Screen Printing Services
If You Can Dream It, We Can Print It
In the practice of the art that is custom t-shirt printing, screen printing has been widely accepted as the preferred method since it made its first appearance during 960 in China. Since then, technologies, fabrics, and colors have evolved, but the techniques remain similar. Screen printing is a process that allows the image or text you choose to be soaked into the cloth to produce a vibrant image on your custom t-shirt — or any apparel! Each design requires a screen that dictates where the ink will transfer onto the apparel and what areas will be blocked. For multi-colored items, several screens will be made, one for each color used. The fabric is laid beneath the printer and then the screen is applied. Ink is introduced and then squeegeed across the fabric. This allows for the ink to be absorbed but assures that it is done so evenly.
At Shirt Shack in Hastings and Kearney, we have mastered the art of screen printing and can create any custom t-shirt you want. Want an impeccably-made novelty t-shirt, but don't have your own custom design idea? We've still got you covered! Shop our novelty t-shirt shop.
Plastisol Ink
The classic screen printing option which uses PVC-based ink to provide the most vibrant finish and the best coverage on any color fabric. In this process, the ink is stamped onto the fabric and then cured to create a lasting, raised, finish.
Vintage-Style Printing
Vintage-style screen printing is a thinner PVC-based ink printed on fabric of a higher thread count for a coverage that creates a soft, vintage look. Of course, the distressed look of the letters or image isn’t actual aging or poor process quality, but an intentional design aesthetic to allow the garment to appear classically vintage.
Four-Color Process
Four-color printing is the process of using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in four layers to create a wide range of colors for the print. Your custom printed shirt will be rotated between four ink applicators where each color will be applied, one at a time until the desired look is achieved. Spot process also uses the same four colors, printed in spots to create a photorealistic image.
Water-Based Ink Printing
Water-based ink printing uses water-based ink to soak into fibers of the fabric, rather than being painted or stamped on top of it. As the ink dries, the water evaporates, leaving the colors in the material fibers, essentially dying the fabric, leaving behind a softer feel than other screen printing methods. This process works well on white or lighter colored shirts.
Discharge Printing
Discharge shirt printing is a reverse process of printing where the dye of the material is bleached out, revealing the natural fiber color, which is usually a cream or tan color. This bleached fabric can then be printed with water-based ink. This process allows us to screen print on dark shirts.
Foil Shirt Printing
Foil printing is exactly what it sounds like! Sheets of foil are heat fused on top of plastisol ink to add shimmer, shine, or sparkle. It should be noted that because the foil is not actually a part of the ink, that if foil-printed shirts are not properly cared for, they may begin to flake. For this reason, we use a similarly colored shirt ink to help the shirt last longer.
Whether you need custom shirts for your family reunion, your soccer team, or to display your new small business logo or movement statement, Shirt Shack is your go-to spot for all things screen printing in the Tri-City area. Check out our gallery for inspiration and contact us for your obligation-free estimate today! Stop into our Hastings or Kearney locations to speak with a designer or see the process and results for yourself!
At Shirt Shack, you’ll like the way we ink! Contact us to get your custom screen print project started today!
Quality driven process
High-quality finished products are the result of high-quality products from step one, through the entire process. A final screen printed shirt is the product of a combination of an image or design, ink, and fabric or garment. If you want to have an image or logo printed, we can create your screen print from your image file. However, it will have to be a high-quality image with a clear resolution. At Shirt Shack, we use only the finest quality inks to ensure even printing, free of clumps, lumps, and bumps that won’t peel or flake. Finally, the shirts that we print on must be high-quality fabric so that the image does not get distorted in the printing process or stretch and distort the image afterward. Check our catalogs for all of your apparel needs!
Custom apparel is a process
If it were as simple as ironing an image onto a piece of cloth, anyone could do it! When you visit your local Shirt Shack in Hastings or Kearney, you will be met by an energetic and excited team of skilled experts who have produced thousands of custom screen printing, embroidery, and engraved apparel and promotional product items. They may make suggestions to modify your design slightly to produce the sharpest lines and best colors possible. Images printed from home computer programs may not translate into ink colors that will look the way you want it to on the finished product. Our designers will recommend the best images, the best ink, and the best materials to provide you with the finished product you want.
Not all products and processes are created equal
As mentioned in the “processes” section of this screen printing page, there are several ways to customize your apparel, and, unfortunately, not all of the processes behave the same way on different fabrics and garments. This may influence the garment suggestions that your custom print designer at Shirt Shack will recommend. Garment, plus printing process, plus high-quality ink equals the best-finished product. To produce a clear image, do not be surprised if we steer you away from: Tank-tops, V-necks, Ribbed garments, Canvas, Burnout t-shirts, Pique Polos.
While small images may be able to transfer well with certain screen printing techniques and can be completed on a case-by-case basis, for bulk orders, these garments do not work well because they are not smooth or have neck-lines that frequently cut into the transferred image. If any of your projects include these materials or garment styles, no problem, talk to one of our skilled screen printers to figure out how we can make it work!
The designers at Shirt Shack will not steer you wrong and can explain the rationale behind any suggestion they make in an effort to leave you with a finished product you can be proud of.
At Shirt Shack of Nebraska, we provide our customers with the highest-quality custom printed products and apparel. From design assistance, through the printing process, to completed product, when you work with the skilled designers at the Shirt Shack for your screen printing project, you’ll get the total package.
Create the Screen
The first step to screenprinting fabrics or garments is creating the screen itself. Without getting too far into the weeds, this step is a highly scientific one based on chemical reactions and the transfer of energy through light.
The printer will choose a mesh screen that suits the design and the texture of the material being printed. The screen is then coated with a light-reactive emulsion, which is hardened under a bright light.
Next, the design is cut into an acetate sheet and applied to the emulsion coating. The whole screen is once again exposed to the bright light so that the design-covered parts are left unhardened. After a set amount of time, the screen is rinsed to remove the unhardened parts, creating a stencil for the ink.
Printing the Garment
Now it is time for the fun part! The newly created screen is attached to a printing board that lowers the screen perfectly into place and is used to apply ink to the garment beneath. Ink is spilled over the screen and then pressed onto the garment to reveal the completed design transferred to the shirt.
The design and screenprinting process includes a lot of room for customization and personal touch. There are many different inks and application techniques that can alter the way a completed design turns out.
At the Shirt Shack, our screen printing experts have mastered the skills required to create beautiful, flawless garments that are custom-made for you. Check out our online gallery or just stop by our Kearney or Hastings location to see for yourself and get your project started today!
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