We are big on t-shirt screen printing here at Icon Printing. If you are after long lasting, super durable print results – this is the print method to go for. Here is a behind the scenes peek into what happens when we screen print your t-shirts…
1. Preparing your artwork…
We normally require a vector file for screen printing; so anything that is created in Adobe Illustrator is ideal. We can work with other file types, but an extra artworking cost may occur. Once we have your vector file, we check it over – making sure all the colour layers are separated and that there are no gradients or hair line graphic elements that may not transfer to screen properly.
2. Transferring your artwork to the screens…
Your artwork is then exposed to the screen. This usually done using photosensitive emulsion in a light booth (shown above). If your artwork has more than one colour in it – each colour will need to be exposed to a separate screen.
3. Mixing the ink…
The great thing about screen printing is that any colour can be matched perfectly. This is usually done by weight, to ensure precision colour matching – which is especially important when matching Pantone© colours. We are also able to print using neon and florescent colours, glow in the dark and light reflective ink to name a few.