One very popular item we often find ourselves customising, is the trusty tote bag. We are based in Shoreditch, east London – and in this area you can’t walk two minutes down the road without seeing one dash past you. Londoners love them. That’s why they make such great promotional items, merch and give-aways. For high volume orders, getting your tote bags screen printed would be your best bet and they will last super well. For more of a promotional ‘hand out’ bag, totes that are digitally Direct to Garment printed are a fantastic option.

Here’s an example of a DTG printed canvas tote…

We printed these natural canvas tote bags the other week for the Courtauld Institute Of Art, they were designed by Bullet Creative. These were digitally Direct to Garment printed and as you can see, this particular print technique has handled reproducing this “painting style” image really well. Even though canvas tote bags often do have a slight texture to them, DTG printing can still adhere to this particular surface very nicely, with the full colour artwork not suffering at all.

If you have any questions about any of our printing techniques, drop us a line at: sales@iconprinting.com or give us a ring on 0207 183 8431. For more info on Digital Direct to Garment printing on t-shirts and tote bags take a look at our website.

1. How long will my order take?

Our standard turnaround time is 7 working days (including production and delivery). We also offer an express service – which is 3 working days. For express turnaround we charge a markup of 20% of your order total. If you need your items sooner, please contact us so we can check your quote and artwork details; additional charges may apply. Once your order has dispatched we’ll email you a dispatch notification.

2. Do you offer an artwork service?

If you need your artwork converting into a print ready format we can help with this. Just upload the files you have so we can check them over. Most of the time converting artwork formats is free of charge however if it’s a complex design, there is an artwork charge which is usually £14.95 per hour.

3. Do I receive a visual proof before my job goes to print?

Yes, once your order is confirmed we’ll email you a visual proof PDF for you to approve before we start production. This allows you to see exactly what you have ordered and check the artwork dimensions, colours, layout and text. We won’t go ahead with production until you have signed the proof off. We’ll also send you an email confirmation with the full order details.

4. How much do you charge for delivery?

Standard delivery (9am to 6pm on weekdays) are free to mainland UK address.

We can deliver on a Saturday and additional charges apply:
Saturday pre 10am @ £40.50 per box and Saturday pre noon @ £30.50 per box.

5. Can I collect my order from your London office?

Sorry, it’s not possible to collect your items from our London office as the production takes place at one of our specialist print houses outside London. We always deliver the printed or embroidered items to your door via courier companies on a next day delivery. We use DPD or APC couriers who deliver next day, we’ll send you a dispatch notification when your items have been sent so you can track your order.

6. What artwork formats do you accept?

Before we start printing or embroidery, we always need your artwork in a print ready format. Depending on which customisation method we use we need the artwork in one of the following formats:

Vector Format for screen printing, embroidery or transfer printing:

– Adobe Illustrator, EPS or PDF files

– All fonts and strokes should be created to outlines

High res PNG files for DTG printing:

– PNG files saved with a transparent background

– Must be saved to at least 150 dpi and at least 100% of intended print size

If you’re not sure or unable how to supply any of these artwork files, please just upload whatever you have and we can recommend any changes if necessary.

7. Do you have a minimum order?

We have no minimum order for DTG or Transfer Printing. We have a minimum order of 20 items for Screen Printing and 6 items for Embroidery due to the set up, screen or digitisation costs involved. If you are supplying your own garments, we have a minimum order of 10 items.

8. Can you print over seams or zips?

No, we’re not able to.

9. If screen printing, can I change the colour of the print on some t-shirts?

Yes, as long as the design remains the same we can change the print colour. There is an additional colour change fee of £15.00 + VAT.

10. Do you deliver outside of the UK?

Yes we can deliver to mainland Europe but delivery costs will be higher and turnaround times can be longer. Please contact us if you wish to get your items sent to an address outside of the UK and we can provide full details for the cost and delivery timescales.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any other queries you may have…need express t-shirt printing? We can help!

email: sales@iconprinting.com
phone: 0207 183 8431

One of our most popular brands we stock at Icon Printing, is the well known clothing manufacturer – American Apparel. This LA based label excels in producing fantastic basic pieces that are great fitting and of excellent quality – resulting in ideal clothing for printing. Due to their garments pure cotton or cotton/poly content, we find they last the best both in terms of printing and wear.

Now for a little background information – as how they go about things is pretty interesting. They are a vertically integrated company – which means not only are they a clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer, but they also perform their own design, advertising, and (award-winning) marketing. They provide more than 10,000 jobs worldwide and produce one million garments each week at their sweat-shop free factory in Downtown Los Angeles.

Their site is well worth a look around, as throughout, there is a wonderful sense of personality and alternative thinking. Below is a screen shot of one of the best sections of their website…where they urge you to ‘Explore Our Factory’.

By hovering your cursor over the black and white image of their massive factory building, various departments appear highlighted – each one presenting it’s own related short video clip. Here’s where it gets cool, the video snippets are not exactly what you think they’re going to be. For example, their “Shoemakers” section video clip is on their “favourite pairs” – but not favourite pairs of shoes, but people within the company. You then get to meet couples who have met since working at American Apparel, also best friends and twin sisters…it’s really rather nice. And creative department video is brought to you by the studio dog, obviously much more insightful than a human being…and way more fun!

Check out our catalogue to see what American Apparel products we carry, or just get in touch with any t-shirt printing London inquiries…

sales@iconprinting.com or on 0207 183 8431

Here at Icon Printing, we’ve got a vast range of garments we’re able to print on to – whatever your budget or requirements. We also have a fantastic selection of organic products, as more and more people these days are becoming aware of the effects of irresponsible cotton farming. The video below is a quick insight into why choosing organic and fair trade makes such a difference…

COTTON: Have You Picked Yours Carefully?

We carry a great organic brand called EarthPositive. They’re so good, they’re award winning and each garment is made from certified organic Indian cotton and are soft, cool and perfect fitting.