Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you offer different kinds of printing?
I offer three different methods of imprinting your tee or sweats -- Direct to Garment (DTG), plastisol, and screen printing -- as a way to give you a wide range of options. Offering these three methods also ensures that you will get the highest quality printing at the most affordable price.
What is the difference between DTG, plastisol and screen printing?
Direct to Garment (DTG)
When was the last time you printed a color document from your computer? Now, imagine that, instead of printing on a sheet of paper, you printing directly onto a t shirt. That's Direct to Garment -- the t-shirt is run through a special printer which prints the ink directly onto the shirt.
DTG typically feels very soft on the shirt and the colors can stay vivid through many washes.Out of all the tees I own and wear, I have eight that have been printing with DTG. I have owned some of these for years and they have been through the washer and dryer a ton of times; the colors and design are still crisp.
I contract through a Print on Demand company for my DTG shirts; this way, I can offer you no minimum orders -- get one shirt or get one hundred. Direct to Garment is best, however, for small qualities of shirts -- one to twenty. Printing more than twenty becomes less cost-effective. If you only need a few tees or need twenty tees customized for each person, Direct to Garment might be the way to go.
Note: I am limited to t-shirts and sweatshirts with Direct to Garment
Plastisol
Plastisol transfers are created with a standard textile screen printer and dryer. However, instead of screen printing the t shirt, the design is printed onto a special kind of transfer paper. The design is then transfered onto the garment by using a heat press, usually set for 320-400 degrees and pressed for 5 - 20 seconds.
Plastisol transfers are very good for mid-range quantities, usually twenty to one hundred t-shirts. The feel of the design is very soft and there is a wide range of effects that can be accomplished, including grunge, glitter, puff and 3-D. The feel gets thicker, however, as more colors are added; the best feel comes with four or fewer colors.
Screen Printing
Screen printing is often called silk screening. Silk screening is something many of us did in the garage with messy inks and screens. The screen is created by stretching thin but durable fabric over a wood or metal frame. The fabric is then coated with a light sensitive emulsion. The film is taped to the screen and exposed to a bright light. The dark areas of the film block the light from hitting the areas of the screen that are to print, and the transparent areas allow a photo-chemical reaction to harden the emulsion. When the screen is rinsed with water the emulsion washes out of the areas that are intended to print.
Screen printing is the grown-up version of silk screening. Silk screening is a garage-art form while screen printing is big business with very complex techniques and processes for artwork, colors, and inks.
Screen printing is best for large quantities of tees and sweats, typically one hundred or more.
How much will my order cost?
It depends on several variables:
- The number of shirts
- The color of the shirts (dark shirts cost more than white shirts
- The style and brand of the garment
- The number and size of the designs (Are you printing on just the front or the front and the back? Is it a large design for the chest or is it a smaller design for the breast? et cetera)
How can I send my artwork?
Sending your artwork is very easy! Just upload it from your computer with this form.
What type of art files do you accept?
It depends on the type of image that it is. There are two kinds of computer graphics - raster (composed of pixels) and vector (composed of paths). Raster images are more commonly called bitmap images. If you have a vector image, I can use it. A bitmap image may have to be vectorized or redrawn to use it.
If you are unsure of your image, I suggest that you use a design from the EasyPrints Idea Book or the myIDGear catalog. Find the design you like the best and then customize it by choosing your own text, typestyles, and clip arts. Best of all, it's free!
I prefer artwork to be sent in Corel Draw Version X3 or earlier (.cdr) or in Adobe Illustrator CS3 or earlier (.ai, .eps, et cetera)
Do you charge for custom artwork?
Yes. The cost for custom artwork is $30 and this covers the draft image(s) and all changes and modifications until you are satisfied. I will waive this fee when you pay for your shirts, sweats, hats and/or rally towels. However, if you decide not to order through me and would rather take the custom artwork in vector form to another printer, you will pay the $30 at that time.
How long will it take to receive my order?
If you order one to twenty items, the shirts will be ready for purchase three days from your approval of the artwork. When the shirts are ready, I will e-mail you with the specific URL for your shirts or sweats. When you order from this URL, you will have the ability to choose from Super Saver Shipping, Standard Shipping, Two-Day Shipping and One-Day Shipping. After you order, you will get a confirmation e-mail with tracking information.
For all orders over twenty items, I will e-mail you a .pdf with the artwork information and your quote. You will need to approve it and pay 50% of the balance through PayPal. PayPal accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, debit cards and other PayPal accounts.
When the shirts are ready to be shipped (usually 10 - 14 days after your approval and 50% deposit), I will again e-mail you with the remaining balance and link to PayPal.
What is the minimum amount of shirts I can order?
You can order as few as one t shirt or as many as you need.
I have more questions...
If you have a question which I haven't answered yet, ask it with this form.
I will e-mail you the answer and post it here for other to see.
Thanks again for your interest in Team Spirit Tees. I appreciate you!