How much do you know about the wonderful world of screen-printed t-shirts?

What exactly is a screen-printed t-shirt? In a nutshell, it’s a printing method, which involves transferring a custom design onto any surface or canvas. This includes t-shirts and other apparel forms.

While t-shirts have been around since the end of the 19th century, screen-printing is newer, but it has an impressive legacy. We’d like to demonstrate that with these 6 interesting facts about screen-printed t-shirts.

Screen-Printed T-Shirts - 6 Interesting Facts

1. Fast Way to Add Texture to Any Shirt - Yes, the ink we use to make t-shirts adds volume to them. After curing, the ink becomes a slightly malleable additional layer to the fabric itself. Some screen-printed t-shirts can accomplish a “vintage” touch or other distinct feel on the outside. You could even say screen printing makes shirts. . . salty!
2. There’s a Whole Science to It - This requires lots of technique, appropriate temperatures (for the ink), chemicals, fabric types (cotton, polyester, etc.), and many other variables. If you’re off by even a fraction in some aspect, the print quality will suffer, possibly the point of ruining the fabric.
3. The Very First Promo Shirt (The Wizard of Oz) - The first ever cinematic promotional t-shirt was a screen-printed shirt for the release of The Wizard of Oz in 1939. Back then, the technology was much more primitive, enough to create a simple design with the iconic film title.
4. They Don’t Wash Out - If you combine quality fabric with proper ink settings, you shouldn’t have a problem with ink smearing or mixing with other colors when you wash screen-printed t-shirts. With the right ink drying temperatures, the finished product should last for decades.
5. Each Screen-Printed T-Shirt is Unique - If you take t-shirt design down to the sub-microscopic level, then it’s impossible for any two shirts to look perfectly identical. That said, with our printing technology and workmanship, it’s possible to limit differences and anomalies to where they’re imperceptible to the human eye.
6. Fabric Matters a Lot - The three primary fabric options are 100% cotton, 100% polyester, and a combination or blend of the two. Pure cotton, thanks to its natural absorption, tends to work the best for screen-printing. This is the optimal way to achieve the clearest, most well-defined design prints. 100% polyester isn’t always recommended, but a blend of cotton and polyester can yield a very soft shirt, which many of our clients find appealing.

If you care about quality fabrics, which won’t fall apart fast or wash out in the laundry, then we’re the ones to hire for near-perfect branded apparel.