Everyone has heard about screen printing. It is a process where ink passes through either a fabric or a netted/webbed surface—the more uniform the weave of the fabric, the finer and more detailed the final print. Historically, silk was used to weave the fabric material used for printing. Thus the term silkscreening was used. Currently, nylon material is used for uniformity and consistency. Once the material is affixed to a frame, the design stencil is used with the aid of a squeegee to transfer the ink color portions that are unblocked onto the shirt. The traditional weaving method has been used for centuries to manufacture clothing, such as shirts and other clothing items. Like any woven material, screens are made the same way.
Screen printing originated in China around 200 AD, so it’s been around for about 1800 years and began with stenciling fabrics and had both practical and later artistic uses.
Today we see the same dual benefits. In the 1930s, the term “serigraphy” was introduced to distinguish the creative application of screen printing from industrial or manufacturing uses. Today a form of this industrial screen printing is used to manufacture items as small as semiconductors. However, the applications we are most interested in are wearable and non-wearable promotional items for branding of companies both local and national.
Since the 1960s, the cool factor has crept into the national ethos popularized by Andy Warhol and his tribe of modern artists. Printed t-shirts became the cool thing to wear for personal expression. Similarly, companies have leveraged t-shirt printing to increase brand association and awareness, inexpensive advertisement, and conversation starters. I’ve been in business since 1992 and wear branded clothing every day. If I’m standing waiting in line, if I happen to be wearing my branded t-shirt, polo, or hat, someone will comment and ask what that’s all about. Many conversations are started all because I’m wearing a branded shirt or hat. I hand out 1000 business cards every six months simply from conversations initiated because I’m wearing our Merlin Embroidery business logo.
To appeal to more consumers, many companies have turned to more unconventional apparel printing methods such as screen printing on wearables like clothing and non-wearables like Pens and Mugs, Calendar magnets, and promotional items. Those durable and reusable items are low-cost advertising for businesses 24/7 in perpetuity. We all know that advertising messages require repetition, especially in the busy and noisy world we live in.
For a very low cost, as little as 50 cents per pen, they include your company logo and phone number and perhaps a unique selling proposition or message to make a statement in the local marketplace.
Initial setup fees could be a hurdle to entry, however, keep in mind the perpetual nature of your leveraging advertising. For a three-color design, you may pay $120 in setup fees and $500 for an entire order of screen printed t-shirts for you and your employees, 48 shirts total. However, those shirts may last all year, increasing brand awareness and essentially uniforming your team. You can include phone numbers and license numbers and your value statement slogan. Think of it this way, you can spend $500 on a 1-minute advertising spot on the radio, or you can spend that same money and advertise all year long, every day of the week, all day long.
Despite the short-term disadvantages, screen printing has many benefits that are worth mentioning. The Top Five Benefits of Screen Printing are as follows.
Top 5 benefits of Screen printing
Benefits of Screen Printing #1: Quantity Discounts
Small businesses can also benefit from quantity discounts. How many shirts qualify for a quantity discount? Our minimum order for printed shirts is 48 shirts. For small businesses that have 5-50 employees, this 48 shirt minimum is the sweet spot for small businesses. Experience shows that small businesses will purchase 5 t-shirts per employee so they have one shirt per workday. For companies with 10 employees, we see orders of 50 to 100 t-shirts with every order, this type of quantity discount translates into real savings for the bottom line. The value of a uniform-looking staff cannot be understated. We see increases in on-the-job satisfaction levels as well as increased teamwork, communication, and cooperation.
The benefits of non-stop branding are hard to quantify as well. Benefits at the retail level as well, for those that are interested in getting into the retail or resale side of screenprinting.
Making copies is an economical way to go when you have to make many copies or reprints of the same design in a wholesale quantity; screen printing is the right option. A simple example is a Walmart store that orders and sells t-shirts, among many other things. That store may order 10,000 t-shirts, so the cost of each printed t-shirt is reduced. Sales of a particular design sell out quickly, and there is wide and increased demand for them. The store then orders 100,000 of the same shirts. Brands like Hang Ten, Hobie, and No Fear all started this same way. Those brand names are known throughout the nation. The same screens will be used again and again when reprints are needed. It is an economical way to replicate prior prints, and it saves money when you scale up.
Benefits of Screen Printing #2: Fast promotions
Screen printing is a relatively quick process compared with other advertising methods, in contrast, digital marketing, website development, and SEO ranking. These may take months or years to affect your business’s bottom line and cost thousands and thousands of dollars.
In contrast, think of screen printing as a photographic process. As fast as you can get the film developed into prints, you can get t-shirts printed. The process of screen printing is not simple but can be hassle-free. Once the design is finalized, films are created using Adobe’s famous Illustrator or Photoshop computer design programs along with an inkjet or laser printer. Once the films are output, screens are burned, exposed to light, and stencils are produced. After drying, the screens are affixed to a screen printing machine or carousel. The t-shirts are placed one at a time on a palette, a secure flat surface. Ink is placed on the screen. A squeegee passes over the open stencil areas. That ink is pressed thru the openings onto the t-shirt, making the print. T-shirts are passed thru a large oven (like a pizza oven) on a conveyer. Once they reach the other end, the ink is cured and the t-shirt worn indefinitely. With these requisite materials and steps, you can quickly have your shirts to wear. With this information, you can start a business or simply advertise and promote an existing business. After passing thru the dryer, the colors and inks are cured, you could start advertising to your targeted audience immediately.
Benefits of Screen Printing #3: Larger Designs
Screen printing is the best choice for making larger designs, as you can be more creative and resourceful with the panel size. Some design elements in a design might need to be made bigger or smaller. In digital printing, this is difficult to do without the design getting distorted. Remember, the larger the palette, the more distortion you may encounter. T-shirt printing is well within smaller parameters, and distortion is not usually a factor.
Benefits of Screen Printing #4: Wide range of uses
Screen printing can be used effectively for various wearable and non-wearable. Screen printing is a creative and aesthetically pleasing way to add prints and designs to clothes, fabrics, and garments. It also caters to printing on product labels, the printing of circuit boards, adding different designs to balloons, and much more.
Benefits of Screen Printing #5: Sturdy and Tough
Screenprints are tough and sturdy. Despite exposing the screen-printed fabrics to harsh conditions, the colors do not appear weary and dull. After continuous washings, screen-printed shirts that are cured properly typically will outlast the garments they are printed on. We know that stencil printing was around 1800 years ago because archeological digs have uncovered screen prints that have withstood the test of time, 18 centuries worth.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Screen printing has remained a stronghold for personal expression. The vibrant colors used in screen printing are environmentally friendly as compared to plastic inks. That’s right. Historically, screen printing inks have been petroleum-based. Some still are. However, the industry has introduced new water-based inks, soy, and citrus-based cleaners. Overall, the process has become more environmentally friendly and OSHA regulation compliant. The colors are attractive and vibrant and cover every color of the rainbow. Printed and embroidered shirts, including non-wearable such as pens and mugs and calendars, are still the go-to solution for branding, increasing brand awareness, and an essential tool in team building, productivity, and cooperation among employees—all at budget pricing.
