We offer a full printing service specialising in screen printing.

Our screen printing production capacity is 10,000 shirts per day.

The more you screen print the cheaper the unit price.

To be able to offer you our best screen printing price, we will first need to see your artwork.

There are 6 factors that govern the cost of printing Tshirts.
1) The colour of the Tshirt.  (it is cheaper to print on white shirts than coloured shirts)
2) the number of colours in your image.  (the more colours the more expensive)
3) the quantity.  (the more you print the cheaper the unit price)
4) the number of different positions on the shirt. (the more positions the more expensive)
5) shirt material (100% cotton, 100% polyester of cotton poly blends)
6) your required size range (do you want kids and adults or just adults only)

We offer all styles of printing, including ;
* Screen Printing
* Digital Printing
* Sublimation
* Discharge prints
* Foil, Metallic, Glitter, Glow in the Dark, Flocking, Rhinestones, Puff
* Embroidery
* Vinyl printing
* Iron On heat Transfers

Artwork : High res image
(300dpi resolution) A) Illustrator B) EPS, C) PDF D) PSD Photoshop F) PNG G) JPG

To Quote please advise :

The colour of T-shirt you want to print on, It is cheaper to print on “white” T-shirts than “black” or “coloured” shirts.

How many colours in each image you would like to print. If you are unsure of the number of colours, just email your image to us.

How many different position for each screen printing image, e.g

  • Front – Centre Chest or Left breast logo,
  • Back – across shoulder or centre back
  • Sleeve – left or right
  • Side – left or right.

Guide to Screen Printing

T-shirt screen printing is an easy and creative way to earn extra money or start a home business without having to out lay a lot of money..
Screen printers all over Australia and around the world are busy printing tshirts and other garments for companies, businesses, organizations, churches, schools, individuals, fund raisers, designers and sports organisers.
Screen printing is achieved when a mesh is used to apply ink to a surface or substrate.  A blocking agent seals areas of the mesh around the design to be printed. Ink is apply by the  the use of a blade or squeegee across the screen filling the mesh holes free of blocking agent  with ink. A second pass of the ink / squeegee causes the ink to touch the substrate.  The ink is then cured by exposes to a heat source such as the Sun or heat oven.
One screen for each colour is required, so a multicoloured design can take several screens. Screen printing requires little expense to start and require the following items :  Tshirts , frames, screen or mesh, light sensitive emulsion, ink, a squeegee, masking tape, some tables and a spare garage space or room.

The earliest record of Screen Printers firsts dates back to the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD)

The art form moved to other countries in Asia and further methods and techniques were developed.
Many Screen Printers kept their techniques secret for fear of competition.
The Screen Printers skill and products entered into Europe sometime during the 18th century.  Printed fabric became more popular and so did the demand for Screen Printers.
Traditionally, the mesh which the Screen Printers required was made from silk made in Asia,  it was expensive and in short supply. As trade between Europe and Asia, Screen Printers cost and material began to reduce.
During early 1900’s new materials and chemical experiments were being performed using light sensitive substances. The hardening traits and photochemical reactions of various material  were measured when the materials were exposed to light or sunlight.
An English Screen printer by the name of Samuel Simon first patented the use of silk stretched on wood frames to hold stencils and in 1914 John Pilsworth of San Fransisco applied for a patent  for a multicolour screen print process.
During the 1920 – 1950s Screen Printers were busy printing flags and banners for the both  World Wars I & II and then after supplying printing for private corporations and businesses.
During this same period synthetic fibres were being developed and began to replace natural  fibres such as silk and hemp in industrial applications.
Today most screen printers meshs are made from synthetic fibres with the most common fibres  being “ Polyester”

The quality of a Screen–print will depend on the mesh count of the screen

The mesh size will determine the print quality and final look of the screen-print
Mesh size is measured by the number of fibres in one square inch, so a 100 mesh count screen will have 100 fibres per square inch. The lower the mesh count have larger openings that allow more ink to pass through, while higher mesh count screens allow less ink through but finer detail screen-print can be achieved.
Which mesh count will be determined by individual project, ink type and designs. Below are  some guidelines that will help you understand which mesh is required for which screen-print.
  • 25 to 40 mesh count. – glitter and or shimmer inks
  • 60 mesh count – heavy ink deposit
  • 80 – 86 mesh count – is often used in making screen printed transfers
  • 110 to 160 mesh count – lower scale is ideal for underbase or printing bold colours, while higher scale mesh are ideal for printing more detailed designs.
  • 180 to 200 mesh count – ideal for high detail screen-prints.
  • 230 to 280 mesh count – high detail but low ink deposit.

T shirt screen printing can be done as a small hobby or big businesses, depending on your  personal target.

Screen printing is also known as serigraphy or serigraphy printing and was a print techniques used to create a consistent and repeated design onto a surface.
In the 1960s the artist Andy Warhl is given credit for popularising the screen printing for the mass production of artistic designs. Warhol worked with master screen printer Micheal Caza one of the founding members of Fespa.
In 1960 Michael Vasilantone was developing a rotatable multicolour t shirt screen printing  machine and was granted a patent on his invention in on February 18th 1969.
The machine was originally manufactured to print logos and team names onto bowling garments. However that was soon overtaken by a new fab taking off – the t-shirt and t shirt printing.
As a result of the boom in tshirt fashion Vasilantone t shirt screen printing system was licensed to manufactures for large scale production.   Demand for screen printed fashion t-shirt designs  grew during the 1970s with demand from organisations such and Disney, Hollywood and the
growing development of shopping centres and department stores. T shirts screen printing now accounts for more than half of screen printing activity in the world.
T shirt screen printing has become a way that artists can express their creativity and artistic vision.
Today t shirt printing has developed “digital hybrid” t shirt screen printing techniques, which is a combination of traditional screen printing and digital t shirt printing. These two systems are now the most common textile printing technologies in use today.

T shirt printing is easy to do.  Tshirt printing is a major vehicle in marketing and promotions, to convey a message or artist expression, whatever it might be.

To start t shirt printing today your will need the following items, some you can make and some you will have the purchase.
List of materials required to start a t shirt printing business are : Tshirts , frames, screen or mesh, light sensitive emulsion, ink, a squeegee, masking tape, some tables and a spare room  or garage space and some tables.
  • Tshirts – it is best to find a local importer who can supply stock at hand
  • frames – can be made from wood and or aluminium
  • mesh – the quality of the print will be determined by your mesh size.
  • emulsion – source from a local supplier
  • inks  – source from a local supplier
  • wash up areas – garden hose
  • work space – garage or spare room dark

Screen Printing FAQ 1. Is there a minimum quantity required?

No , there is no minimum quantity but screen printing can be expensive on small print runs  due to set-up charges.  The print price is directly related to the quantity at the time of order.

Screen Printing FAQ 2. Can screen printing produce full colour designs?

Yes modern screen printing machines can provide up to 20 colours.

Screen Printing FAQ 3. Can a screen print size be adjusted for different size shirts?

Once the screen is made, the print size is a fixed width across all size t shirts.  If a print is required across a large size range from kids to adults, several screens may be required.

Screen Printing FAQ 4. Which print method, screen printing or digital printing produces the best print results?

Both screen printing and digital printing can produces great print quality results.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each print method.  Digital printing can be more cost effective on small print runs than screen printing due to the  screen printing setup cost.  Screen printing offers a fixed print width, while digital printing allows  for the adjustment of print size.
In the current t shirt printing market digital printing is usually used for parties, promotions, fun runs and give-aways, etc, while screen printing is usually used for large volume print runs, merchandising and resale items.

Screen Printing FAQ 5. How long does screen printing take?

Screen printing machines or carousels can print 100s of shirts per hours depending on the number of colours in your design. Some screen printers can produces 10,000 shirts per day.

Screen Printing FAQ 6. What types of ink are used in screen printing?

Screen printing use “water based” inks and “plastisol” inks, with both widely used in screen printing.
Plastisol inks are commonly preferred because  they are easier to print and do not dry in the screen, and need to be heated to 143’C (300’F) to cure or dry.  Whereas  water based inks will can air dry and require fast work to avoid the ink drying in the screen and effecting print results and clean up.

Screen printing process can be described in the following method:

A frame is required to secure the mesh, this could be a wood frame. A screen or mesh is then stretched tight across the frame and secured in place.  A special light sensitive substance called “emulsion” is then applied to the screen / mesh and allowed to air dry on a dark place.
Once the “emulsion’ is dry you place your “transparent film” of your design onto the underside of the screen and secure with tape.  The Screen can then be exposed to sun light or a flood light, the emulsion reacts to the light and hardens around your design, leaving the emulsion soft under
your design. The exposure time can vary depending on the emulsion and the source of light but exposure times can vary from 30 seconds to 4 minutes.  Once the screen and film negative have been expose, the screen is then taken to be washed under water using a hose, the emulsion is removed from the screen were the design was, leaving all the other parts of the screen blocked  by the hardened emulsion.  Tape the inside corners of the screen with masking tapes and the  screen is then ready for the screen printing process.

The t-shirt printing methods can vary from traditional methods to modern digital printing machines

The goal being of how to produce a professional print finish in the most cost effective way. The most common t shirt printing methods in use today are Screen print, Digital print and dye sublimation printing.

Screen printing:

Screen printing is achieved when a mesh is used to apply ink to a surface or substrate. A blocking agent seals areas of the mesh around the design to be printed. Ink is apply by the the use of a blade or squeegee across the screen filling the mesh holes free of blocking agent
with ink. A second pass of the ink / squeegee causes the ink to touch the substrate.
The ink is then cured by exposes to a heat source such as the Sun or heat oven.

Direct-to-garment printing or DTG

DTG is now becoming popular as a t-shirt printing method due to the development of print specialized aqueous ink jet technology, where the inks are jetted onto the t shirt surface by the print head. The smoother the fabric surface the better the print finish. DTG t shirt printing usually requires the fabric to be treated with a fabric sealer before printing. A heat press or oven are required for best drying or curing results, bonding the chemicals in the ink.
Unlike screening, DTG printing has no set-up costs which makes it suitable for single t-shirt printing
orders at a cost effective rate.

Dye-sublimation printing

A modern t-shirt printing method is Dye-sublimation or dye-sub printing or digital sublimation.
This type of t-shirt printing is a printing method which uses heat to transfer dye / ink onto a material.
Dye-sublimation required a polyester fibre to complete the sublimation process. In which the inks are transferred to the t-shirt surface by the use of heat and pressure, known as a endothermic reaction. .
Sublimation t-shirt printing is achieved using t shirts made from 100% polyester or polymer coated substrate.  T-shirt printing using the sublimation method is usually done but first transferring the design onto larger flat sheets of polyester fabric, the fabric / designs are then cut into t-shirt panels
and stitched together to for the finished t-shirt.

The T-shirt or tee shirt printer, was named after the T shape of the sleeves and body.

Traditionally with a round necklines, known as a “crew neck” after from mining and ship crews under garments used in the 1800s.  The t shirt was without a collar or buttons and  suitable for working in hot environments, as a light and inexpensive body covering.
During the 1950s T shirts were made fashionable outwear garment with workers wearing then as general purpose casual clothing.  With the T-shirt becoming fashionable general purpose outwear, modern pop culture designs and using the body as a “bill board” for artist and political expression,
the demand for shirt printers grew.  The shirt printer is always in demand by companies and governments and private individuals for advertising purposes.

Most printers print customs order for clients from every aspect of daily life.

Printers  are required to transfer a image or design on a substrate or underlying material or surface.
Through out the years printers have developed many methods to transfer a image, with the
most popular being and successful being the invention of the printing press.
The first printing press was invented in Germany around 1440 by Johannes Gutenburg.
With the development of printer skills and specialised knowledge the “printing revolution” began.
During the Renaissance Printers could produce up to 4,000 pages per day compared to 40 per day
when done by hand.  Printing technologies

For those interested in printing onto Tshirts and producing a consistent professional finish every time with a low start up expense, traditional screen printing method can be learnt.

A screen can be made by stretching a mesh over a steady wood frame and it must be under tension.
Before printing the frames or screens must be treated with a light sensitive emulsion. Once the emulsion has dried, the stencil can be applied to the screen. The stencil will covers areas of the
emulsion. The stencil will cover areas of the light sensitive emulsion.
The screen and stencil is then exposed to sunlight for a calculated period. The emulsion will harden in the exposed areas but leaves the emulsion soft in the areas covered by not exposed by the stencil.
The stencil can then be removed and the mesh washed using water, leaving behind a clear area in the mesh in the shape of the design which will allow the ink to pass.  Unwanted holes in the mesh will
need to be blocked also before printing, tape can be used for this job.
Best printing results can be achieved by selecting the correct mesh sizes for the required design.
When printing t shirts, the surface supporting the t shirt or fabric to be printed is coated.
To start printing the screen is placed onto the t shirt and screen and t shirt are secured to avoid movement.  Ink is then placed into the “well” of the screen above the design. Using a blade or “squeegee”, ink is drawn across the mesh and pushed through the holes in the mesh, a second pass pushes the ink onto the fabric. The wet ink deposit is proportional to the mesh size.
The screen is then carefully lifted from the T shirt and the printing is complete, the t shirt is than placed in a drying oven to cure.