In general screen-printing is the process of forcing ink, by pressing with a squeegee, through the mesh of netting of a screen stretch, on a frame, onto the object to be printed. The nonprinting areas of the screen are protected by a mesh cutout stencil or by blocking the mesh areas. This process is also known as serigraphy. Historians were not very sure on where or how this process was discovered and there are many people that contributed to the different processes that we use today. It’s important to remember that every color you want used in your artwork means another screen to create, set-up, and print through. The costs connected with these screens depend on the techniques used.

It’s always beneficial to print more items than less because of the set-up charges involved. If in doubt about the final quantity of screenprinted items you’ll need, it’s often more economical to order more than you think will be required.

Every color has an associated cost; different colors have different chemical make-ups, which make them more or less expensive than others.

Drop shadows, shading and anything that blends from light to dark will probably end up looking like a series of dots and should be avoided. (This does not apply to single-color halftone gradients).

The following special requirements will add to your screenprinting costs: