5 things to look for when choosing a Screen Printer for your business
Finding a local screen printer to print shirts for you is simple – but choosing the right one for the job is the hard part. There are so many factors to what makes a great screen printing business, and if you spend time picking the right one it will always pay off. I remember before I started working at Getbold, I only had minimal knowledge of all the aspects of custom t-shirt printing. I was associated with a few different custom t-shirt projects and had no idea what to look for. Now that I’ve worked in the industry for a while, I know what is most important to look for when ordering t-shirts. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of the best things to look for in a screen printer.
1. Quality
Quality refers to lots of things in this case. For one, you want to look for quality customer service so you can assure that your questions will be answered promptly and knowledgeably, because there’s a good chance you will have questions about your order and nothing is more frustrating than sending repeated emails and calls and being brushed off. Ordering T-shirts can be frustrating if you aren’t met with caring and responsive reps.
Quality also refers to the quality of your print or embroidery. Screen printing is a highly detailed process that involves many steps before your shirts are completed. Artwork tweaking, colour separations, screen burning, and proper registration are just some of the steps that, if they aren’t done properly, can result in a T-shirt that nobody wants to wear. After working in the industry for a while and knowing the proper steps it takes to create a great t-shirt, I always find myself noticing a poor screen printing job when I see it on the street.
2. Reliability
When you’re ordering t-shirts, you want to make sure you’re in good hands and that you can trust that everything will go smoothly on our end. If you have a deadline you need to make, you want to know that the shirts will show up at your door on time. If you need exact quantities for your order, you want to have confidence that everyone will get a t-shirt. If you specified Pantone colours and need an exact ink match, you want to be pleased when your shirts show up perfectly and on-brand.
These all seem like pretty straightforward things, but many things can go wrong during the screen printing process that result in shortages, overdue t-shirts, and bad colour matches. You want to find a company that can get the job done on time, and done well. There are a surprising amount of screen printing shops that can’t be relied on in this way.
3. Consistency
If you are planning on doing multiple re-orders of the same design, your top priority is probably that the t-shirts turn out the exact same, every order. Especially if you are selling the t-shirts as merchandise or running a clothing line, inconsistency in your products can reflect badly on your business and instill distrust in your brand, particularly if the T-shirts from different orders that look different are sitting next to each other on the shelf. Having printed for many large companies and clothing brands at Getbold, we recognize the importance of shipping consistent and quality products for every order, no matter the size. This is where having a huge database of customer graphics and notes comes in handy, so we can make sure to keep track of all the details that were relevant to your order and replicate it easily and precisely if you need to reorder.
4. Attention to Detail
As I mentioned earlier, there is an astounding amount of precision and detail that goes into the screen printing process – if one of these things is out of balance, the whole print gets thrown off. It’s truly an art form and it’s rewarding for us to see the final product after working so hard to get a nice, crisp, beautiful print. When you are sending us your artwork, it’s likely that we will need to make small adjustments to it to ensure the print turns out well and that you are happy with the result. There are many print shops who don’t take the time to make these adjustments, and although they may be small changes they can really make a difference in the result. Another way our employees’ attention to detail pays off is with the quality of the garments. When we receive shipments of t-shirts from our suppliers, there can often be minute defects in the shirts, like small holes, tears, or sewing errors, that may not be caught by someone without a trained eye. Making sure to catch these defective t-shirts ensures that we can order a replacement so that you can receive a full order of perfect t-shirts within your time constraints.
5. Technology and equipment
Keeping up with the times is important in every business nowadays, and the screen printing industry is no different! Having top of the line equipment, presses, and digital platforms leave less room for error in all areas of the business. From a high functioning website with online ordering to top-of-the-line printing presses, it’s becoming a priority in screen printing businesses to have the proper equipment and keep our customers happy. It also ensures that we can handle large bulk orders with ease – printing one t-shirt at a time on a manual press is just not viable for 500 unit orders with a 3 colour print! All our reps are highly proficient in all programs used in the screen printing preparation process, and our team prides itself on being experts in the business so that you can order online, approve, and then relax and wait for your awesome t-shirts to arrive at your door.
There you have it, 5 things to consider when choosing a screen printer for your next custom t-shirt order. It takes great screen printers to know great screen printing, and Getbold has been printing t-shirts, hoodies, and a vast number of other products for all types of businesses and organizations since 1999. Next time you need to order t-shirts from anywhere in Canada, give us a call or shoot us an email and we’ll be happy to help!