USING FEWER COLORS IN YOUR DESIGN

One of the quickest and easiest ways to save money when ordering custom screen printed t-shirts is to reduce the number of colours in your artwork. Screen printers have a set-up fee which is somewhere between $20 and $30 per color. Meaning if you have a 4 color logo you could pay upwards of $100 for the screen charges. If your logo is one color you will be looking at a more reasonable $20-$30. If you look below at the image on the left, you will see the original version has two colors, the version on the right has been reduced to one color. The savings could be as much as $1.00-$2.00 per shirt plus the costs of the screen charges. You could end up saving hundreds of dollars simply just by reducing the amount of colors used to print your order.

TYPE OF GARMENT

The type of t-shirt used can save you a lot also. Most printers have a brand they will recommend that is a good quality, but won’t break the bank. High end brands will cost more due to popularity, materials used and importing them into Canada. Another thing to think of in choosing the right garments is the material used. Typically 100% cotton is cheaper than polyester or polyester/cotton blends, but some clients require a higher end garment for their target audience and we understand this, so for that reason we carry all major manufacturers and brands so that all of our clients can make the right choice for their t-shirt printing needs. Additionally, when ordering polo shirts you will have to determine whether a standard golf shirt is sufficient, or if you want a breathable, anti-microbial type sports polo.

SHIRT SIZES

The sizes ordered is also something to consider. Typically, small to extra large are all a standard price, but when ordering XXL and bigger there may be  a charge for the larger sizes.

QUANTITY

The biggest factor when trying to save money when buying screen printed shirts is the quantity ordered. Buying in bulk will save you more than any other aspect, and in some cases as much as 70%. The biggest price breaks occur when ordering over 100 pieces.

COLORED SHIRTS VS WHITE

White shirts are cheaper than dark shirts for a few different reasons. When they are manufactured they don’t have to go through a dying process which means less labor is required to make them, which equals cheaper price points for us, that we pass on to you. The second reason is that when printing on dark garments a white base is printed first with the colors printed on top. When printing on light garments an under base is not required, which means you will only pay for one hit and our labor time is less which equates to cheaper prices.

DIFFERENT GARMENTS, SAME SCREENS

Let’s say you are ordering 100 t-shirts and 100 hoodies with the same logo. We can use the same screens for both the shirts and hoodies which means your order is now considered 200 pieces which will bring down the cost per print and only have one set-up fee. Another great piece of information is when you have an order with all the same print, you are able to change the garment color without incurring additional charges, provided the ink color stays the same.

USING THE SHIRT COLOR AS THE BACKGROUND

Another great way to save money is to use the shirt color as part of you artwork. If your design is black and red it may be best to print on red shirts and use the negative space to show the red in your artwork. Have a look at the picture below as an example. On the left it shows the original artwork, in the middle we remove the yellow from the artwork and on the right we use the yellow of the shirt to replace it and save you money! If you are not a graphic designer we
would be happy to make artwork changes like this for you at no cost.

ONE SIDE PRINTING IS CHEAPER THAN TWO

Some designs have a front print, sleeve print and a back print. If at all possible, limit the amount of locations you need printed. Every location is another screen charge and if your artwork has a lot of colors it may get costly.

4 COLOR PROCESS (CMYK)

If you artwork is super detailed or has lots of colors, we may be able to use what is a called a 4 color process to print your shirts. Essentially we take your artwork and separate it into four colors, CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). When put together they combine to create the full picture. With this process, artwork that has 7 colors can be  achieved using only 4 colors, which means 4 films output to make 4 screens as opposed to 7, less labor time and lower set-up fees. We only print on white t-shirts using the four color process. The image on the left is the artwork separated into CMYK and the image on the right is when all the layers are added together to create your full artwork.

ORDER AHEAD OF TIME

Calling the day before to get large orders done can be tricky at the best of times. Even though we have super fast turnarounds, it is always best to order at least a week in advance if possible. Our usual turnaround times are typically 2-3 days, but can vary depending on time of year and workload.

BUNDLE WITH OTHER PRODUCTS

We offer many different products including banners, brochures, calendars, fridge magnets, note pads, and business cards just to name a few. When you bundle a few of our products together you are sure to save both money and time by being able to order all of your needs without leaving the comfort of your home or office. As an added bonus, we offer free delivery in the Toronto area so ordering your custom screen printed shirts couldn’t be easier.