Silk Screening at MAKE

When it comes to creating customized apparel, Make offers two great ways to print t-shirts and garments, direct to garment (DTG) digital t-shirt printing and silk-screening.

For large volume orders, silk-screening is a cost effective t-shirt printing technique that is best for designs that use fewer colours. Silk-screen on any colour t-shirt, hoodie and more.  Any questions or need pricing info? Check out our FAQ’s below or click here to request a quote. 

FAQ's

Should I use digital printing or silk-screening?
Please refer to our Imprinting Guide which will give you a great side-by-side comparison of the two kinds of printing and help you make the right choice.

What is silk-screening?
Screen printing or Silk-screening is a printing technique that forces ink through a mesh screen onto a substrate like t-shirts or bags. Traditionally the process was called screen printing or silkscreen printing because silk was used in the process prior to the invention of polyester mesh.

Is there a minimum order? 
Yes, the minimum order at MAKE is 24 pieces. Please note that all 24 pieces must have the same artwork (size and colour).

Can you do silk-screening on my items?
No, we do not silk screen on supplied items. However we offer a great selection of apparel to choose from. 

How do you price silk-screening?
Silk-screening pricing is based both size of artwork and number of colours you need to print. For questions on pricing please email us.

What artwork file do you need for silk screening?
Because screen printing often requires application of more than one colour of ink to produce the finished product we require artwork that can be separated into layers representing each colour of ink to be applied in the design. Generally this means that you will have to give us files in vector format (including Illustrator .eps or .ai files and CorelDraw 10 files).

Tips when submitting artwork:

1. Make sure all fonts have been converted outlines or curves.
2. Assign Pantone Numbers (or stock ink names) to the colors in your design.
3. When in doubt, please contact us and we'll be happy to help you.

I have gradients and shading in my artwork – can this be printed?
Sorry – gradients and shading in artwork does not work with silk-screening. Silk-screening is best for printing spot colours, while digital printing  is great for gradients.

Can you match Pantone (PMS) colours?
Yes, absolutely! Silk screening allows us to come much closer to a Pantone or PMS colour than DTG can. If you are concerned about matching colours we suggest you use silk screening over DTG printing.