Custom Screen Printing for Streetwear Brands

Screen printing, also called silkscreen printing, transfers ink through a stencil held in a fine mesh screen. A squeegee draws ink across the screen so it passes through the open areas and onto the garment. Conventional spot-color artwork normally uses one screen per ink color; process and simulated-process work use more complex separations to reproduce tonal artwork.

The finished hand-feel depends on the ink system and deposit. Plastisol generally creates a more noticeable ink layer, while water-based and discharge systems can produce a softer finish. Spot colors can be matched to an agreed Pantone reference or physical swatch and confirmed on a printed strike-off because ink appearance changes with fabric color, texture and lighting.

Which ink makes sense depends on the fabric, the base color, and how the finished print is meant to feel. We run three ink systems, summarized below.

A related option some buyers ask for by name is a crack print or vintage print finish: plastisol ink applied thin and cured so it develops a deliberately cracked, worn-in texture, usually paired with a vintage or distressed wash program rather than a clean, fresh garment.

Screen printing pricing follows the number of screens, not the number of pieces. Every additional color in a design means another screen, another pass on press, and another registration check, so a one-color logo and a five-color graphic are functionally different jobs even at the same quantity. This is the main reason a design gets simplified or a color gets dropped during the feasibility stage — not to cut corners, but because reducing screen count is usually the single biggest lever on unit price.

For repeat orders, we retain approved artwork, color references, ink information and production notes. Physical screens may be reclaimed and need to be remade, so setup charges, strike-off approval and lead time are confirmed case by case. A repeat order does not automatically bypass material, color or quality checks.

For blank garment options, exact MOQ, and current pricing tiers by color count, see our screen print t-shirts ordering page — this page covers the process, not the price list.

Conventional spot-color screen printing is strongest on logos, type and graphic artwork with a defined color count. Each added spot color normally requires another screen, press station and registration step. Halftone, process-color and simulated-process separations can reproduce gradients and photographic detail, but they require artwork review, controlled separations and additional setup.

DTG or DTF may be more practical for high-color or photographic artwork, personalized pieces and very small runs where separate screen setup is inefficient. The best method depends on fabric, quantity, artwork, hand-feel, durability target and budget; digital printing is not automatically less durable in every application. Many streetwear collections use more than one decoration method.

Screen printing lays ink flat against the fabric surface. For a raised, three-dimensional texture on the same spot-color artwork, our puff printing process uses a foaming additive mixed into plastisol ink that expands during curing — same basic press and screens, different ink chemistry and cure profile.