Screen printing for crew shirts
Screen print is the cheapest way to put a logo on 48 or more tees, and the print outlasts the shirt when it is cured right. Battle Born Clothing prints in-house in Yerington, NV with plastisol, water-based and discharge inks on a conveyor dryer. No hard minimum; 48 pieces and up is where it makes sense.
What it costs
| Job | Per piece | Screens (one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 color, 1 location, light shirt | $4.34 | $20 |
| 1 color, 1 location, dark shirt (flash) | $4.59 | $20 |
| 1 color front + 1 color back, dark shirt | $9.18 | $40 |
On a $6.04 Port & Company PC61, that makes a black crew tee with a 1-color front logo and a 1-color back print $15.22 each at 48, plus $40 in screens. Two colors on the front means two screens ($40 for the front alone) and a per-piece rate quoted for the job. Full worked examples are on the pricing page.
Inks: plastisol, water-based, discharge
- Plastisol: the standard. Opaque, bright, sits on top of the fabric. Works on cotton, blends and polyester. Our default for crew shirts.
- Water-based: soaks into the fiber for a soft hand. Best on light cotton. Good for company shirts people wear off the clock.
- Discharge: removes the shirt dye and replaces it with ink color. Softest result on dark 100% cotton. Not for blends or polyester.
The flash charge, explained
On a dark shirt we print a white underbase and flash-cure it before the top color so the logo is bright instead of muddy. That is the $0.25 per flash on the invoice. On a white, ash or safety-color shirt it is usually not needed, so a light shirt is $0.25 cheaper per location.
Artwork we need
- Vector (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG) is best. A 300 dpi PNG at print size works.
- Tell us the ink color by Pantone or by naming it. We match thread and ink across an order.
- Front logo is usually 3.5-4 inches wide left chest or 10-12 inches wide center chest. Back prints are 10-12 inches wide.
- Phone numbers, license numbers and URLs print fine at one color; keep text at least 0.25 inches tall.
Questions
Is there a minimum for screen printing?
No hard minimum. We recommend 48 or more because the screens cost the same whether you print 12 shirts or 120, so the per-shirt price drops fast.
Can I mix shirt colors in one run?
Yes, as long as the ink color stays the same. Mixing light and dark shirts may add a flash on the darks.
How long does a screen print order take?
28 days from proof approval is standard. Rush is quoted per job.