Printing

We run both, and the honest answer to which is better is that it depends entirely on your order.

Screen printing has a setup cost per colour and then a very low cost per garment, so it wins comfortably on long runs of the same design. DTF, or direct to film, has no screen setup at all, so it wins on short runs, on full colour and photographic artwork, and on orders where the sizes and colours are all mixed.

Somewhere in the middle there is a crossover point, and it moves depending on how many colours your design has. We work out which side of it your order falls on and quote the cheaper method, rather than defaulting to whichever suits our schedule.

Print is the method for bold graphics, fine detail, photographic images and anything with a lot of colours in it, and it is the economical choice on large runs. It suits t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, hi vis, aprons and tote bags, and it is what most event and merchandise work is produced with.

Where a garment is going to be worn hard for years, or washed at high temperature, we will usually point you at embroidery instead and explain why.

Vector artwork gives the best result, but send us whatever you have. We work with logos rebuilt from business cards, van livery and old print files every week, and redrawing artwork properly is part of the job rather than an extra we spring on you afterwards.

You get a free digital proof before anything runs, so you see exactly what will be printed and where.

Print is less forgiving than embroidery and most of the problems are avoidable if you know the fabric:

• Dark garments need a white underbase laid down first, or the garment dye shows through and a bright logo comes out muddy.
• Some polyester blends let dye migrate up into the print over the following weeks, turning white into pink. We use the right base and cure temperature for the blend, and recommend embroidery where the risk is high.
• Technical and stretch fabrics are heat sensitive and move, so a stiff, thick print cracks the first time the garment stretches. We use a process that flexes with it.
• Hi vis gets printed clear of the retroreflective tape, so the certification the garment was bought for is not compromised.

Front, back, sleeve and large format across the chest or shoulders are all standard. The one constraint worth knowing is the hoodie: a front print has to finish above the pouch pocket seam or it will crease and crack along it, which caps how large a front design can go. Big graphics usually work better on the back, and we will say so at proof stage.

Priced per print position, with screen setup charged per colour where screen printing is the right method. Costs fall as quantities rise. No minimum order, and we price match like-for-like quotes.