What Is Screen Printing?
Screen printing is the gold standard for bulk custom apparel — vibrant, durable prints that last for hundreds of washes. Learn how it works and when to choose it.
Screen printing (also called silkscreen printing) is a printing technique where ink is pushed through a mesh stencil (screen) onto a garment. A separate screen is created for each color in the design, and the ink is cured with heat to create a durable, long-lasting print. Screen printing has been the dominant method for custom t-shirt decoration for over 50 years because it produces the most vibrant, most durable, and most cost-effective prints for bulk orders.
How Screen Printing Works
The screen printing process begins with your artwork. Each color in your design is separated onto its own layer, and a fine mesh screen is coated with a light-sensitive emulsion for each color. The artwork is exposed onto the screen, hardening the emulsion everywhere except where the ink needs to pass through. During printing, ink is poured onto the screen and pushed through the mesh onto the garment with a squeegee. Each color is printed one at a time, then the garment is passed through a conveyor dryer to cure the ink at 320°F, creating a bond that lasts for hundreds of washes.
When to Choose Screen Printing
Screen printing is the best choice for orders of 24 or more pieces with 1 to 6 colors. The per-shirt cost decreases significantly as quantity increases, making it the most economical option for bulk orders. Screen printing produces the most vibrant, opaque prints — especially white ink on dark garments. If your design uses spot colors (solid areas of color), screen printing will give you the best results at the best price. Screen printing can also reproduce simple to moderate halftone gradients; for smooth, complex gradients or full-color photographs, DTF is the better choice.
Screen Printing Pricing
Screen printing pricing is based on four factors: the blank garment cost, the quantity ordered, the number of print colors, and the number of print locations (front, back, sleeves). Each additional color requires a separate screen and adds a per-shirt cost. Larger quantities receive volume discounts — the per-shirt print cost drops as the order size grows. Use our instant online quote engine to get exact pricing for your design in seconds.
Screen Printing vs Digital Printing
Screen printing and DTF (direct-to-film) printing are complementary methods. Screen printing is best for bulk orders (24+) with 1-6 color designs, including simple to moderate halftone gradients — it produces the most vibrant and durable prints at the lowest per-shirt cost. DTF is best for small orders (under 24) or designs with smooth gradients, full-color photographs, or more than 6 colors — it has no minimum order and handles complex artwork that screen printing cannot. Athens Print Shop offers both methods and automatically recommends the best option based on your design and quantity.
Products Available with Custom Screen Printing
Frequently Asked Questions
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