Screen Printing
Ink & stencils.Our bread and butter.
Screen printing is the most cost-efficient way to decorate in quantity, and it's what we've built our name on since 2006. Every job is printed in our Hudson Valley shop, one color at a time, with water-based inks that feel like part of the shirt.
Our inks
Water-based, start to finish.
We print exclusively with water-based inks. Here's what each one does and where it shines.
Low Solid Ink
Our ink of choice. It soaks into the fibers of high-cotton garments for an extremely soft hand and a matte finish, and after a wash you won't feel it at all. On some fabric colors it settles into a slightly vintage look over time.
Great for- Light-colored garments
- 6 oz totes
- paper and cardboard
High Solid Acrylic (HSA)
A bolder water-based ink built to sit on top of the fibers, much like plastisol does. You get opaque, vibrant color with a softer hand and a lower-impact ink. We'd say we've gotten pretty good at it.
Great for- Bold high-opacity prints
- Accurate Color Matching
Discharge ink
A water-based ink that removes a dark garment's dye and replaces it with the ink color. Opaque, vibrant and breathable with a matte finish, best on 100% cotton. Exact Pantone matches can be tricky, and we recommend a wash before wearing.
Great for- Breathable prints on dark garments
Why no plastisol?
Plastisol is the industry's most common ink: PVC resin and a plasticizer that sits on top of the fabric as its own layer. Working with plastisol requires a lot more harsh chemicals. Once we dialed in HSA, we phased it out of the shop entirely.
Good to know
How screen printing works.
A few things that help your print come out exactly how you pictured it.
One color at a time
Each color in your design gets its own screen, a stencil in fine mesh. Ink is pushed through it onto the garment, one color after the next.
Same size on every size
The stencil stays the same for the whole run, so a 10" print looks smaller on an XL than on an XS. Want it bigger on XL+? That's a separate run that meets its own minimum.
Pantone matching
We mix to your Pantone colors in-house. Tell us your PMS Coated or Uncoated code and we'll match them.
Art files
Vector files (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG) print cleanest. High-res PNG at full size works too. Not sure? Send what you have.
Proofs first
You'll get a digital proof with sizes and placement before anything is printed, and nothing runs until you approve it.
Full production in house
Screens, printing, curing, folding and packing all happen under one roof. No farming out.
Our expertise
Where it shines.
- Consistent, fast and cost-efficient on larger runs
- Flat products: tees, sweatshirts, totes, bandanas
- Soft, durable prints with water-based inks
- Hats, backpacks and other structured or bulky products
- Small runs under our 28-piece minimum
- Unique fabric products such as mesh, nylon, etc...
Screen printing project in mind?
Tell us what you're thinking.