How do I choose my imprint color?

Click on the radio button next to your desired imprint color. Color swatches shown are for reference only and may not exactly match the actual imprint color.

• Stock Colors: Imprint color swatches shown are stock colors for reference only and may not match the actual imprint color(s); a virtual proof containing the exact color to be printed will be provided for your final approval.
• More Color Options: Multiple imprint colors and/or other colors not shown may be available. If you would like imprint colors not shown (including PMS color matches or multiple imprint colors), please indicate the colors in the Imprint Color Comments section below.

What is screen printing?

Screen printing is arguably the most versatile of all printing processes. It can be used to print on a wide variety of substrates, including paper, paperboard, plastics, glass, metals, and fabrics.

A significant characteristic of screen printing is that a greater thickness of the ink can be applied to the substrate than is possible with other printing techniques. This allows for some very interesting effects that are not possible using other printing methods. Due to the simplicity of the application process, a wider range of inks and dyes are available for use in screen printing than for use in any other printing process.

Utilization of screen printing presses has begun to increase because production rates have improved. This has been a result of the development of the automated and rotary screen printing press, improved dryers, and U.V. curable ink. The major chemicals used include screen emulsions, inks, solvents, surfactants, caustics and oxidizers used in screen reclamation. The inks used vary dramatically in their formulations.

Screen Printing Process Overview

Screen printing consists of three elements: the screen, which carries the image; the squeegee; and ink. The screen printing process uses a porous mesh screen stretched tightly over a frame made of wood or metal. Proper tension is essential to accurate color registration. The screen is made of porous fabric or stainless steel mesh. A stencil is produced on the screen either manually or photochemically. The stencil defines the image to be printed; in other printing technologies this would be referred to as the image plate.

Screen printing ink is applied to the substrate by placing the screen over the material. Ink with a paint-like consistency is placed onto the top of the screen. Ink is then forced through the fine mesh openings using a squeegee that is drawn across the screen; the applied pressure forces the ink through the open areas of the screen. Ink will pass through only in areas where no stencil is applied, thus forming an image on the printing substrate. The diameter of the threads and the thread count of the mesh will determine how much ink is deposited onto the substrates.

Many factors such as composition, size, form, angle, pressure, and speed of the blade (squeegee) determine the quality of the impression made by the squeegee. At one time, most blades were made from rubber; however, they were prone to wear and edge nicks that often distorted the image. While blades continue to be made from rubbers such as neoprene, most are now made from polyurethane, which can produce as many as 25,000 impressions without significant degradation of the image.

If the item was printed on a manual or automatic screen press, the printed product will be placed on a conveyor belt which carries the item into the drying oven or through the UV curing system. Rotary screen presses feed the material through the drying or curing system automatically. Air drying of certain inks, though rare in the industry, is still sometimes utilized.

The rate of screen printing production was once dictated by the drying rate of the screen print inks. Due to improvements and innovations the production rate has greatly increased. Some specific innovations which affected the production rate and increased screen press popularity include the development of automatic presses versus hand operated presses, improved drying systems, and the development and improvement of U.V. curable ink technologies. More recently, the development of the rotary screen press has been significant, as it allows continuous operation of the press.

What is Four-Color Process imprinting?

Four-color process is ideal when an imprint calls for full-color artwork or includes photographs, due to its ability to print a wide range of colors. In preparing art for production, the image is rendered in overlapping combinations of inks using the CMYK color model. CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key black. Every color in the original art can be reproduced with the proper proportional mixture of these four ink colors in variable levels of intensity on the pixel level, with subtle shading accomplished through halftoning.

While the four-color process is excellent for reproducing images faithfully, the colors produced by the CMYK procedure will not yield the exact shades that PMS color matching does, therefore we cannot guarantee PMS matching when using this process.

What is dye sublimation?

Dye-sublimation is a method by which a colored dye is permanently embedded into material, rather than applying an ink to the surface as in screen printing.

Sublimation is the chemical process wherein a substance moves directly between a solid to a gaseous state without first becoming a liquid. In dye-sublimation colored dye is superheated and then embedded into fabric, where it bonds on the molecular level with polymers (large molecules consisting of repeating simple molecules linked together) in the fabric, so that the dye actually becomes part of the material.

This process only works on artificial fabrics composed of polymers, usually polyester, so dye-sublimation is usually reserved for polyester items like lanyards, ribbons, and mouse pad fabric, though ceramics like coffee mugs are often coated with a thin patina of polymers specifically for accepting dyes. T-shirts can be dye-sublimated, but they must be 100% polyester — the process will not work with cotton.

What is embroidery?

Embroidery is the process of creating and producing ornamental needlework consisting of designs worked on fabric with high-luster threads either by hand or machine. For many forms of apparel, including jackets, polo shirts, and hats, machine embroidery is the preferred form of imprinting as it gives these items an elegant look that enhances their perceived value.

Original art is converted, or digitized, into a template that breaks it down into a required stitch count for the desired imprint area. The template is then uploaded into an industrial embroidery machine which replicates the template onto the garment precisely.

The cost of embroidery depends on the intricacy of the graphics to be reproduced, as well as the number of colors, as these factors determine the stitch count. Because of the work necessary to digitize art for embroidery and the embroidery process itself, these items take at least a couple of days to produce, which will affect rush orders. The customer is advised to consult the production schedule provided during the ordering process for embroidered items.