and lining them up on the press. That setup costs the same for 1 shirt or 500, so a big order shares it across many shirts. For one or two shirts, DTF or vinyl costs far less, and the studio picks it for you.
How many colors can a design have?
Up to 8 screens per spot, counting the white base on a dark shirt. Photos and color blends need DTF, or a special kind of screen printing for 48 pieces and up: ask us.
Can I mix sizes and colors?
Mixed sizes count together toward the price. A different shirt color with the same design is usually the same screens, but a light and a dark shirt may need different inks: we tell you on the proof.
How long does it take?
About 7 business days after you approve the proof. Rush speeds are shown in the studio with their price.
Ready when you are
Design it in the studio: the price and the date update as you go, and a real person checks every order and sends you a free proof.
Design with screen printingRelated: DTF printing · Compare the ways · Prices
Other ways we make it: Embroidery · DTF printing · Heat press and vinyl · Names and numbers